The 'Shroom:Issue LXVI/Brawl Tactics

Brawl Tactics by

What's up, Brawlers? FunkyK38 here with the latest issue of Brawl Tactics!

This month, I will be reviewing the Mariokart stage Mario Circuit!

Mario Circuit is a medium-sized stage. The sides and top of the stage are quite deep, so you can go a ways back there and fight others without worrying too much. This also means you will have to do a bit more work to launch your opponent to a KO, but you do have help. I'll get to that later. One thing I must mention, though, is the camera work. It's not an instantaneous "follow-player-1!!!" camera. It will zoom in on periodic points of action, but if you move around a lot, it won't follow you all that closely. So going from an up-close fight to standing on opposite sides of the screen probably isn't the best idea. Just sayin'.

This stage takes place on the figure eight part of the Mario Circuit. You have two parts to work on: the raised part of the track and the ground. Both present unique obstacles, but let's start with the bottom first. This is where you will get most of your items. Be sure to check under the level parts of the upper track, as items seem to fall there more often, and they can pile up. This is a good place to launch a stage-sweeping Final Smash, like Samus' or Mario's, as your opponents can get caught in it if you are crafty about it.

You can't forget that this IS still a racetrack, so you WILL have racers zooming around frequently. Shy Guys play this role, and they can do a lot of unnecessary damage to you if you're careless. These guys pack a lot of launch power, and if you don't watch out for them, you WILL be in trouble. You have a big JumboTron screen behind you to watch out for them, so be smart and use it! If you can trap your opponents in front of them, you will have a big advantage.

Okay, let's talk about the top part of this stage. Mainly, our friendly Shy Guy racers! You CAN knock them off of the track if you have an item and very good aim. Or you can use Pokemon/Assist Trophies/Final Smashes/etc. to do the job for you if you're lazy. It's nice not having to worry about them, but if you DO manage to knock all of them out, enjoy your victory only a moment! Once their "lap" finishes, a whole new team of racers will begin their assault upon you! A good strategy is to leave one or two of them on the track. That way, they're much easier to deal with than a whole group of them.

The racers up here will launch you further up than the ones below, but they can also launch you off the sides into OBLIVION if you are not careful. In case you are not aware of the large screen behind you that tracks their positions on the track, you will get a small warning: a couple red arrows on the left side of the stage, telling you "hello, here they come!" If you still don't see them coming, well... You need to be a little more observant.

That's all for me this month, Brawlers! Hope this gives you the guts to jump into the action! See you next month in BRAWL TACTICS!