Smash Character Review – Dr Mario

Welcome to the Smash Ultimate Character Review. In this series, brought to you by no one because who would sponsor this, Bloggin Hood will review each character in Smash Ultimate, a daunting task for anyone without a crippling addiction for Nintendo products. This series will review important topics like best costume, taunt, and the most stylish moves in the character’s arsenal to embarrass opponents. It’ll also discuss less important topics, like best moves, character strength and weaknesses,a and overall play style. If you survive the boring stuff, you’ll know just how to play to be the biggest baller online with a Kill Death Ratio at -3.

This all comes from a casual player’s mindset. While I’m not a button mashing new player with no concept of the shield button and I understand what profession players are talking about, I myself am not a professional. In fact, I’m all thumbs. I can’t input a combo, a combo breaker, or even a C stick Smash. It’s not pretty. Therefore, don’t expect these to be a technical discussion, or a high level point of view. I’m writing these for the people who follow-up their Kirby Rock Form with a second Rock Form. I’m writing to the players that go out of their way to pick Star Fox and say “Pew Pew Pew” as he slams the B button like it owes him rent money. And yes, I write to you, the heavyweight characters who spam smash attacks hoping for the best. There may be some real content in here, but only because I back doored my way into it.

Today, we’ll look at a medical professional who deserves no introduction, Dr. Mario. 

Opening Rant

There’s several things wrong with this entry. Firstly, you were probably excited that you were going to get a new character. Not today. Instead, you’re getting the same damn character you got yesterday with a vague reference to the medical profession. Talk about a rip off.

Secondly, how the hell isn’t Dr Mario an echo fighter? You know, one of the features that was hyped up in this new game? Never forget that Nintendo tried to pass off having clones as a feature. Isn’t that special? Dr. Mario was the second Mario clone in Smash, with the first being 64’s Luigi. However, while Luigi evolved into his own, unique fighter, Dr. Mario basically stayed the same, disappointing the shit out of everyone with his uselessness and his poor, poor roster inclusion.

Third, and probably the biggest gripe I have, is the fact that we have straight up two Mario’s on the roster. Now, I know there’s three Links, but at least that references different Zelda games, a series based around timelines. There’s also the time paradox of having Zelda and Sheik in the same game, but again, timelines. I think it’s ok. What’s the justification for a Mario as a Doctor? Is this the timeline where Mario finally stops chasing after Peach and gets his life together? Truly, this is the darkest timeline.

Here’s another issue with Dr Mario. How in the world did a plumber who spends his free time squishing turtles get a medical license? At best, we have to assume Mario has a GED. I haven’t seen a lot of universities in the Mushroom Kingdom. A middle-aged man is going to go back to school for at least 8 years? At his age, I don’t think so. Sure, he’ll have no problem paying for the classes with his constant coin collecting, but what if the school only wanted cool hard paper cash? Also, if you were finding golden coins wherever you went, finding a more lucrative job isn’t so important. You could pay people to get that better job for you

We have a bit of a problem, don’t we “doctor”? Truthfully, this is the most suspect medical title I’ve seen outside of the soda aisle.

I can only imagine how often the Doc is sued for malpractice. This would be a great time for Nintendo to introduce a lawyer character to protect Dr Mario’s blatant disregard for the Hippocratic Oath. Why not throw some glasses on Waluigi and make him relevant?

No, I’m just kidding. They would just have Mario defend himself in court. It would be like Ace Attorney, but with jumping. There’s a way to get out of lawsuits – jump high and wow the crowds. Sketchy doctors, start working on your calves ASAP.

Fighter Review

Character Gimmick – Being a strong, but way slower version of a superior character. No seriously, I can’t figure out why Dr. Mario was ever put in the game in the first place. There was legitimately no reason for this to ever happen. Doc plays as if Mario let himself go, and ate bowls of pasta in between every patient. There’s nothing special or unique about Doc, and the only justification he has for being playable is that “Everyone is here.” Great. We couldn’t misplace a few of the invites? I suppose not.

Play style – Honestly, it’s a slower Mario, but if we have to waste time to classify it, he plays like a heavyweight. Doc is stronger than Mario, and has more kill moves, but at the cost of mobility. On the plus, he has pretty quick attacks for a heavyweight, and his combos are a tad bit easier than Mario. There are positives here for sure.

Costumes – There’s no color scheme that’s fun here. I mean, really, why wasn’t he tacked on as a Mario alt? I didn’t even need the echo.

The only one I’d consider over the standard white is the all black look, if only because it means he’s being forthright with his malpractice. The standard option is probably best, though you can really just pick your favorite color. There’s no real reference here. We couldn’t get a face mask or a nurses hat for some variety?

I suppose we’re not getting any variety in the character at all.

Taunts – Considering the clone nature, I was impressed with 2 disrespectful taunts in the kit. His first is where he uses his heel and looks to squash a bug. But there’s no bug. That’s Doc stomping out the opponents heart. Or maybe another organ. I take it Doc struggles identifying organs.

The other great taunt is a self pat on the back. Mario actually just gives himself a rugged pat, congratulating himself on a job well done. What can I say? I love these more than standard Mario.

Speed & Mobility – Woof. If we’re only looking at move properties, I would argue that other than maybe UpSmash, Doc has the better kit than uneducated Mario. However, this is why you should never play Doc over Mario in a serious match. There is no speed to his game. Mario, while only decently quick, at least can get around. Doc is weighed down by the theoretical pounds of pasta and has one of the slowest run speeds in the game. He can also barely jump.

How is this a Mario character? How?

While the combos are there, it’s difficult to land them because of his falling speed and overall weight. You’re playing a rush down character in a heavy’s body, and it’s awkward.

Projectiles – Doc’s projectile game is the same as Mario. He can still control the game with his cape, which has the same properties but looks slightly different. His version of the fireball is different is appearance alone, and honestly, the pill is kind of stupid. Nobody attacks people will pills. It’s silly.

Imagine going to the doctor for an illness and have pills thrown at you? No wonder 90% of the Mushromm Kingdom are fungi.

Recovery and Edge Guarding – Both of these skills should be average to great, but remember that problem with mobility? Doc’s recovery is toward the bottom of the game because he’s such a fast faller. Sure, he does have a wall jump, and he can use the Tornado to raise up a bit, but even that doesn’t make things that great.

Its more dangerous to jump off the edge to snag a kill. The tools are all there, but there’s no mobility and little chance of success. Despite having two really cool spikes, there’s a better change of a self destruct than a successful guard. Don’t risk it often.

Ground Game – Doc has some combos from his tilts that Mario can’t quite recreate, making his ground game a bit better. His smashes offer more power, without sacrificing speed, and he possesses one of the stronger Fsmashes in the game. It’s not perfect since he is so painfully slow, but in a vacuum, it’s not bad.

Air Game – With the replacement of the mediocre tornado Dair with a spike, Doc’s aerial game, in theory, would be great. Unfortunately for him, this is mostly theory since he’s barely in the air long enough to hit multiple attacks. For the most part, you’ll be in the air to finish off combos, or to continue combos off of tilts and throws. That’s not bad, but I wish he had a little more hangtime. You know, like his superior version.

Power – One thing I can’t argue against is Doc’s power. A bunch of his attacks kill at much earlier percentages than Mario, and he even has one of the best kill throws in the game. Even his Up B attack is a one hit, get off me move that kills from the top (It’s not Luigi’s, but it’ll do). You have a kill move for basically every situation, so if you rack up the damage, killing is not a problem. You just have to be able to rack that damage up. That’s the tricky part.

Most Stylish Move – This is tough, so I’m going to focus on two moves here that just missed the best move list.

Doc’s back throw is devastating. He picks the character up and slowly heaves them, for effect. This is a move that will kill close to the edge like few other throws. While Doc has more important Combo throws, having an option to KO near the blast zone helps.

Mario’s Dair is pretty uninspiring, so much so that it became Doc’s down special. That’s a summary of this character as a whole really.

Doc’s Dair is a brutal stomping spike that feels so satisfying to hit. If you were to hit somebody with a Dtilt near the ledge and short hop into a Dair, it doesn’t quite combo, but it’s hard for a human player  to avoid. Dair isn’t a practical move, but it sure is fun.

Moves to Focus On

Truthfully, the list should be the same as Mario’s but I’ll talk about a few different moves to avoid repeating much.

Alley Oop (Down Tilt) – A quick, uninspiring sweep leads to great things for Doc. This is a combo starter that leads to aerials, Up B or Utilt combos. It’s a versatile move, but doesn’t do a whole lot on its own. If you’re going to throw out a poke, you should use F tilt. If you’re going to try to land something with knock back, use literally anything else. However, when you want to combo, this is your starter.

Punch Glove (Up Tilt) – While Mario’s Down throw to Up tilt spam may be gone, it survived through Doc. At first, this almost made me a Doc player, until I learned that he moves like molasses wrapped in quicksand. Anytime you can connect an Utilt at an early percent, you repeat the attack until the enemy pops out of range. Then, you are free to to follow-up with a Uair and/or Nair. It’s basically free damage. If fresh, Doc can even kill with this attack at like 150%, but hopefully you’re killing much earlier with other moves. Save the uppercut for combo spamming madness.

EKG (Forward Smash) – This move devastates opponents. It’s a bit slow, so you have to read your opponent to connect. When it does land, kills will come early. This can KO at about 80%, which is really good for someone who’s not actually a heavyweight (he just plays like he’s seen one on TV). You do not want to spam this move. Instead, use it off a poorly place roll, lag related miss, or an awesome prediction. How a Mario uses lightning over fire is beyond me. I assume it’s from the faulty equipment he purchased on the medical black market.

Flash Kick (Up Air) – Literally the same as the Mario analyst. I mean, there’s nothing different at all. Use it a ton and you’ll probably be fine. It’s not rocket science… at least until they add Rocket Scientist Mario in Smash 6.

Rocket scientist’s b attack would be a ball of fuel.

Medical Sheet (Side B) – The big difference between this and regular cape is appearance.  Instead of moving sideways, the cape is extended vertically. This changes the ‘hitbox’, allowing for more vertical protection. The vertical protection can be useful, depending on the situation. It does not, however, offer any stalling during recovery, making it less useful as an edge guard tool or during recovery. That’s not great overall, but reflecting projectiles is a godsend.

Verdict

Maybe for this one I should have said diagnosis. It’s too late. The moment’s passed.

There’s a place for Doctor Mario in free for all battles. The more powerful version of Mario is fun, especially when you can rack up kills from a powerful blow instead of a cape gimp.

However, in a 1-1 setting, Doc doesn’t cut it. There’s no way for him to operate on the competition, as he’s sluggish movement meets he’s too late to save you. Plug the plug on his players – they’re as good as dead. I give him a 6/10.

Previous Analysis :

Mario