How to Win With Dr. Mario in Super Smash Bros. Melee
Know that there is a particular strategy, like all characters, that you need to get used to., Counter attacking is critical to your success as Doc., Generally speaking (although this depends on your opponent) you want to pill spam to bait your...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Know that there is a particular strategy
The strategy in the case of Doctor Mario is DEFENSE then counter.
You cannot go into battle with Doc with an offensive strategy (well you can and you will but not in the same manner as say Marth).
You need to focus on what I call Counter Attack Strategy. , What is the counter attack strategy? Well basically you want to bait your opponent in to a compromised position.
This may be self-explanatory but I write it out to emphasize its importance (I will repeat myself often in this guide, take it as something particularly important if I do).
Rarely ever do you want to rush into an attack with Doc, you will get punished if you try. , This will force him to attack you.
This is the position you want to be in initially.
If and when your opponent gets by the pills you then either attack his compromised position (he will likely have jumped over the pills or rolled by them) or continue to defend by utilizing your sheet (cape).
The idea here is to be as aggravating as humanly possible to force your opponent into making critical mistakes. , Once the opponent is in a compromised position you lay on the hurt.
This is IMPORTANT for your success as Doc.
You must COMBO to be effective as Doc.
Use your tilts and up-throw to get them in the air and SHFFL to keep them there (after giving them about 20-30 damage with pills ect).
Remember: you can't really combo that well until they have some damage so get some pills to connect before the offensive counter (this is not quite the case with the floaters:
Marth, Peach.
You should combo early against them because they fly to far when they have damage) , At this point you want your opponent off the stage.
Try a forward or back throw or a D-Smash to do it.
This where you put one of Doc's best assets to the test. , This is very simple: you do not ever, ever, EVER, let an opponent back on the stage in this game.
With Doc this is pretty easy.
The following attacks are very good for this purpose: ,,, Don't worry if you take a hit here as you will likely get pushed back towards the stage, getting hit here is generally expected and its worth it. , you do this by floating kind of low then Up-B to just barely grab the edge thus allowing you to avoid the edge-guard by your opponent.
If you get hit really far out you can try the tornado (Down-B) to get more distance, although this takes a LOT of practice to gain from. , I said WAVEDASH! This move is very good with Doc and I often use it for all of my on ground movement (you can move faster than running in many cases) -
Step 2: like all characters
When the opponent is at about 30-40 damage I usually go for W-Dash to Down-Smash.
You can often trick your opponent by facing away and W-Dashing at them D-Smash and hit them with the back end of the attack (they won't realize what you are doing thinking you can't hit them facing backwards :)).
When they have about 60-80 and you can't get them off the stage try a W-Dash to Forward-Smash to slide right up next to them and connect (this is particularly effective as Doc's F-Smash does most damage up close). , -
Step 3: that you need to get used to.
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Step 4: Counter attacking is critical to your success as Doc.
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Step 5: Generally speaking (although this depends on your opponent) you want to pill spam to bait your opponent.
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Step 6: Now for the Counter-Punch.
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Step 7: Once you have done this process 1-2 times your opponent will likely have about 60-80 damage.
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Step 8: Edge Guarding.
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Step 9: Back-Air: short hop and kick your opponent in the face this is probably the best edge-guarding attack you have.
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Step 10: Cape: especially against space animals (fox
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Step 11: Falco) this is very helpful against the Up-B recovery technique as it reverses an opponents attack making them face away from the stage thus preventing them from being able to grab the ledge of the stage
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Step 12: Neutral-Air: jump out off the stage and hit them with this move to push them further out (very good option if they have used a jump already).
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Step 13: Recovery: you should generally try to recovery low with Doc and Sweet-Spot the edge.
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Step 14: One advanced technique that's very effective with Doc is the WAVEDASH.
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Step 15: Use the Wavedash primarily to get in close for grabs and tilts
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Step 16: and ultimately Doc's Ace: the wavedash to smash attack combo.
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Step 17: Make sure you learn to SHFFL (short-hop
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Step 18: fast fall
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Step 19: L-Cancel) when doing aerial attacks
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Step 20: this takes a lot of practice but is pretty important for Doc.
Detailed Guide
The strategy in the case of Doctor Mario is DEFENSE then counter.
You cannot go into battle with Doc with an offensive strategy (well you can and you will but not in the same manner as say Marth).
You need to focus on what I call Counter Attack Strategy. , What is the counter attack strategy? Well basically you want to bait your opponent in to a compromised position.
This may be self-explanatory but I write it out to emphasize its importance (I will repeat myself often in this guide, take it as something particularly important if I do).
Rarely ever do you want to rush into an attack with Doc, you will get punished if you try. , This will force him to attack you.
This is the position you want to be in initially.
If and when your opponent gets by the pills you then either attack his compromised position (he will likely have jumped over the pills or rolled by them) or continue to defend by utilizing your sheet (cape).
The idea here is to be as aggravating as humanly possible to force your opponent into making critical mistakes. , Once the opponent is in a compromised position you lay on the hurt.
This is IMPORTANT for your success as Doc.
You must COMBO to be effective as Doc.
Use your tilts and up-throw to get them in the air and SHFFL to keep them there (after giving them about 20-30 damage with pills ect).
Remember: you can't really combo that well until they have some damage so get some pills to connect before the offensive counter (this is not quite the case with the floaters:
Marth, Peach.
You should combo early against them because they fly to far when they have damage) , At this point you want your opponent off the stage.
Try a forward or back throw or a D-Smash to do it.
This where you put one of Doc's best assets to the test. , This is very simple: you do not ever, ever, EVER, let an opponent back on the stage in this game.
With Doc this is pretty easy.
The following attacks are very good for this purpose: ,,, Don't worry if you take a hit here as you will likely get pushed back towards the stage, getting hit here is generally expected and its worth it. , you do this by floating kind of low then Up-B to just barely grab the edge thus allowing you to avoid the edge-guard by your opponent.
If you get hit really far out you can try the tornado (Down-B) to get more distance, although this takes a LOT of practice to gain from. , I said WAVEDASH! This move is very good with Doc and I often use it for all of my on ground movement (you can move faster than running in many cases)
When the opponent is at about 30-40 damage I usually go for W-Dash to Down-Smash.
You can often trick your opponent by facing away and W-Dashing at them D-Smash and hit them with the back end of the attack (they won't realize what you are doing thinking you can't hit them facing backwards :)).
When they have about 60-80 and you can't get them off the stage try a W-Dash to Forward-Smash to slide right up next to them and connect (this is particularly effective as Doc's F-Smash does most damage up close). ,
About the Author
James Gordon
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in pet care and beyond.
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