Dr. Mario (SSBU): Difference between revisions

Dr. Mario is currently ranked 78th out of 82 on the ''Ultimate'' [[tier list]], placing him at the end of the D- tier and making him a bottom five character. Despite being buffed overall, this is a slight drop from his placement in ''Smash 4'', where he was ranked 48th out of 54, and is his worst placement in the series. Dr. Mario's playstyle is effectively a slower yet stronger version of Mario's. As a result, all of his moves possess better KO potential and/or damage output compared to Mario, while he keeps most of Mario's fast frame data, which allows him to perform short yet effective [[combo]]s. Dr. Mario's signature projectile in [[Megavitamin]] is an effective projectile for approaching and neutral, cannot be [[Absorption|absorbed]] and it also opens up combos and KO confirms at higher percents into most of his moves. In addition, he has several strong yet effective KO options in his arsenals, including [[Super Jump Punch]], [[Dr. Tornado]], most of his aerials, and back throw. This means players have to play more carefully when close to him, as a single whiff could lead into a deadly [[punish]].  

However, Dr. Mario's weaknesses outmatch many of his strengths. His most notable weakness is his poor mobility, which cripples his [[neutral game]] and makes him vulnerable to camping. While Megavitamins are useful to his neutral game and important for his playstyle, he can't always rely on them, and his attacks have poor range overall. In addition, as his playstyle largely revolves around him getting close to his opponent, his poor mobility also makes it harder for him to avoid retaliation from opponents, as Dr. Mario's short range means he is vulnerable to moves with long range or disjoints. Finally, Dr. Mario's recovery, while improved, is still one of the worst in the game, as its short distance and his slow air mobility makes him vulnerable to gimping. He can extend his recovery with Dr. Tornado, but if he has already used his double jump, his recovery options are limited.

Overall, Dr. Mario is a character that has good frame data and strong damage output and KO potential, but his sluggish movements cause him to rely more on a bait-and-punish playstyle. Although his representation has remained below average for most of the game's lifespan, he has nonetheless seen success from players such as {{Sm|JaZaR}} and {{Sm|Tsumusuto}}.

Dr. Mario functions like a stronger, yet slower Mario, owing to the implementation of multipliers to the majority of his moveset and some of his attributes. Most of Dr. Mario's moveset deals 1.176× more damage compared to Mario's moveset. Conversely, his [[jump|full hop]] height is 0.85× lower; his [[walk]]ing and [[dash]]ing speeds are 0.7942× slower; his [[air speed]], [[air acceleration]], [[short hop]] height, and [[double jump]] height are 0.7648× lower. Most of the multipliers result in Dr. Mario being distinctly affected by passive [[equipment]] physics from ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'', in which he specifically possesses a +22 Attack value and a -65 Speed value.<ref name="DamageMultiplier">[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rwDPL1jhE-KuEbbcBkkTb44z1smJp9rYme_xb4BIJTk/edit#gid=1974906014]</ref> 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. His wall jump and ledge jump also cover less distance as a result. Conversely, Dr. Mario's higher overall damage output results in him being noticeably more efficient at KOing in comparison to Mario. His [[traction]] is average and slightly higher than Mario's, and this, combined with the high power in his attacks while keeping Mario's fast frame data, make him very good at punishing mistakes and gives him a fearsome out-of-shield game.

Dr. Mario's grounded moveset has plenty of utility in spite of his slow speed. Neutral attack is Dr. Mario's fastest attack, and the first two hits can [[lock]] opponents. Forward tilt is a great get-off-me option, and possesses situational KO potential at very high percentages unlike Mario's version. Up tilt is a decent anti-air and juggling tool that can KO at very high percentages, and it can also combo into itself, neutral aerial, up aerial, back aerial and Super Jump Punch, but is not as effective as a combo starter as his down tilt; however, the move's horizontal range is shorter than in ''Smash 4'', and its hitboxes start from a higher position, allowing shorter, crouching or prone characters to potentially low-profile the move. Down tilt is one of Dr. Mario's best combo starters; although it is short-ranged, it is very reliable at a wide range of percentages, with its lower knockback scaling compared to Mario's even allowing it to combo at percentages where Mario's would not work, and depending on the percentage, it can lead into neutral attack, forward tilt, up tilt (only on certain characters), itself, up smash (only on certain characters), down smash, neutral aerial, up aerial, back aerial and Super Jump Punch. His dash attack has vertical knockback, allowing it to serve as a combo starter but hindering its edgeguarding potential. His forward smash, while slower than his other smash attacks, is extremely powerful for an attack of its speed, especially if the sweetspot connects; unlike Mario's, it possesses the [[electric]] effect, has shorter range, and the sweetspot and sourspot hitboxes are swapped around. Up smash functions more similarly to Luigi's version than to Mario's version, as it launches the opponent diagonally instead of vertically, and will launch them in the opposite direction of where Dr. Mario is facing as long as they are in front of him; compared to Luigi's, however, it launches at a lower angle, and it has lower base knockback than both Mario and Luigi's up smashes. Nevertheless, up smash's launch angle does make it much better at edgeguarding or setting up edgeguards than both Mario and Luigi's versions, and its higher damage output and knockback scaling compared to both of them also makes it a highly lethal KOing option, though he needs to hit from behind to KO as early as possible with it. His down smash is his fastest smash attack, hitting on both sides (with the back hit being stronger than the front hit), and like Mario's version, it is useful for punishing rolls.

Like Mario, Dr. Mario possesses an effective grab game. His overall grab range is average, but each of his grabs have minimal start-up and ending lag. Forward throw is useful for initiating [[edgeguard]]s; back throw is one of the strongest back throws in the game; up throw is a decent combo starter that can combo into up tilt (certain characters only), up aerial, neutral aerial, back aerial and Super Jump Punch; and down throw is his most effective combo throw, being able to combo into up tilt (certain characters only), up smash (certain characters only), neutral aerial, up aerial, back aerial, Super Jump Punch and Dr. Tornado depending on the opponent's percentage.

Like his normal self, Dr. Mario's air game is above-average. Neutral aerial is a "reverse sex kick": its clean hitbox deals minimal damage and knockback, whereas its late hitbox deals more damage. Thanks to it hitting on frame 3 and having low landing lag, its clean hitbox is ideal for set-ups. Conversely, its late hitbox is decent at edgeguarding, due to its long hitbox duration and larger hitbox than the late hit of Mario's equivalent move that can punish air dodges, and it's also strong enough to KO at high percents. Forward aerial has considerable start-up lag, but its clean hitbox makes it one of the strongest aerials in the game; as such, it is lethal when [[SHFF]]ed against unwary opponents that are near the edge. Back aerial is also fast, [[auto-cancel]]s in a short hop, and possesses a powerful clean hitbox, traits which collectively make it viable for KOing, edgeguarding and approaching. Up aerial's horizontal launching angle grants its beginning and ending frames decent combo potential into Super Jump Punch and back aerial, respectively, at low to medium percentages. This angle also makes its beginning frames capable of edgeguarding, unlike his normal self's up aerial. However, up aerial's launch angle also makes it much less effective at starting combos when SHFFed or juggling compared to Mario's. His new down aerial is a powerful [[meteor smash]] with decent speed for it, making it an excellent option for edgeguarding; it is also an extremely solid combo starter with an extremely wide range of follow-ups on grounded opponents depending on their percentage, including neutral attack, forward tilt, up tilt, down tilt, dash attack, forward smash, up smash, down smash, grab, all aerial attacks (including itself), Super Jump Punch and Dr. Tornado.

With regard to special moves, [[Megavitamins]] travel farther in the air without landing compared to Mario's [[Fireball]], and they bounce twice instead of three times; they also have altered knockback, allowing for a wider range of follow-ups, and their ability to start combos makes them a decent projectile. With Dr. Mario's powerful punish game, they can also force the opponent to approach or shield, which may put them in an unfavorable position when used well. [[Super Sheet]] has more vertical range but less horizontal range than [[Cape]], but its aerial version completely lacks the stalling effect of Mario's version, completely removing its recovery potential; it also has a 1.6× reflection multiplier, making reflecting projectiles with it more rewarding compared to doing so with Mario's Cape.

However, Dr. Mario's flaws are significantly more noticeable in comparison to Mario's. The most prominent one is his slow mobility, which hinders his ability to approach opponents, and renders him vulnerable to zoning and circle camping from characters with strong projectile games and high mobility, respectively, similarly to {{SSBU|Ganondorf}} and {{SSBU|Incineroar}}; unlike those two characters, however, Dr. Mario has an effective projectile in Megavitamins, a smaller hurtbox, effective [[out of shield]] options, and a decent reflector in Super Sheet, giving him a better defensive game in comparison. Additionally, Dr. Mario shares Mario's notable weakness of having short range in his attacks, which can give him trouble against characters with long or disjointed hitboxes; whereas Mario's faster mobility allows him to somewhat circumvent this weakness, especially against characters with poor mobility and/or frame data, Dr. Mario is less capable of weaving in and out of his opponent's range, making such characters much more difficult for him to deal with. His Megavitamins can help him, and they cannot be absorbed, but they can be reflected and he can't always make use of them. Dr. Mario's sluggish mobility compounds another notorious weakness—his recovery. Despite being able to wall jump and the fact that Dr. Tornado is a much better recovery option than Cape due to extending his recovery, the combination of his slow air speed, low jump height, slow air acceleration and Super Jump Punch's mediocre travel distance results in his recovery being predictable like Mario's.

Due to his overall recovery granting noticeably less vertical distance compared to Mario's, Dr. Mario is very vulnerable to [[gimping]] and edgeguards. As a result, it is optimal for him to read the opponent when trying to return to the stage, as well as knowing when and how to make use of Dr. Tornado, which has a noticeable amount of ending lag (33 frames, aerial version) and cannot sweetspot [[edge]]s. Due to his short recovery distance, any sufficiently strong attacks, particularly [[semi-spike]]s, may launch him too far away to recover properly, especially if he has lost his double jump. Lastly, Dr. Mario is outclassed in certain aspects by other characters: in particular, {{SSBU|Zero Suit Samus}} has much better overall mobility; {{SSBU|Shulk}} has much more range; and {{SSBU|Snake}} is much better at zoning.

*{{buff|Dr. Mario's [[shield jump]] is lower (44.1 → 40), causing him to land earlier when his [[shield]] breaks.}}

**{{nerf|The outer hitbox is smaller (outer hitbox size: 5u → 3.7u), giving it less range than Mario's and making the sourspot of Dr. Mario's version incapable of [[2 frame punish]]ing opponents.}}

**{{buff|Despite having the sweetspot and sourspot swapped around compared to Mario's version, their hitboxes' priority is unchanged. As a result, the sweetspot of Dr. Mario's version has priority over the sourspot instead of being outprioritized by it.}}

**{{change|Up smash launches at a lower angle and behind Dr. Mario instead of away from him (83° → 120°) allowing it to KO opponents horizontally earlier if he hits opponents behind him, but also making it vulnerable to [[LSI]], weakening its vertical KO and anti-air potential.}}

**{{buff|It lasts one frame longer compared to Mario's (frames 9-12 → 9-13), increasing its range in front of Dr. Mario and making it easier to hit short or crouching characters in front of him with it. As its FAF is the same as Mario's version, it also gives it one less frame of ending lag.}}

**{{buff|The late hit deals more  base damage (8% → 10%) and has higher knockback scaling than Mario's clean hit (90 → 100). Combined with the damage multiplier, this allows it to KO under 120% at the edge.}}

**{{buff|It autocancels earlier than Mario's (frame 39 → 34), compensating for Dr. Mario's lower jumps and keeping him able to autocancel it in a short hop like Mario's.}}

**{{change|Dr. Mario's forward aerial launches the opponent at an horizontal angle, whereas Mario's [[meteor smash]]es them (270° → 361°).}}

**{{nerf|Its inability to meteor smash makes it less effective for edgeguarding than Mario's and prevents it from starting combos on landing.}}

***{{buff|However, this also makes it significantly better for KOing on-stage.}}

**{{buff|The clean hit has higher base damage (14% → 15%) and more knockback scaling, improving its KO potential even further despite its lower base knockback (32 base/78 growth (clean) → 30/102).}}

**{{nerf|The early and late hits have lower base damage (12% (early)/10% (late) → 10%/9%), though with compensated knockback scaling (80 → 95 (early, late)).}}

**{{buff|Back aerial's clean hit has higher base damage (10.5% → 12%) with knockback not fully compensated (12 (base)/106 (scaling) → 10/95), allowing it to KO earlier.}}

**{{buff|The clean hit and late hit both have a longer duration (6-7 → 6-8 (clean), 8-10 → 9-13 (late)). Since it has the same interruptibility as Mario's, this also gives it three less frames of ending lag.}}

**{{nerf|The clean hit has smaller hitboxes (4.5u/5.9u → 4.2u/5.4u), giving it slightly less range.}}

**{{change|Up aerial launches at a lower angle (75° → 45°), severely weakening its combo potential beyond low percents but granting it edgeguarding potential. This also makes it better for KOing at the ledge and when edgeguarding, but removes its KO potential near the upper blast line at very high percents.}}

**{{buff|It has noticeably higher base damage (7% → 10.2%) without full compensation on its knockback scaling (135 → 100), further improving its damage output and increasing its KO power at high percents.}}

**{{change|Dr. Mario's down aerial is a stomp with both feet, whereas Mario's has been [[Mario Tornado]] since ''Brawl''. Unlike Mario's, it's a single hit with two stronger hitboxes that cover Dr. Mario's legs and body instead of consisting of a multi-hit with several weaker looping hitboxes on his sides and body and a larger final hit.}}

**{{nerf|It deals slightly less base damage overall (12.5% → 12%), though this is compensated by the damage multiplier.}}

**{{buff|The hitbox on Dr. Mario's legs and feet is a strong [[meteor smash]] (94° (looping hits) 75° (final hit) → 270°). This makes it better for edge guarding and tech-chasing and allows it to start combos on landing.}}

***{{nerf|Its different angle also reduces its ability to extend combos and makes it worse for KOing on-stage and finishing combos.}}

***{{nerf|However, the new angle on the upper hitbox also makes it impossible to juggle and combo with it.}}  

**{{buff|It has less landing lag (16 frames → 13).}}

**{{nerf|It has significantly smaller hitboxes overall (4.u/7u) (looping hits), (11.0u (final hit) → (5.2u/4.5), giving it less range around Dr. Mario. Unlike Mario Tornado, it also can't hit opponents directly above him.}}

**{{nerf|It has significantly more startup lag (frame 5 → 14). Due to hitting only once instead of six times, it also has shorter duration (frame 5/7/9/11/13/23 → frame 16-19) and higher ending lag (frame 38 → 43).}}

**{{nerf|It doesn't have a landing hit.}}

**{{change|Down throw launches at a higher angle (68° → 80°) and has altered knockback (40 (base)/90 (scaling) → 75/45). While this makes its combo potential into up and back aerials more consistent and allows it to combo earlier and for longer, it makes other followups like down tilt and neutral attack impossible and sends opponent in a tumble at low percents.}}

**{{nerf|Dr. Mario's [[floor attack]]s and [[edge attack]] have decreased base damage (front and back floor attacks: 7% → 6% (both hits), trip floor attack: 5% → 4.3% (both hits), edge attack: 9% → 8.51%). As a result, his floor attacks deal roughly the same damage as Mario's despite the damage multiplier.}}

One of Dr. Mario's biggest buffs was to his already above-average damage output; all of his moves deal much more damage (excluding his pummel and get-up attacks), which further supplements his damage-racking game and his previously inconsistent KO ability. His recovery, while still poor, has nevertheless improved slightly; [[Dr. Tornado]] has increased distance, and the readdition of directional air dodges gives him another option to possibly extend and mix up his recovery. Additionally, Dr. Mario has a new [[down aerial]] and [[back throw]]; the former can now meteor smash opponents much like Mario's forward aerial, giving him an option that he notoriously lacked in the previous game. It also has a hitbox closer to him that launches horizontally with much higher power than the previous down aerial, and its autocancel window is the same of his old down aerial in ''Melee'', making it able to autocancel in a short hop. Meanwhile, the latter, albeit losing its collateral hitbox, has gained more knockback, now being among the strongest of its kind and even stronger than Mario's own, and it's also faster than it, making it more reliable for KOing due to it being less vulnerable to DI.

|ftiltdesc=A wheel kick. It deals average knockback, but it is enough to KO at around 150% at the ledge. It's also very fast, with low ending lag.

|fsmashdesc=A palm thrust that produces a small burst of electricity. Deals immense damage and knockback, giving it great KO potential. Its sweetspot is located on Dr. Mario's arm, the opposite of Mario's. One of the stronger forward smashes in the game, and one of Dr. Mario's most viable KOing options. Its electric properties also make it safer on shield compared to Mario's, especially if spaced properly, but it has poor range. Its hitboxes have the same priority as Mario's forward smash despite the reverse placement, meaning that its sweetspot has higher priority than the sourspot.

|usmashdesc=An upward arcing headbutt. Unlike most up smashes, this one launches opponents horizontally in the opposite direction he is facing. Renders Dr. Mario's head intangible for a short time. It's very fast and powerful and difficult to punish, especially on shield. The horizontal angle allows the move to combo into itself at low percentages and KO earlier at the ledge if Dr. Mario hits an opponent behind him, although it weakens its potential as an anti-air and punishment tool. It's also unsafe on hit at very low percents.

|nairdesc=A flying kick. It is a [[sex kick]] that has the unique property of having its late hit being stronger than its clean hit. Its clean hit can jab lock and start combos, while its late hit has surprisingly high knockback for a sex kick, KOing at the edge at around 130%. It can autocancel in a short hop if performed near its peak.

|fairdesc=An {{iw|wikipedia|overhand|boxing}}. Unlike Mario's version, it does not have a meteor smash hitbox. It's Dr. Mario's slowest aerial, having slow startup at frame 16 and high ending lag and landing lag, and it's the only aerial that cannot autocancel in a short hop, making it punishable when missed, but it has extremely high diagonal knockback when hit clean, making it one of the strongest forward aerials in the game. Can KO middleweights as early as 70% near the edge.

|bairdesc=A {{iw|wikipedia|dropkick}}. Comes out quickly and has above-average knockback, which makes it a viable edgeguarding and KO move and a [[reverse aerial rush]] option. Can also chain into itself at low percents, or set up tech-chase situations, and like Mario's, autocancels in a short hop fast fall.

|uairdesc=A bicycle kick. The move launches diagonally unlike Mario's up aerial, which can be ideal for edgeguarding mixups. However, this renders it unusable for juggling and lengthy combos past low percentages. It can be used twice in a single [[short hop]], or the second up aerial can be replaced with a neutral aerial instead. Despite its very quick startup at frame 4, it works well as a KO option at high percentages, especially offstage. It can also autocancel in a short hop fast fall.

|dairdesc=A double foot stomp. While it has noticeable startup, it deals consistent damage and can powerfully [[meteor smash]] opponents when hitting with the sweetspot on his legs. It has a sourspot on his body, which instead launches away with strong knockback. It's quite fast for a meteor smash, coming out on frame 14 and having rather low ending lag, and it can also autocancel in a short hop. On grounded opponents, the meteor hitbox can open up many KO confirms, notably with forward aerial, back aerial, Super Jump Punch and Dr. Tornado.

|pummeldesc=A headbutt. Moderately fast and with an above average damage output.

|bthrowdesc=Dr. Mario heaves the opponent on his shoulders and then throws them away with a single arm. Combined with its high damage and knockback, it is one of the strongest back throws in the game, having potential to even surpass {{SSBU|Ness}}' back throw by a small margin when at the ledge. Can KO middleweights at around 109% near the edge of Final Destination with good DI.

|dsdesc=Rapidly spins around, trapping opponents and damaging them with a series of [[Wikipedia:Professional wrestling attacks#Clothesline|discus clotheslines]] and [[Wikipedia:Professional wrestling attacks#Spinning back fist|spinning backfists]] before assuming a [[wikipedia:Spreadeagle (position)|spread-eagle position]] to launch them. Can hit up to seven times, with the final hit sending opponents diagonally. The grounded version grants Dr. Mario 10% [[armor]] during frames 2-9. This move can be used to aid in recovery, as mashing the B button will make Dr. Mario rise up. The maximum height that can be gained from this move is greater than that of Super Jump Punch, although this requires extremely fast button mashing. It gains good vertical and horizontal distance if mashed fast enough, allowing it to extend Dr. Mario's recovery, although it only grants aerial distance once before landing. As an attack, it is notorious for being able to KO very early at the sides of the stage (around 45% at earliest) due to its extremely high knockback growth on its last hit. As such, it is a deadly edgeguarding tool, although it is a bit risky due to Dr. Mario's poor recovery.

*Stands behind a wall of Megavitamins, which then start to disappear starting from the top to reveal him. Stands in a thinking pose with his eyes closed until all of the Megavitamins are gone, after which he opens them with a surprised expression and assumes fighting stance.

*'''Left:''' Throws two randomly colored Megavitamins in different directions, dusts his gloves and pulls out two more Megavitamins of the same color of the ones he threw, smiling as he does so.

*'''Up:''' Flourishes his stethoscope around himself.

*'''Right:''' Taps his shoe on the ground, places a hand on his chin and then looks at the screen while contemplatively rubbing his chin.

*{{Sm|JaZaR|Mexico}} - The best Dr. Mario player in the world in 2023 who is the second Dr. Mario player to be ranked on a global ranking, at 144th on the [[LumiRank 2023]]. He regularly places top 8 at Mexican regionals, including winning {{Trn|Laguna Championship 2023}} and placing 3rd at {{Trn|Xcution Summit II}} defeating {{Sm|Skyjay}}. He also has several strong major performances, including 13th at {{Trn|Delfino Maza 2023}}, 25th at {{Trn|Smash Factor X}}, and 33rd at {{Trn|Smash Factor 9}}.

*{{Sm|Shissho|Japan}} - The second-best Dr. Mario player in Japan. He notably won the 256-entrants regional {{Trn|KOWLOON 1}} over {{Sm|Paseriman}} and {{Sm|Munekin}}, and has also placed highly at several majors, including 17th at {{Trn|Kagaribi 9}} and 25th at {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 10}}.

*{{Sm|Tsumusuto|Japan}} - The best Dr. Mario player of all-time who is the only Dr. Mario player who had ever finished top 8 at a major, placing 3rd at {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 9}}. In addition, he has also finished strongly at several majors, including 17th at at {{Trn|Sumabato SP Ultimate}} 33rd at {{Trn|Umebura SP 6}} and {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 13}}. He was ranked 115th on the [[OrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse]], the highest ranking ever for a Dr. Mario main.

In the early metagame, opinions on Dr. Mario remained largely the same as it was in ''Super Smash Bros. 4''. Although his power, out of shield options, and damage racking capabilities were improved in the transition to ''Ultimate'', his sluggish speed, atrocious recovery, and mediocre range indicated that his worst weaknesses were still largely unaddressed, leaving him with poor matchups against characters such as {{SSBU|Palutena}}, {{SSBU|Shulk}}, and {{SSBU|Lucina}}. Although players such as {{Sm|Lui$}}, {{Sm|Locus}}, and {{Sm|Oryon}} saw success with the characters, most would either drop the character or relegated him to a secondary, worsening his poor representation. As a result, most players, including {{Sm|Dark Wizzy}} and {{Sm|Mr.R}}, viewed Dr. Mario as a low tier, with some going as far as to say that he was one of the worst characters in the game. The first tier list reflects this, as Dr. Mario is ranked just above the likes of {{SSBU|King Dedede}}, {{SSBU|Little Mac}}, and {{SSBU|Ganondorf}}, and he only rose one spot in the second one.

Despite this negative perception, however, Dr. Mario still saw glimpses of success thanks to the efforts of dedicated mains, including {{Sm|Tsumusuto}} in Japan, {{Sm|JaZaR}} in Mexico, and {{Sm|Mabel}} during the online metagame, who had strong result with him in majors. Furthermore, Dr. Mario received buffs from game updates that improved his combo and punish games. This left his true viability up to debate, with players such as {{Sm|Nairo}} and {{Sm|Leffen}} believing Dr. Mario was potentially a viable character, while other players maintained that he was still an unviable fighter due to improvements to other fighters, as well as the introductions of {{SSBU|Min Min}}, {{SSBU|Steve}}, and {{SSBU|Sephiroth}}. Nevertheless, Dr. Mario's perception has improved since the early metagame, although he is unanimously agreed to be inferior to {{SSBU|Mario}}.