Beginner's Guide to Winning Matches

Learn how to win matches in Mario Strikers: Battle League with our beginner's guide. Read on to see the best beginner team and tips and tricks on using offensive and defensive moves and techniques effectively!

Best Beginner Team

※As the game was released recently, these teams are based on our initial impressions. Please note that they may change upon further playtesting.

Position	Character	Role
	Rosalina	Scorer ・Strong Shooting ability ・Easy to make curved shots
	Wario	Tackler & Goal-Getter ・Can interrupt opponents with strong tackles ・Passable speed
	Toad	Passer ・High Speed and Passing stats ・Good for getting the ball to Rosalina to score
	Waluigi	Defender ・High Speed and Strength ・Long arms and legs give him a wide defensive range

Before starting any match, it is important to pick the right characters and place them in the right positions of the team. Captains need to be characters with good Shooting and Technique stats, while middle players are recommended to have high Speed and Passing Stats.

Each character in Mario Strikers excels in some facet or another so you'll need to learn how to compose the right teams.

Best Team Compositions

Equip Each Character with the Right Gear

After making the right team, you'll also need to equip each one with gear. Though some characters might do best without gear, using this feature will definitely give you the added edge when playing.

Rosalina	Trick Helmet Muscle Gauntlets Bushido Armor Cannon Boots
Wario	Muscle Helmet Muscle Gauntlets Turbo Pad Cannon Boots
Toad	Bushido Helmet Turbo Gloves Chain Plate Turbo Boots
Waluigi	Turbo Helmet Muscle Gauntlets Bushido Armor Bushido Sandals

Best Gear

Offensive Tips for Beginners

Beginner Tips for Offensive Play
Change your shooting depending on your character's stats. Save your items and use them for Hyper Strikes. Pass the ball to a high technique character for Hyper Strikes. Distance Boom Boom from the goal and make a shot. Use long shots with high technique or shooting characters to catch opponents off guard. Anticipate your opponent's tackles and pass or dodge them.

Change Your Position Depending on the Character

	Shooting Position and Direction
High Technique Characters
High Shooting Characters
Both High Technique and Shooting Characters

The area where you can aim your shot varies depending on the stats of your character. High technique characters can greatly curve their shots, allowing for a wider range of shooting places.

Characters with high shooting, on the other hand, should preferably aim straight ahead. The sides of the penalty area are the best spots to shoot.

Learn and Master Aimed Shots

Aimed shots are a type of shot introduced in Training Mode and it is essential is improving your overall score in the game since it greatly increases the power of your shots.

Save Your Items for Hyper Strikes

Make sure to save your items for Hyper Strikes as much as possible, especially items like Stars, Bob-ombs, and Shells, since these are best used to clear out enemies before making your shot.

Best Items for Knocking Down Opponents

Item	Rating	Best Time to Use
Star	★★★★★	Knock opponents down first while invincible before charging for a Hyper Strike.
Red Shell	★★★★	Use when an enemy attempts to tackle you before or during charging.
Bob-omb	★★★★	Lure enemies in a bunch before throwing. After they're caught by the explosion, charge your shot.
Green Shell	★★★	Throw at opponent pointblank before or during charging.
Banana	★★	Throw at opponent pointblank before or during charging.

It is highly recommended to use items before or while charging for a Hyper Strike to prevent opponents from interrupting you and canceling out your chance to perform a Hyper Strike.

List of Items

Pass to a High Technique Character for Hyper Strikes

If you have a Hyper Strike at the ready, pass the ball to a high technique character if possible to make the most out of the Hyper Strike. High technique characters have a wider blue range in their strike meter, which makes their Hyper Strike more effective.

In addition to having high technique, the effect of the Hyper Strike is also important as some are more effective than others, so make sure to strike a balance with high technique and great Hyper Strike effects.

How to Do a Hyper Strike

Stay Close to the Goal after a Hyper Strike

After executing a Hyper Strike, there may be a chance that Boom Boom will deflect the shot. Have a player stay close to him while this is happening and try to keep your opponents away so you can immediately take the ball and make another shot.

Distance Boom Boom from the Goal

One of the main obstacles you have when attempting score goals is the goalie. Try to distance them from the goal by getting them to focus on another team member then immediately pass the ball to another teammate in an unguarded area to score.

Knock Boom Boom Down Before Making a Goal

Another great technique is to knock Boom Boom down by kicking the ball in their direction with a Charged Shot. Once they're down, you can immediately kick the ball again to score.

Use Long Shots to Catch Opponents Off Guard

Long Shots are sometimes one of the best ways to score goals since it often takes your opponent off guard. However, they are only really effective when using characters with a high technique or shooting stat, ideally both. This makes the ball curve more and makes it harder to intercept.

High Technique and Shooting Characters
Rosalina	Mario

Anticipate Tackles and Pass or Dodge

Be aware of tackles from your opponent, especially while you are holding the ball. When you see an incoming tackle, immediately pass the ball to one of your teammates before the tackle hits or dodge the hit if no other teammates are open.

How to Dodge Effectively

Defensive Tips for Beginners

Beginner Tips for Defensive Play

Head back to your side of the field when the ball is taken by the opponent. Avoid breaking the one-on-one formations of players. Stay close to your opponent holding the ball, especially if they have Hyper Strike active. Try not to tackle your opponents unnecessarily, especially when they don't have the ball. Switch to high speed characters when picking up items. Use items against opponents close to your goal. Prepare to deflect Hyper Strikes when needed.

Head Back to Your Field when the Ball is Taken

Once the ball is taken away from you by your opponent, immediately head back to your side of the field and switch to defensive positions. Press L to switch to the character closest to the ball and stay close to your opponent to slow them down.

This will buy you time while your other team members are running back to your side of the field.

Avoid Breaking in One-on-One Formations

While defending, characters will often arrange themselves into one-on-one formations where each character defends against a single opponent. However, this formation could be broken with manually controlled characters.

While in this formation, if the ball is passed to another opponent, switch to the character in front of that opponent.

Stay Close to Your Opponent with the Ball

When the opposing team has the ball, keep track of which player specifically is holding it at all times and stay close to them. It is important to try to find an opening for a tackle or wait for them to pass so you can steal the ball as it travels.

Especially while they have Hyper Striker active

Staying close to your opponent is especially important if they have Hyper Strike active, so you can easily disrupt their play before they can make their shot.

Try Not to Tackle Unnecessarily

Use your tackles wisely and don't tackle players unnecessarily. Even when playing against a CPU, they can usually sense when you are about to tackle a character, and will prepare to pass the ball to someone else on the team.

Only tackle players if you are certain that you can gain control of the ball at that moment.

Only Lightly Push Low Strength Opponents

Opponents that are small and have low strength stats are often easier to tackle than most opponents, so just a light push is enough to knock them down.

Do Not Tackle Opponents without the Ball

It is especially important to not tackle opponents that do not currently have the ball. If you do, there is a chance that the crowd could throw that player a Star, which is one of the most powerful items in the game.

Star Effects and When to Use

Pick Up Items with High Speed Characters

When you need to pick up items thrown by the audience on the field. It is best to switch to characters who have a high speed stat in order to get these items as quickly as possible, especially if the item is a Hyper Strike Orb.

Defend Your Goal with Items

If the opposing team has managed to get close to your goal, this is the time to use the many items you have saved. Use items like Shells, Bananas, and Bombs to prevent the other team from scoring the goal.

Get Ready to Deflect Hyper Strikes

At times, Hyper Strikes from your opponent are unavoidable, so you'll need to prepare to deflect the shot with Boom Boom. Get ready to repeatedly press A to deflect and place one of your teammates near the goal to immediately get the ball afterwards.

Useful Tips for Beginners

Press B to Get a Pass from Boom Boom

If Boom Boom catches an opponent's shot, he would usually pass it to one of the nearest teammates or the captain if none are available. This creates a high risk of interception from the opposing team.

Instead, it is best to approach Boom Boom with one of your members and press B to receive the ball from him.

Mario Strikers: Battle League Related Guides

Beginner's Tips and Guides

Beginner's Guide: Tips and Tricks

Techniques

List of Techniques