Mario Guide: Matchup Chart and Combos

This is a guide to Mario in the game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Everything about Mario, including how to unlock them, bread and butter combos, frame data, alt costumes and skins, as well as Mario matchups and counters, can be found here.

Mario Tier and Overview

Stats and General Info

Mario
Game Series	Super Mario Bros.
Smash Bros. Debut	Super Smash Bros. (64)
Fighter Number	1
Unlock Order	Default
Number of Jumps	2
Weight	98 Units (33/87)
Dash Speed	1.76 (37/87)
Air Speed	1.208 (13/87)
Fast Fall Speed	2.4 (57/87)
Special Attributes	Wall Jump

Tier List Placement

Tier

An easy to use all-arounder

Smash Ultimate Mario is a relatively straight forward all-around fighter. Matchup wise, he can more or less battle with any other character on a mostly even playing ground, and doesn't rely on a heavy gimmick. While his range is not quite as good as many other characters, his moveset gives him access to a wide variety of combos, which when utilize can deal devastating damage and take stocks from his opponents.

See Our Tier List Here!

Mario's Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths	・Good frame data with many quick moves ・Can land combos that deal tons of damage or deplete enemy stocks ・Can reflect projectiles with his Side Special (→ ＋ B) ・Has a good projectile in his Neutral Special (B) ・Neutral Aerial (A while midair) is both fast, and has a long lasting hit box that is great for interrupting combos
Weaknesses	・Rather poor range ・Doesn't have good tools for poking from the front ・Somewhat mediocre recovery (can be edgeguarded if caution is exerted)

Mario Matchup Chart

Matchup Chart

-2
-1
0
+1
+2

Notes About Matchup Chart

1. -2 = Disadvantage. -1 = Slight Disadvantage or Even. 0 = Even. +1 = Slight Advantage or Even. +2 = Advantage.
2. The matchup chart was based around both the opinions of professional players of each character, as well as our own experience through playing Mario.
3. Characters within each tier are unordered
4. Pokemon Trainer's individual Pokemon (Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard) as well as Echo fighters with no significant difference than their regular counterpart are not shown.
5. For other characters who are not shown here, we are still investigating the matchup.

Good Matchups For Mario

Mario has great frame data and a very versatile kit, which gives him a pretty good matchup spread. He truly shines in his advantage state, where he can rack up tons of damage or even KO in a single combo. This makes big body characters like R.O.B. or Ganondorf easy for him to deal with. His reflector is also great against a large part of the cast, giving him great options for dealing with zoning based characters.

Mario Counters

Mario's biggest weakness is his short range on his attacks. Sword characters like Shulk, Cloud, or Lucina can outspace his aerials with their swords, allow them to snuff out his main approach options. One of Mario's greatest strengths is how safe his aerials are on shields, making them hard to punish for most characters. However, characters with very fast out of shield options, like Mr. Game & Watch, make Mario have to play a totally different neutral.

How to Beat Mario

Outspace him

As mentioned earlier, Mario's greatest weakness is his poor range. He has very quick aerials that are safe on shield, so the key is to try and use a disjointed hitbox to outspace these attacks, if you have one. This will allow you to beat out his attempts to combo you with his aerials or a grab.

Escaping combos

If Mario is comboing you in the air, you can often DI away from him to escape the combo (by holding the stick in the opposite direction of Mario). However, there are times when you should instead DI inward, such as when you are near the ledge, and he might combo you into a Fair, which can spike.

Watch out for his edgeguarding

Mario has decent edgeguarding game that he can use to KO you offstage. Recover low when possible to avoid FLUDD, but note that he may jump down and try to use cape to reverse your direction, so try and work around this, or even recovery after it hits you by B-Reversing.

Mario Combos

Aerial Combos
Nair→Up Smash
Jump→Up Air→Jump→Up Air→Bair
Jump→Up Air→Jump→Fair
Ground Combos
Up Smash→Up Tilt→Jump→Up air→Up air→Up Special
Down Throw→Up Special

Explanation of Aerial Combos

Explanation of Ground Combos

Mario Frame Data and Moveset

Best Out of Shield Options

Move	Frames
Up B	3 Frames
Neutral Air	6 Frames
Up Air	7 Frames
Up Smash	9 Frames
Shield Grab	10 Frames

Mario has great out of shield options, with Up B coming out at frame 3, making it one of the fastest OOS options, meaning it can punish many unsafe attacks, although it is not always the best punish. Coming in at only 6 frames is Nair, which is a great oos punish option to send opponents away and potentially set up for a jab lock.

Jab (Neutral Attack)

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Jab 1 (A)	2.	2
Jab 2	1.7	2
Jab 3	4	3

Jab Information

With its extremely quick startup, Mario's jab is an excellent get off me tool. This move is especially good to use when landing, against opponents who are trying to catch Mario as he touches the ground.

Dash Attack / Tilts

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Dash Attack (Dash ＋ A)	9.6%	6
Dash Attack (Weak Hit)	7.2%	10
Forward Tilt (← or → + A)	8.4	5
Up Tilt (↑ + A)	6.6%	5
Down Tilt (↓ + A)	8.4%	5
Down Tilt (Weak Hit)	6.0%	5

Dash Attack Info

Mario slides in the direciton of his run and slides with a kick. It has pretty quick startup, and a long lasting hitbox, making it excellent for for catching landings, and even 2-Framing opponents.

Forward Tilt Info

Mario kicks forward. This move has decent range, and quick startup. This move is good if you need to space out your opponent, if they are trying to get in too close. It can even be angled upward or downward, but not that it is not safe on shield.

Up Tilt Info

Mario punches upward, sending an opponent up. This move is excellent as a combo starter, as it will send opponents directly above him.

Down Tilt Info

Mario sweeps his leg under an opponent, sending them upward and setting up for a combo.

Smash Attacks

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Forward Smash (Smash ← or → + A）	21.3%	15
Forward Smash (Weak Hit + A）	17.6%	15
Up Smash (Smash ↑ + A)	16.8%	9
Down Smash 1 (Smash ↓ + A)	12%	5
Down Smash 2	14.4%	14

Forward Smash Info

Mario attacks forward with the fire effect directly in front of him for a powerful smash. The end of it does more damage and knockback, so be sure to space it correctly when using it.

Up Smash Info

At only 9 frames, this is a quick smash attack that attacks above mario, and grants his head invulnerability during the move. Excellent for attacking opponents directly above you, and as an out of shield punsh for a poorly spaced move on shield.

Down Smash Info

Mario kicks on either side of him. The back end hit box is actually stronger than the front one, so if you want to KO with it, you are better off using it while turned away from your opponent.

Aerials

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Neutral Air (A + no direction while airborne)	9.6%	3
Neutral Air (Weak Hit)	5.1%	6
Forward Air Initial (Hold ← or → in the direction you are facing + A while airborne)	14.4%	16
Forward Air (Sweet Spot)	16.8%	17
Forward Air (Late)	12 %	21
Back Air (← or → Opposite of the direction you are facing + A while airborne)	12.6%	6
Back Air (Late)	8.4%	8
Up Air 1 (↑ + A While Airborne)	8.4%	4
Down Air (↓ + A While Airborne)	1.68%	5
Down Air (Big Hit)	7.5%	23
Down Air (Landing)	2.1%	1

Neutral Air Info

This is one of Mario's best tools, as it has a long lasting hitbox, and very quick startup. It is extremely safe on shield when spaced properly (-2/-3), so most opponents won't be able to punish it if used to pressure their shield. It's fast startup also makes it useful as a combo breaker for an opponent that misses their confirm. It functions as a good out of shield option as well (at just 6 frames), and is also good for ledge trapping.

Forward Air Info

Mario punches downward, which will spike an opponent if hit with the sweetspot hitbox. This move is an excellent combo finisher, sense it can end an opponent's stock, and it is also useful for edgeguarding in general.

Back Air Info

Another aerial with quick startup, Mario extends his body and kicks behind him. This move has decent range, and is very safe on shield (-2/-3), making it excellent for poking an opponent and applying pressure. It can even KO at higher percents, so this is an excellent move for Mario players.

Up Air Info

Mario kicks the area above him and sends the opponent slightly up, making it very useful as a combo extender, and essential to his combo game. Use this move to juggle opponents, and it can even be used together with platforms to combo into an Up B for a ladder combo confirm.

Down Air Info

This move has a long hitbox, and can send opponents pretty far, making it a good KO move at higher percents. You can also land with it and the last hit will change slightly, making it good against opponents trying to catch your landing.

Specials

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Neutral Special (B)	6.0	17
Neutral Special (Late)	6.0	21
Neutral Special (Weak Hit)	4.8	47
Side Special (← or → + B)	8.4	12
Up Special (↑ + B)	6.0	3
Up Special (Damage per hit while rising)	0.72	7
Up Special (Last hit)	3.6	17
Down Special (↓ + B)	0	2+19

Neutral Special Info

Mario throws a fireball ahead of him, which travels far ahead and bounces. Mario can follow the fireballs and use it as an opporunity to get in.

Up Special Info

Mario's recovery is also a pretty good move for sending opponents upward, and is used as a combo finisher (especially on stages like Battlefield that have platforms). It has a very fast startup, and also works well out of shield. When recovering, it can sometimes even lead to a reverse edgeguard if the opponent isn't careful, as it can easily stage spike.

Side Special Info

This move works as a projectile for reflectors, and will also turn an opponent in the opposite direction if hit on them directly. It is very good for edgeguarding too, as it can be used to make opponents recover in the opposite direction. If used in the air, it temporarily halts Mario's fall, making it good for mixing up your recovery to prevent getting edgeguarded.

Down Special Info

Mario uses F.L.U.D.D., which can be charged to fire water at an opponent. While it doesn't deal any damage, it is very good in particular matchups, like against Ike or Snake's recovery. It is also good for gaining stage control, so be sure to charge it up when you have time.

Grabs and Throws

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Pummel	1.56	1
Grab (Normal)	-	6
Dash Grab	-	9
Pivot Grab	-	10
Forward Throw (← or → While Grabbing)	9.6	13
Back Throw (← or → While Grabbing)	13.2	44
Up Throw (↑ While Grabbing)	8.4	18
Down Throw (↓ While Grabbing)	6.0	18

Forward Throw Info

Launches an opponent forward. Not particularly good for KOing, so it is mainly used for stage control or to throw an opponent offstage.

Back Throw Info

Spins an opponent and throws them behind Mario, and can KO at higher percents. If playing a free for all, it will even hurt other nearby opponents if they are pulled in.

Up Throw Info

Throws an opponent up and allows for a follow up with up air or up B.

Down Throw Info

This throw is used as a combo starter, and is easily comboed with Up B.

Final Smash

Attack	How to Use	Effect
Mario Finale	Press B after obtaining the Smash Ball	Matio blasts two streams of fire forward. The stream expands outward the further it travels, so it's best used midair.

Mario Balance Changes

Version 8.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Final Smash	Increased power. Increased attack range.

Version 4.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Basic Movements	Adjusted the vulnerability when waking up from sleep to match other fighters.

Version 3.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Final Smash and FS Meter	At the start of the move, nearby opponents will be slowed more and slowed longer.
Neutral Special	Reduced the power against shields.

Version 2.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Dash Attack	Adjusted launch angle.
FS Meter	Extended launch distance.

Changes From Smash 4

	Change
Up Special (↑ ＋ B)	Goes higher than in Smash 4 and now works as a combo finisher. Buff
Up Smash (↑ + A)	End lag increased and launch distance decreased. Difficult to combo = Nerf.
Down Aerial (↓ ＋ A while midair)	Fixed a buf where the final hit would sometimes not land.
Down Throw (Z + ↓)	Changed launch angle to be more diagonalHarder to confirm with = Nerf.

Mario Alt Costumes and Skins

Mario Reveal Trailer

Smash Ultimate Character Guides

List of Fighters
Tier List	Unlocking Fighters

Character Stat Lists

Character Stats
Weights of All Characters	Run Speeds of All Characters
Air Speeds of All Characters	Fast Fall Speeds of All Characters