18-
Dr. Mario

Jab1 (-13) & Jab2 (-16):
NAir (Frame 7)

Jab3 (-25):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)

FTilt (-12):
NAir (Frame 7)
GSA (Frame 9)

UTilt (-17):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)

Dash Attack (-12):
NAir (Frame 7)
GSA (Frame 9)

FSmash (-18/-20):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)
Grab (Frame 16)

USmash (-19):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)
Grab (Frame 16)

DSmash (-30/-19)
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)
Grab (Frame 16)

NAir (-3/-4)
Unpunishable
(Safe on shield)

FAir (-11/-12):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)

BAir (-5/-6):
Unpunishable
(Safe on shield)

UAir (-4):
Unpunishable
(Safe on shield)

DAir (-8):
NAir (Frame 7)
GSA (Frame 9)

Megavitamin (-23):
Unpunishable
(Projectile usage)

Super Sheet (-15):
NAir (Frame 7)
GSA (Frame 9)

Super Jump Punch:
--

Dr. Tornado (-30):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)
FSmash (Frame 26)

• Neutral Moves: Megavitamin, NAir, BAir, UAir, Tilts, Jab, Grab.

• Kill Moves: FAir, Dr. Tornado, BAir, UAir, Smash Attacks.

• Kill Confirms: DTilt > Super Jump Punch, Megavitamin > Followup.

• Dr. Mario’s Megavitamin has a multitude of uses. Due to the projectile being slow, he can capitalize off it like Thunder Jolt. He can use it to:

1. Cover his approach.

2. Confirm into almost any move in his kit.

3. Change his momentum as a mix-up.

4. Force an approach.

5. 2-frame & edge guard.

6. Convert into a grab on your shield.

• Megavitamin is everything to Dr. Mario, given his super slow speed. He is otherwise a slow character, meaning he RELIES on Megavitamin. Keep track of when they use it. It could be used in neutral, advantage, and disadvantage.

• Just like Thunder Jolt, Dr. Mario can abuse the option you choose, so you can’t shield forever, or always use Boomerang to clank it.

• At high percents, you HAVE to respect Super Jump Punch OOS. That thing KILLS. In general, he has good out of shield options between Super Jump Punch, NAir, USmash, BAir, and Grab.

• ZAir is quite good in this MU, since Dr. Mario is slow and stubby.

• It’s best to play around platforms and platform camp Dr. Mario, because he struggles to apply Megavitamin pressure when you’re on them. In that way, he’s like Little Mac.

• Zoning/using projectiles to find combos and damage is the main focus of the MU, since close quarters combat is more of a risk vs Dr. Mario.

• Fire Arrow is best for catching Dr. Mario in the air, since he is a character that is limited by attributes in grounded burst potential.

• Space moves outside of his range, not on his shield. This is due to his Frame 3 out of shield option in Super Jump Punch, which kills.

Boxing

(How do I escape this situation?):

• Dr. Mario will be looking for conversions off of Grab, DTilt, and using Megavitamins for advantage. He can use these like Thunder Jolt, forcing jumps and other options.

• He can mix up the space Megavitamins takes with short hops, full hops, B-Reverses, and Wavebounces.

• He can use NAir and BAir to box which beat out projectiles.

• Retreat to platforms if possible.

Platform Pressure

(What tools do they have? How can we escape this pressure?):

• He can platform pressure with NAir, UAir, BAir, all of which are kill moves.

• Though Doc has the moves to pressure platforms, he can’t quite do so with his speed. His Megavitamins arc down in a way that’s hard for him to reach platforms with them.

• You want to fight him around and on platforms to negate Megavitamin pressure.

Landing

(How do they cover it? What are my best options?):

• Dr. Mario can anti-air with UAir, but he’s still stubby, so DAir will win.

• He can catch a landing with Grab, Dash Attack, Smash Attacks, or Dr. Tornado as hard reads.

• ZAir could be good for landing away from Doc since he has little range.

Offstage

(How Do I Escape This Position And What Do I Look Out For?):

• Chances are, you won’t win head to head aerial interactions. Late hit of D. Mario NAir is very strong, BAir will trade with NAir, DAir beats ASA when above it, and Dr. Tornado will win head to head interactions. FAir can win these interactions when spaced, but it has a 14 Frame startup.

• Be careful of Megavitamins and Super Sheet reflecting your aerial movement.

• Space ASA and mix up tether so that Dr. Mario doesn’t intercept with NAir.

• Boomerang can be used to clank with Megavitamins.

Ledge:

• Dr. Mario’s FAir, Dr. Tornado, FSmash, DSmash, Dash Attack, FTilt, DTilt, DAir, and Super Jump Punch all hit ledge.

• He can use USmash to cover roll and getup, BAir to cover getup and jump, and Dash Attack to 2-frame.

• He can’t move fast, so if he’s standing away from ledge, you have more safety in getting off ledge.

• When on/boxed to the ledge, the safest aggressive pressure is usually in disjointed moves (FTilt, FAir) and NAir vs Dr. Mario.

Juggling/Boxing:

• Keep Dr. Mario in the corner and camp him. His best option is to get behind a Megavitamin and approach with that.

• Dr. Mario can use Super Sheet to reflect projectiles as he lands, but it doesn’t make him stall in the air.

• His Dr. Tornado doesn't have invincibility in the air, so it’s only used as a read for landing.

• That means Dr. Mario can only stall in the air with jumps most of the time.

• Dr. Mario will likely use Megavitamins to help him land. Sneak under them if possible, and punish the endlag (32 frames).

• B-Reverse/Wavebounce Megavitamins and Super Sheet are used to mix up momentum in the air.

• Be careful of Super Jump Punch out of shield (again, Frame 3!). His NAir is Frame 6 OOS, and USmash is Frame 9.

• Dr. Mario can also use NAir as a landing tool, which has a strong late hit.

• Watch out for Dr. Tornado usage when Dr. Mario is trying to land. It’s high-risk, but very rewarding.

• Boomerang is a bit weird in this MU for advantage state. It should be able to trap Dr, Mario in the air and in the corner, but he has many moves to clank the Boomerang with, including Megavitamin. It’s a hard read tool no matter the state of the game.

Offstage:

• Send Dr. Mario at lower angles, with moves like DSmash and FTilt. He struggles to recover vertically.

• If Dr. Mario is recovering from above, he will use Megavitamins to aid in landing. Use projectiles to counteract them.

• Most of the time, we can’t exchange with Super Jump Punch or Dr. Tornado. Edgeguard by throwing Bombs down and converting or 2-framing.

• Be wary of Dr. Mario’s high launch power moves such as late NAir, Dr. Tornado, and FAir from ledge.

• Ledgetrap using stage control. Dr. Mario is a slower character, so he can’t reversal with stage control easily.

• When standing further away from the ledge, Dr. Mario can use full hop/ledge jump Megavitamin out of the corner.

Ledge Info:

XLR8’s Spreadsheet Young Link Ledge Info:

DTilt: Hits

DSmash: Hits

FTilt: Hits

Most Reliable Move: All

Animation Info: N/A

Note: Easy, FTilt reaches farthest.

• FD DTilt > ASA %s: 115, 102

• FD FThrow @ Ledge Kill %s: 181, 155

• FD Milkshake %s: 106-139, 94-112

• Dr. Mario Kill Throws: BThrow

• At the edge of FD, Doc’s BThrow kills Young Link at 105%

• It’s possible to break out of the DThrow > Cyclone combo with DI away + airdodge.

• Tipper DTilt on shield outspaces Dr. Mario’s BAir.

• Battlefield:
  Great. The platforms give you tons of counterplay to Dr. Mario’s shenanigans. Abuse them to avoid his pressure.

• Final Destination:
  Terrible. No platforms to avoid Dr. Mario’s Megavitamins pressure means you have little counterplay to them and Dr. Mario’s normals. Avoid this stage at all costs.

• Smashville:
  Indifferent. The effective space for a Megavitamin approach is extremely limited, however close quarters combat vs Dr. Mario on this stage is much more common. Worse than Kalos. If space is preferred, T&C may be a better pick, though this stage offers better counterplay at the exchange of space.

• Town & City:
  Bad. Though there are the occasional platforms, when the stage is in Kalos-esque or FD forms this stage is a pain, not to mention the small side blast zones, which make Dr. Tornado kill really early.

• Lylat Cruise:
  Good. Stay on the top platforms and you should be fine. Dr. Mario still has to put himself high up to get his Megavitamins to reach platforms.

• Pokémon Stadium 2:
  Great. This stage offers zoning capabilities and platforms serviceable enough to avoid the majority of Megavitamin pressure in addition to being our best stage, though between BF and PS2 the difference is preference. Prioritize sending Dr. Mario at horizontal angles.

• Kalos Pokémon League:
  Indifferent. Flat stages are a no-go vs Dr. Mario. This stage does have its perks of wall jumps, platform placement and large stage width, but this is still not the best stage to go to. It's still a viable option if your preference is strong enough, though.

• Yoshi’s Story:
  Good. Similar reasons as BF + wall jumps, but smaller stage width.

• Dr. Mario Moves vs Ledge Hang: Dr. Mario Moves VS Ledge Hangs

• Dr. Mario BThrow Kill %s: Dr. Mario Back Throw Kill% v2.0.0

• Dr. Mario DThrow > Dr. Tornado: Dr. Mario Down Throw > Down B% v3.1.0