Dr. Mario (SSBM)
| Dr. Mario in Super Smash Bros. Melee | |
|---|---|
Dr. Mario
| |
| Universe | Mario |
| Availability | Unlockable |
| Tier | C (9) |
Dr. Mario (Dr. マリオ Dokutā Mario) is a character in Super Smash Bros. Melee. This is his first (and currently only) 3D appearance, as he stems from a series of Mario puzzle games. Being an alter-ego of Mario in his universe, he is a clone of Mario, meaning almost all of their moves are exactly alike, though Dr. Mario and Mario do have some differences in their attack physics.
Dr. Mario currently ranks 9th on Melee’s tier list in the C tier, two places higher than Mario's rank. His tier placement is due to his great combos and overall uniqueness as a fighter, such as an unusual sex kick. His approach options are also very good, with a long wavedash and a good air game, as well as a very good SHFFL. Dr. Mario also has a good projectile, which itself can be used to aid his approach. However, Dr. Mario's primary weakness is his abysmal recovery, which is one of the worst in the game, due to its predictability and few methods of increasing its distance. Dr. Mario also suffers from lack of range in his attacks.
How to unlock
- Clearing Classic Mode or Adventure Mode on any difficulty or stock setting with Mario without using any continues.
- Playing 100 Versus Mode matches.
Attributes
Dr. Mario's primary strength is his being powerful without losing too much speed. Although designed to be a stronger, slower version of Mario, Dr. Mario has almost the same speed attributes as Mario, but notably increased power; for example, both have the same dashing speed and the same falling speed. On the contrary, Dr. Mario also has slightly faster air speed, improving his combo potential and aerial approach over Mario's. True to having relatively low traction and a slightly above average falling speed, Dr. Mario has a rather long, floaty wavedash. A low short hop, above average falling speed, aerials that are fast on start-up and low on landing lag, also give Dr. Mario a very good SHFFL, adding to his air game. In addition, Dr. Mario has a slew of good finishers: a fast forward smash with no sourspots that can KO opponents under 100%; an up smash that is faster than Mario's; and his forward aerial, sometimes referred to as "The Fist", a very powerful aerial with a large, lasting hitbox, that can KO opponents under 120%, and is relatively easy to combo into.
Dr. Mario also has access to a very good projectile, his Megavitamins. Their bounciness and slow horizontal speed creates a sort of wall that blocks enemy's paths. They also deal rather high damage for a weak projectile, and high hitstun, allowing them to combo into other attacks if Dr. Mario acts fast enough. Notably, on flat stages, Dr. Mario can perform the Pill Rush technique as an extreme pressure option against his opponents.
Dr. Mario also has some properties unique to him that make him a more capable fighter. His neutral aerial attack is an ordinary sex kick that grows stronger the longer it's held out, making it a good SHFFL option, and it can act as a reliable horizontal finisher at very high percentages. Dr. Mario's up tilt varies in trajectory and power depending where it hits opponents; as a result of these two potential outcomes, his attack is able to act both as a comboing attack and a KO move. His back air acts as a semi-spike with high base knockback, and it has low ending lag, making it an effective edgeguard tactic. His down tilt sends opponents behind him and has more hitstun, making it a moderately useful combo starter.
Dr. Mario also has a good grab game; his up and forward throws can set up combos and chain throws, while the latter can also act as a potential KO move at very high percentages. Dr. Mario's back throw, like Mario and Luigi, is a very powerful throw (more powerful than Mario's and Luigi's), being effective for setting up edge guards at high percentages, and acting as a reliable KO move at very high percentages.
Dr. Mario's main flaw, however, is his abysmal recovery. A combination of predictability, few options, and poor distance makes it among the worst in Melee. Super Jump Punch grants only decent vertical distance with poor horizontal distance, often not being enough for Dr. Mario to successfully recover. Dr. Tornado only grants negligible vertical distance and even then, only with very fast taps of the B button. And his Super Sheet only grants minor vertical distance once in the air.
Dr. Mario also has flaws in his reach. While powerful, the majority of Dr. Mario's attacks require close ranges to work at their absolute best. His forward smash is a notable example, where its reach is among the worst for a forward smash attack, requiring Dr. Mario to be right next to the opponent to land it. Similarly, his up smash is also rather close ranged.
Moveset
Ground attacks
Normal
- Neutral attack- Dr. Mario does a weak punch forward, followed by a second weak punch before a stronger kick forward. Damage in respective order: 3-4%, 2-4%, 5-6%
- Dash attack- He slides on the ground feet first, has slightly more range than Mario's. Launches foes in a random trajectory. 9% damage.
- Forward tilt- A kick forward, stronger than Mario's. 8% damage.
- Up tilt- Dr. Mario punches upwards. Slightly more knockback than Mario's with a different trajectory based on where it hits. If the player hits them while they're in front of the player, they will sent forwards. If the player hits them when they're above the player, they'll go upwards. When sent on the former trajectory, it can set up edgeguards, while on the latter trajectory, it's easy to combo into an aerial. 10% damage.
- Down tilt- While crouching, does a quick sweeper kick in front of him. Sends foes behind him, unlike his clone counterpart. 9% damage
Smash attacks
- Forward smash- Launches a somewhat short ranged electrical shock from his palm, in a very similar fashion to his clone. In comparison with Mario's, it has no sourspot, and is quite stronger, being able to reliably KO under 100%. 19% uncharged, 25% fully.
- Up smash- Dr. Mario headbutts upwards. Slightly faster, but a little weaker than Mario's. 16% uncharged, 21% fully.
- Down smash- A very sudden break-dance like sweep, which is very fast and powerful. 18% uncharged, 24% fully.
Other attacks
- Ledge attack - Does a somersault and then kicks upwards. 8% damage.
- 100% ledge attack - Gets up then does an attack similar to his forward tilt. 10% damage
- Floor attack -Gets up then punches behind him, then in front of him. 6%.
Aerial attacks
- Neutral aerial- Does a "sex kick". Oddly, the move's power increases the more it's out, unlike other sex kicks. 10% when first out, 14% at the very last frames.
- Forward aerial- Winds up and punches in a downwards angle, though unlike Mario's, it does not have a meteor smash htibox. However it is very powerful, and can reliably KO under 120%. Has a slightly weaker sourspot on Dr. Mario's arm. 16% dealt with sourspot, 17% for the sweetspot.
- Back aerial- Mario kicks backwards. Good for edgeguarding, with very fast start-up and ending lag, having high base knockback, and hitting opponents in a semi-spike trajectory. 8%
- Up aerial- Flip kicks upwards, which is good for juggling fast fallers. 10% damage
- Down aerial- Does a drilling kick. 12% if all hits connect
Throws
- Pummel- Headbutts opponent. 2-3% per pummel
- Forward throw- spins opponent once, and tosses them forward with decent knockback. Good for an edgeguarding follow up. 9% damage.
- Back throw- Spins around three times and tosses the foe behind him, with impressive knockback. One of the strongest back throw in Melee. 12% damage.
- Up throw-Dr. Mario heaves his opponent upwards, can lead into a combo against fast fallers. 8% damage.
- Down throw- Slams opponent to ground, good for a short-hopped neutral aerial follow up. 6% damage.
Special moves
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| Neutral special | Megavitamins | ||
| Side special | Super Sheet | ||
| Up special | Super Jump Punch | ||
| Down special | Dr. Tornado | ||
Taunt
Dr. Mario pulls out random color pills, rolls it down his arm, uses his shoulder to toss it into the air, then catches it.
Matchups
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Differences with Mario
As a clone, Dr. Mario has multiple characteristics inherently similar to Mario, though differences between the two can clearly be seen.
In terms of general attributes, the two have identical falling speed, dashing speed, traction and jumping heights. However, Dr. Mario has a higher air speed, making him a slightly better and more effective comboer.
For standard attacks, Dr. Mario and Mario have identical animations, but different effects. Most of Dr. Mario's attacks are stronger than Mario's, with the exception of his up smash, which is actually weaker. Dr. Mario's down tilt, for instance, sends opponents behind him, while Mario's pops foes into the air. Their forward smashes also differ; Mario's has a fire effect, and its sweetspot is farther away from Mario, while Dr. Mario's has an electric effect, and its sweetspot is closer to Dr. Mario's body. In the air, Dr. Mario's nair grows stronger the longer it lasts, while Mario's grows weaker. Dr. Mario's forward air also lacks meteor smash properties; instead, it sends opponents flying upward.
For special moves, Dr. Mario's Megavitamins have more hitstun, do more damage, and have a considerably different trajectory. Dr. Mario's Super Sheet is longer ranged that Mario's Cape and it deals more damage. However, it has more lag and it only gives vertical distance once, making it worse for recovery. Dr. Tornado has more knockback and damage dealing capabilities than Mario Tornado, as well as sending opponents scattering in random directions. However, it is more difficult to use for recovery, and it is easier to break out of.
Techniques
General gameplay
- Pill Rush: Bombard the enemy with a wall of Pills exerted after a short jumped into a fast fall and at ground point. Repeat this three Pill fire sequence while approaching the opponent to render them almost stunned. This technique does not work as well for Mario, due to the Pills added weight and higher bounce.
- Wall of Pain: Use of backward aerials to effectively keep the opponent off the edge. Doctor Mario can use multiple back aerials off the edge making him an excellent edge guarder.
- Super Jump Punch cancel: Dr. Mario is the only character able to cancel his up special move. Within the first four frames, the player must activate the move so that Dr. Mario moves in the backward direction of where he's facing by quickly moving the control stick in the opposite direction. The opponent will be sent up at a trajectory based solely on their weight and Doctor Mario will be able to move. Another way the player can do this is by using Super Jump Punch so that Dr. Mario would jump backwards and then tilting the control stick downward during the first few frames of the animation. This can be used to shield cancel and punish the opponent for approaching or for trying to break the player's shield
Throw combos
Down throw
- Down throw + Dr. Tornado - a reliable and basic combo. Dr. Mario's version of the Mario Tornado sends foes on a random trajectory, making it hard for the foe to counter it.
- Down throw + up tilt + up tilt - A basic up tilt and up tilt, where the first up tilt usually doesn't launch the foe in a random trajectory due to close range, but the second one does.
- Down throw + up smash- reliable against fast fallers between low to mid-high damage percentages, good for leading into aerial follow ups.
- Down throw + Super Jump Punch - a near-useless combo, but doable nonetheless, where Dr. Mario can use his up special after his down throw, though usually only hits once or twice, and sends him and the foe in opposite directions.
- Down throw + neutral combo - a situational combo where Dr. Mario can just barely connect his neutral attacks with a fallen foe.
- Down throw + Cape- another situational combo where Dr. Mario can assume the foe will try to dodge roll away from him when they try to fastfall and land, only to have them rolling the other way into a combo.
- Down throw + Down smash- this combo usually works at low damage percentages. The foe is almost always hit before they can escape due to the down smash's speed
Up throw
- Up throw + up tilt- a basic combo, where the foe is sent at a random trajectory due to his up tilt physics.
- Up throw + Super Jump Punch - if the foe DIs slightly just right immediately after, his up special can be used for good damage.
- Up throw + Dr. Tornado - a DI-able combo, similar to one of his down throw combos.
- Up throw + up smash - a basic combo, good for setups and low to mid-low %s
- Up throw + any aerial - a multi-purpose setup for aerials.
In Single Player modes
In Classic Mode
Upon being unlocked, Dr. Mario can appear in one on one battles, in a team with Luigi or as an ally, as a giant character or as a metal character. In all appearances, his stage is Mushroom Kingdom.
In Adventure Mode
Adventure Mode makes no concessions to Dr. Mario when he is unlocked. Unlike some other characters, the song Dr. Mario does not play on any stages.
In All-Star Mode
In All-Star Mode, Dr. Mario and his allies are fought on Mushroom Kingdom II. In these cases, the song Dr. Mario plays.
In Event Matches
Dr. Mario appears in the following event matches:
- Event 35: Time for a Checkup: As Luigi, the player must fight against a CPU team consisting of Dr. Mario and Peach, the latter in her white costume, on Yoshi's Story. All characters have one life each, and the event must be completed in three minutes.
- Event 49: All-Star Match Deluxe: Dr. Mario is the first opponent fought in this series of staged battles. The selected character battles him on the Mushroom Kingdom stage with a stock of 2 while Dr. Mario has 1. With a timer of four minutes, the player must defeat him and the other five characters one-by-one with the overall time and damage: Falco, Pichu, Young Link, Roy and Ganondorf.
Trophies
Dr Mario (Classic Mode, trophy #61)
Immaculate in his medical garb, Dr. Mario destroys killer viruses with his amazing vitamin capsules. With his dedicated nurse, Princess Peach, at his side, Dr. Mario spends day and night in his laboratory working on new miracle cures. Somehow he's managed to keep up with all the new viruses that have arisen over the years.
: Dr. Mario
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Dr. Mario (Smash Red, Adventure Mode, trophy #62)
There's hardly any difference in the abilities of Mario and Dr. Mario, so choosing is largely a matter of taste. Dr. Mario is a tad slower due to his lack of exercise, but his Megavitamins pack a bit more punch than Mario's Fireballs. The capsules travel on a unique trajectory and make a distinct sound on impact.
- B: Megavitamins
- Smash B: Super Sheet
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Dr. Mario (Smash Blue, All Star Mode, trophy #63)
The differences between Dr. Mario and Mario are more pronounced in some areas than others, but basically they can be played in a similar fashion. While it may be hard to spot the contrasts, they do exist. For example, Dr. Mario's Super Sheet is longer and narrower than Mario's cape, and any opponents hit by Dr. Tornado will fly off in diverse directions.
- Up & B: Super Jump Punch
- Down & B: Dr. Tornado
Costume gallery
Trivia
- Dr. Mario is the only clone whose voice is exactly the same as his original character.
| Fighters in Super Smash Bros. Melee | |
|---|---|
| Veterans | Captain Falcon · Donkey Kong · Fox · Jigglypuff · Kirby · Link · Luigi · Mario · Ness · Pikachu · Samus · Yoshi |
| Newcomers | Bowser · Dr. Mario · Falco · Ganondorf · Ice Climbers · Marth · Mewtwo · Mr. Game & Watch · Peach · Pichu · Roy · Young Link · Zelda (Sheik) |
