Should I consider Mario as a secondary?

[Rango the Mercenary]

I main Ike and i feel like I'm doing relatively well. However, I struggle with some matchups, notably Diddy Kong, Sheik, Lucario, Dedede, Rosalina, Sonic, and most recently, Ryu.

I've almost never used a secondary in tournaments. I used Link sometime ago to get through a Luigi player, but that was pre-patch. Link has been disappointing me lately, and Mario feels more practical. I'm trying to learn his Uair juggles, but I'm still struggling to lock them in.

Given the matchups, do you feel it's pragmatic to give Mario a shot in tournaments? Or should I stick with Ike as a solo main?

 

[HFlash]

Honestly, Mario makes a great secondary. He covers up pretty much all of the top tiers, and relative to the rest of the cast, he is easier to pick up. I'm actually thinking of doing the same to cover Falcon's bad MU's (mainly Pika and Shiek). Nothing is an ultimatum, try it out, if you are seeing it work for you then, continue to use Mario. It won't hurt your Ike development and will the Mario investment will most likely pay off.

 

[Rango the Mercenary]

You're the first person to say that. I feel that going secondary would hinder my Ike development since I'm always trying to learn the ins-and-outs of the character. I don't want to compromise that and risk a loss, kicking myself in the ass for not using my best character.

But when I watch tournaments and see ZeRo, Nairo, Esam, and the like using different characters and winning matches, I feel that maybe it's a good tactic to consider. That said, I'll be using Mario, and if you guys are willing, I'll be posting some match videos for critique.

 

[HFlash]

Mario requires little commitment to play decently well so long as you have good fundamentals. Best example is obviously Nairo using Dr. Mario to cover his bad MU with Pikachu. No reason you can do the same.

 

[Leon Rios]

I agree with what HFlash said. I had always dabbled with Mario since 64 but seriously considered him him Sm4sh. I main Link and use Mario as my secondary for anything I can't get past with Link... I feel he's got a lot of decent moves and is fairly easy to pick up.

I feel having secondary characters can help you understand the game much better and even give you a competitive edge in tournaments.

 

[Ninja Nova_24]

I main Mario in sm4sh my friends tell me my location is better but idk what to do can someone help me by sending a link to a Mario chat in discord?

 

[Shady Onion]

Mario is a fantastic secondary honestly. He has a solid build and he has relatively decent matchup coverage. Though in your case you may have troubles with the same characters as Ike such as Diddy and Rosa. Overall, Mario can be a solo main and would make for a great secondary. I would recommend.