Dr. Mario (SSB4): Difference between revisions

{{Disambig2|Dr. Mario's appearance in ''Super Smash Bros. 4''|the character in other contexts, see [[Dr. Mario]]; for information on the character of whom Dr. Mario is a [[clone]]|Mario (SSB4)}}

|ranking = 49

Dr. Mario is ranked 49th out of 55 on the [[tier list]], placing him in the F tier. This is a significant drop from his mid-tier placement in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', where he was ranked 11th out of 26, and ranked higher than [[Mario (SSBM)|his normal self]]. This placement also renders Dr. Mario as the lowest ranking [[clone]] and unlockable character.

 

The implementation of multipliers to most of Dr. Mario's moveset and some of his attributes result in him functioning like a stronger, yet slower {{SSB4|Mario}}. As a result, his overall damage output and KO potential are above-average for a character of his size and weight. Similar to Mario, Dr. Mario's frame data is very fast in regard to start-up lag. In addition to granting him a decent combo game, this trait makes him both difficult to [[punish]] and very effective at punishing.

Overall, Dr. Mario's weaknesses outweigh his strengths, which has been reflected in his tournament representation and results both being extremely sparse throughout ''SSB4''{{'}}s lifespan. Although he is considered nonviable in competitive play, especially in comparison to Mario, Dr. Mario has nevertheless achieved instances of success, thanks to smashers such as {{Sm|2ManyCooks}}, {{Sm|Nairo}}, {{Sm|Koolaid}} and {{Sm|B7Games}}.

Unlike in ''Melee'', Dr. Mario now functions like a stronger, yet slower Mario, owing to the implementation of multipliers to the majority of his moveset and some of his attributes. Aside from six moves, the remainder of Dr. Mario's moveset deals 1.12× more damage compared to Mario's moveset.<ref name="DamageMultiplier">[http://smashboards.com/threads/complete-hitbox-frame-data-for-every-character-now-with-ko-percents.383550/ Complete Hitbox/Frame Data For Every Character (Now with KO Percents)]</ref> Conversely, his [[walk]]ing and [[dash]]ing speeds are 0.832× slower; his [[air speed]] and [[air acceleration]] are 0.808× slower; and his [[jump]] and [[double jump]]'s initial speeds are 0.888× slower, which is equivalent to their heights being 0.788544× lower. These multipliers result in Dr. Mario being distinctly affected by passive [[equipment]] physics, in which he specifically possesses a +15 Attack value and a -50 Speed value. Although Dr. Mario's lower jump height makes his [[short hop]] more effective than Mario's, these modified attributes collectively render his overall mobility as sub-par. Conversely, Dr. Mario's higher overall damage output results in him being noticeably more efficient at KOing in comparison to Mario.

Other noticeable differences between Dr. Mario and Mario are seen in their movesets and, by extension, their playstyles. Although Dr. Mario's frame data is only very slightly.slower than Mario's, his higher overall damage output and slower overall mobility make him unable to use a healthy balance of offense and defense like his normal self. Instead, Dr. Mario is much better suited to a bait-and-punish playstyle. On a related note, Dr. Mario's combo game is less varied and consistent compared to his normal self's. Despite this, his combos deal respectable damage in spite of their fairly short lengths, similarly to {{SSB4|Ike}}'s.

Outside of these moves, up smash functions almost identically to Luigi's version instead of Mario's version: it launches the opponent diagonally instead of vertically, and will launch them in the opposite direction of where Dr. Mario is facing so long as they are in front of him. Compared to Luigi's, however, it launches at a lower angle. As a result, Dr. Mario's version has much greater combo potential when uncharged: it can combo into itself, up tilt and Super Jump Punch at 0%-10%, and into forward and down tilt at 10%-15%. On an unrelated note, its launching angle also makes it much better at edge-guarding or setting up edge-guards compared to Mario and Luigi's versions.  

Overall, Dr. Mario's fast frame data enables him to pressure and/or punish the opponent effectively at close range, while his above-average damage output makes him capable of KOing easily. Unlike Mario, however, his slow mobility hinders his [[neutral game]] to the point that he is largely reliant on baiting and punishing. By extension, his sub-par recovery makes him a less capable edgeguarder compared to his normal self, and he retains his normal self's lack of range as well. Although Dr. Mario's tournament representation and results are both extremely sparse because of his weaknesses outweighing his strengths, he has nevertheless achieved some instances of success, thanks to {{Sm|2ManyCooks}}, {{Sm|Nairo}}, {{Sm|Koolaid}} and {{Sm|B7Games}}.

*{{change|Dr. Mario is slightly shorter than Mario.}}

*{{buff|Aside from Dr. Mario's up tilt; forward aerial; clean back aerial; down aerial; up special; and down special, his other moves' damage outputs use a multiplier of 1.12×.<ref name="DamageMultiplier"/> As a result, he is significantly stronger than Mario. However, this multiplier does not apply to [[item]]s or [[Reflection|reflected]] attacks.}}

*{{nerf|Dr. Mario's [[walk]]ing and [[dash]]ing speeds use a multiplier of 0.832×; his [[air speed]] and [[air acceleration]] use a multiplier of 0.808×; and his [[jump]] and [[double jump]]'s initial speeds use a multiplier of 0.888×. As a result, Dr. Mario is significantly less mobile than Mario.}}

*{{nerf|Dr. Mario does not [[crouch]] as low as Mario.}}

*{{nerf|Neutral attack's first two hits have more weight-based knockback (15/10/15 (hit 1)/18/15/18 (hit 2) → 30 (both)). Additionally, Dr. Mario's neutral attack's first two hits can launch the opponent diagonally or vertically (60°/70°/80° (hit 1), 70°/78°/88° (hit 2)), whereas Mario's can launch the opponent horizontally or vertically (361°/361°/80° (both)). Lastly, neutral attack has more ending lag (frame 20 (hit 1)/frame 22 (hit 2)/frame 34 (hit 3) → 23/25/36). Altogether, these differences make it less effective at [[jab cancel]]ing and [[Lock#Jab lock|jab locking]], and can result in lightweight and/or floaty characters escaping its entirety at high percentages.}}

*{{buff|Forward tilt has a longer duration (frames 5-6 → 5-7).}}

*{{change|Up tilt deals 1.556% more damage (5.5% → 7.056%). This makes it significantly more effective for KOing, but less effective for combos.}}

*{{buff|Dash attack has different knockback (100 (base)/40 (scaling) → 90/42). Dr. Mario's dash attack also launches the opponent vertically (90° (clean/late)), whereas Mario's can launch them diagonally or horizontally (60° (clean)/110° (late)). These differences make it more effective for combos at low percentages.}}

*{{buff|Due to its higher damage output, forward smash is more effective at KOing in spite of its lower knockback scaling (99 (sweetspot)/103 (sourspot) → 96/100).}}

*{{nerf|Forward smash has slightly less range.}}

*{{change|Dr. Mario's forward smash's sweetspot and sourspot are on his arm and [[electric]]ity respectively, whereas Mario's are on the [[flame]] and his arm respectively.}}

*{{change|Dr. Mario's forward smash has an electric [[effect]], whereas Mario's has a flame effect. This makes it safer on shield, but easier to [[Directional influence|DI]].}}

*{{change|{{GameIcon|ssb4-3ds}}Dr. Mario keeps his fingers outstretched while using forward smash, whereas Mario curls his fingers.}}

*{{change|Up smash has different knockback (32 (base)/94 (scaling) → 0/117). Dr. Mario's up smash also launches the opponent horizontally (130°), whereas Mario's launches them vertically (83°). These differences make it significantly more effective for combos at low percentages and KOing while near the edge, but make it significantly less effective for KOing and punishing.}}

*{{buff|Up smash has a longer duration (frames 9-12 → 9-13).}}

*{{nerf|All aerials have more landing lag (10 frames → 12 (neutral), 26 frames → 28 (forward), 12 frames → 16 (back), 12 frames → 14 (up), 19 frames → 21 (down)).}}

*{{change|Dr. Mario's neutral aerial deals more damage and has higher knockback the longer it is active, whereas Mario's functions oppositely.}}

*{{buff|Neutral aerial can lock until ≈40%.}}

*{{nerf|Neutral aerial has a shorter duration (frames 3-5 (clean) → 3-10, 6-29 (late) → 11-27).}}

*{{buff|Clean and late forward aerials deal more damage (14% (clean)/10% (late) → 16.8%/10.08%). Forward aerial also has more knockback scaling (80 (early/late)/78 (clean) → 95/102).}}

*{{nerf|Early forward aerial deals 0.8% less damage (12% → 11.2%).}}

*{{nerf|Clean forward aerial has less base knockback (32 → 30).}}

*{{change|Dr. Mario's clean forward aerial launches the opponent diagonally (50°), whereas Mario's [[meteor smash]]es them (280°).}}

*{{buff|Clean back aerial deals 2.94% more damage (10.5% → 13.44%), making it more effective for KOing in spite of its lower knockback (12 (base)/106 (scaling) → 10/95).}}

*{{buff|Back aerial has a longer duration (frames 6-10 → 6-13).}}

*{{change|Up aerial has less knockback (10 (base)/135 (scaling) → 9/100). Dr. Mario's up aerial also launches the opponent diagonally (45°), whereas Mario's launches them vertically (75°). These differences make its beginning frames capable of edge-guarding, and its ending frames better for aerial combos. However, they also make its beginning frames unusable for KOing, and significantly less effective for juggling and [[SHFF]]'d combos.}}

*{{change|Dr. Mario retains his diagonal corkscrew dropkick as his down aerial, whereas Mario's has been [[Mario Tornado]] as of ''Brawl''.}}

*{{buff|Down aerial's loop hits deal 0.904% more damage (1% → 1.904%).}}

*{{nerf|Down aerial's last hit deals 1.64% less damage (5% → 3.36%) and has different knockback (80 (base)/100 (scaling) → 50/120). These differences make it significantly less effective for KOing.}}

*{{buff|Down aerial's loop hits use the [[Autolink angle|auto-link angle]] (366°), whereas Mario Tornado's launch the opponent vertically (94°). This makes its hits connect together significantly better.}}

*{{change|Down aerial's last hit launches the opponent diagonally (45°), whereas Mario Tornado's launches them vertically (75°). This makes it capable of edge-guarding, but significantly less effective for juggling.}}

*{{nerf|Down aerial has more start-up (frame 5 → 11); ending lag (frame 13 → 27); and smaller hitboxes. Unlike Mario Tornado, it cannot auto-cancel with a short hop.}}

*{{buff|Dr. Mario has slightly more grab range than Mario.}}

*{{nerf|Due to its higher damage output, back throw is less effective at KOing in spite of its lower knockback scaling (66 → 60).}}

*{{change|Due to its higher damage output, up throw is as effective for combos at low percentages in spite of its lower knockback (70 (base)/72 (scaling) → 65/70).}}

*{{nerf|Down throw has different knockback (40 (base)/90 (scaling) → 75/45), making it significantly less effective for combos.}}

*{{buff|Dr. Mario's down throw launches the opponent vertically (80°), whereas Mario's launches them diagonally (68°). This makes its combos less susceptible to [[directional influence]].}}

*{{buff|Unlike [[Fireball]], [[Megavitamins]] cannot be [[absorb]]ed.}}

*{{change|Megavitamins do not have a [[flame]] effect, unlike Fireball.}}

*{{change|Megavitamins bounce twice and at a higher angle, whereas Fireball bounces three times and at a lower angle.}}

*{{change|{{GameIcon|ssb4-3ds}}Dr. Mario keeps his fingers outstretched while using Megavitamins, whereas Mario curls his while using Fireball.}}

*{{buff|Compared to [[Cape]], [[Super Sheet]]'s reflection hitbox has a longer duration (frames 6-20 → 6-22).}}

*{{change|Compared to Cape, Super Sheet's hitbox is positioned slightly upward. This results in it having slightly more vertical range, but slightly less horizontal range.}}

*{{change|Unlike aerial Cape, aerial Super Sheet does not stall Dr. Mario. This makes more effective at [[B-reversing]], but unusable for recovery.}}

*{{change|Dr. Mario's [[Super Jump Punch]] consists of a clean hitbox and a late hitbox, whereas Mario's consists of seven hitboxes.}}

*{{buff|Due to its higher damage output, Dr. Mario's clean Super Jump Punch is significantly more effective for KOing in spite of its lower knockback (52 (base)/145 (scaling) → 30/100). Dr. Mario's Super Jump Punch also has a longer duration than Mario's (frames 3-11 → 3-19).}}

*{{nerf|Dr. Mario's Super Jump Punch retains its vertical distance from ''Melee'', whereas Mario's has increased, making it less effective for recovery.}}

*{{nerf|Unlike Mario's Super Jump Punch, Dr. Mario's Super Jump Punch lacks [[intangibility]] on start-up.}}

*{{change|Dr. Mario's Super Jump Punch does not produce {{s|mariowiki|Coin}}s upon contact, whereas Mario's does.}}

*{{change|Dr. Mario retains [[Dr. Tornado]] as his down special, whereas Mario's has been [[F.L.U.D.D.]] as of ''Brawl''.}}

*{{buff|Unlike F.L.U.D.D., Dr. Tornado deals damage.}}

*{{buff|Compared to F.L.U.D.D., Dr. Tornado is significantly more effective for recovery.}}

*{{nerf|Compared to F.L.U.D.D., Dr. Tornado has significantly less range, making it ineffective for gaining stage control.}}

*{{nerf|Due to dealing damage, Dr. Tornado is less effective at [[gimping]].}}

*{{change|[[Doctor Finale]] produces 2D and 3D Megavitamin-based effects and emits Megavitamins' contact sound effect, whereas [[Mario Finale]] produces 3D fiery effects and emits a burning sound effect.}}

*{{change|Dr. Mario's neck is longer, pants are now slightly rolled up at his ankles, his stethoscope's tubing and head mirror's headband are also dark gray and dark taupe, respectively, instead of steel blue and cordovan, respectively. These changes are unique to ''SSB4''.}}

*{{change|Dr. Mario's coat and stethoscope have individual physics.}}

*{{buff|Sidestep has increased intangibility frames (frames 2-15 → 3-17).}}  

**{{buff|Neutral aerials auto-cancels earlier (frame 36 → 34), matching Mario's neutral aerial. Due to Dr. Mario's slower falling speed and lower gravity, it can now autocancel in a short hop.}}

**{{change|Due to its arm hitbox being removed, forward aerial now deals consistent damage (17% (arm)/16% (fist) → 16.8%). However, its knockback was somewhat compensated (50 (base)/100 (scaling) (arm)/40/100 (fist) → 30/102).}}

**{{change|Forward aerial has received an early hitbox and a late hitbox that deal 11.2% and 10.08%, respectively, and launch at 50°. These changes decrease its start-up lag (frame 18 → 16) and lengthen its duration (frames 18-22 → 16-22). However, these changes make it more susceptible to punishment at low to medium percentages.}}

**{{nerf|Due to consisting of five hits instead of seven, down aerial deals 10.024% less damage (21% → 10.976%). It also has increased start-up (frame 10 → 11), increased ending lag (FAF 38 → 52), and auto-cancels later (frame 33 → 45).}}

**{{change|Due to the introduction of [[tripping]], Dr. Mario has received a floor attack when he trips.}}

**{{nerf|Megavitamins deal less damage (8% → 5.6% (early)/4.48% (late)) and have a smaller hitbox. They also have increased start-up (frame 12 → 17); ending lag (FAF 44 → 53); and a shorter duration (frames 12-87 → 17-69).}}

**{{change|Dr. Mario's now vocalizes when performing the final hit of Dr. Tornado, with the voice clip coming from Mario's [[F.L.U.D.D.]].}}

|neutralname=&nbsp;

|ftiltname=&nbsp;

|utiltname=&nbsp;

|dtiltname=&nbsp;

|dashname=&nbsp;

|fsmashname=&nbsp;

|usmashname=&nbsp;

|dsmashname=&nbsp;

|nairname=&nbsp;

|fairname=&nbsp;

|bairname=&nbsp;

|uairname=&nbsp;

|dairname=&nbsp;

|grabname=&nbsp;

|pummelname=&nbsp;

|fthrowname=&nbsp;

|bthrowname=&nbsp;

|uthrowname=&nbsp;

|dthrowname=&nbsp;

|desc=A stack of {{s|mariowiki|Megavitamin}}s appears on-stage. Another Megavitamin then lands on the top, causing a chain reaction which disintegrates the entire stack, revealing Dr. Mario behind them. Initially, Dr. Mario appears to be thinking with his eyes closed, but then opens his eyes with a surprised expression once the entire stack of Megavitamins disappears.

{{Crowd

|char=Dr. Mario

|game=SSB4

|desc-us=Go Doc!

|desc-jp=Doc-tor!

|pitch-us=Group chant

|pitch-jp=Group chant}}

==In competitive play==

===Notable players===

<!--If you are planning to add a player you consider to be notable, please provide tournament results in some shape or form in the edit summary (be it a link to a results thread or bracket of placing high in a tournament of other notable players or a video of them beating a notable player). Winning tournaments without notable players present is generally not enough to warrant a spot.-->

*{{Sm|Atomsk|USA}} - Although more well known for his prowess in [[Brawl]], he possessed an effective Dr. Mario, and placed 9th at [[KTAR XIV]] and 17th at [[Do or DI]].

*{{Sm|B7Games|USA}} - Placed 33rd at [[2GGC: Midwest Mayhem Saga]], and 49th at [[2GGT: ESAM Saga]], [[2GGT: Mexico Saga]] and [[2GGT: Abadango Saga]]. He has taken a set off of {{Sm|Abadango}}.

*{{Sm|Koolaid|USA}} - Placed 4th at [[KTAR XV]]; 7th at [[CLASH Online Invitational Finals]]; and 25th at [[Shine 2016]] before switching to {{SSB4|Sheik}}.

*{{Sm|Nairo|USA}} - Placed 1st at [[MLG World Finals 2015]] with the character. Possessed an extensive character roster, although he mostly used {{SSB4|Zero Suit Samus}} in tournament.

Upon ''SSB4''{{'}}s release, Dr. Mario's weaknesses and inability to successfully adapt to ''SSB4''{{'}}s game physics saw him widely perceived as a low-tier or even bottom-tier character. Despite his poor perception, {{Sm|Nairo}} surprisingly used Dr. Mario for some matches at [[MLG World Finals 2015]] alongside {{SSB4|Zero Suit Samus}}. This notably resulted in a set against {{Sm|ESAM}} that concluded with Nairo winning 3-0 against him in Losers Finals after using Dr. Mario to defeat ESAM's {{SSB4|Pikachu}} for the first two matches, and his {{SSB4|Samus}} for their final match. Other professionals, such as {{Sm|2ManyCooks}}, would also proceed to achieve decent results with him.

Despite these flashes of success, as well as vocal support of Dr. Mario because of his particular strengths, his metagame has remained stagnant because of his tournament results and representation being among the most sparse in the game. These aspects have been reflected in Dr. Mario's tier placement, in which he was ranked 45th on the first [[tier list]], before dropping to 48th on the second tier list. After Dr. Mario's best player, 2ManyCooks, dropped him in favor of Mario, he dropped to 51st on the third tier list. However, the efforts of {{Sm|B7Games}} have seen Dr. Mario rise to 49th on the fourth and current tier list.

==Trophies==

:'''Dr. Mario'''

::{{flag|ntsc}} ''In the 1990 puzzle game Dr. Mario, Mario threw on a white coat and decided to take a shot at that whole "medicine" thing. In this game, he's a balanced fighter who can throw Megavitamin capsules and nimbly deflect blows with his Super Sheet. He's not quite as quick as normal Mario, but his attacks deal a bit more damage.''

::{{flag|pal}} ''In Dr. Mario, released in Europe in 1991, Mario threw on a white coat and decided to have a bash at the whole medicine thing. In this game, he's an all-rounder who can throw Megavitamin capsules and nimbly deflect blows with his Super Sheet. He's not quite as quick as normal Mario, but his attacks deal a bit more damage.''

{{Trophy games|console1=NES|game1=Dr. Mario 10/1990|console2=Wii|game2=Dr. Mario Online Rx 05/2008}}

 

:'''Dr. Mario (Alt.)'''

::{{flag|ntsc}} ''Mario and Dr. Mario are only slightly different. Basically, Dr. Mario is stronger, but his MD slows his speed and lowers his jump. He also has a move Mario doesn't: Dr. Tornado, a down special that can trap opponents before launching them. You can move left and right while doing it and press the button repeatedly to rise into the air.''

 

::{{flag|pal}} ''Mario and Dr. Mario are only slightly different. Basically, Dr. Mario is stronger, but his heavy coat affects his speed and jumping. He also has a move Mario doesn't: Dr. Tornado, a down special that can trap opponents before launching them. You can move left and right while doing it and press the button repeatedly to rise into the air.''

 

{{Trophy games|console1=NES|game1=Dr. Mario 10/1990|console2=Wii|game2=Dr. Mario Online Rx 05/2008}}

 

:'''Doctor Finale'''

::''In Dr. Mario's Final Smash, he spreads his arms wide and then lets loose a pair of giant vitamin capsules that spiral through the air, taking out any pesky "viruses" in their path. The wide range makes it tough for foes to avoid, and opponents they strike will take multiple hits, possibly even being pushed right off the screen!''

DrMarioTrophy3DS.png|Classic (3DS)

DrMarioTrophyWiiU.png|Classic (Wii U)

DrMarioAltTrophyWiiU.png|Alt. (Wii U)

DrFinaleTrophyWiiU.png|[[Doctor Finale]]

==In [[Event Match]]es==

===Solo Events===

* '''[[All-Star Battle: Secret]]''': Dr. Mario is one of the opponents fought in this event. All of the opponents have been unlockable characters in previous ''Super Smash Bros.'' games.

* '''[[Doctor Schmoctor]]''': As {{SSB4|Wario}}, the player must defeat Dr. Mario before Wario's health is depleted via [[flower]]ing.

===Co-op Events===

* '''[[Viral Visitors]]''': Dr. Mario and {{SSB4|Peach}} must defeat four [[Kirby (SSB4)|Kirbys]].

* '''[[The Ultimate Battle]]''': Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.

SSB4 - Dr. Mario Screen-1.jpg|Dr. Mario in {{forwiiu}}.

*Dr. Mario, {{SSB4|Bowser}} and {{SSB4|Lucina}} are the only characters who are not playable in a solo event unless selected.

*Dr. Mario and {{SSB4|Pac-Man}} are the only characters who have a taunt that aesthetically changes each time it is performed. In Dr. Mario's case, his side taunt creates a randomly colored [[Megavitamins|Megavitamin]] each time it is performed.