The 'Shroom:Issue 119/Strategy Wing

Director Notes
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Hello everyone and welcome to this issue of Strategy Wing! Valentine's Day was a few days ago and I hope you all had a nice day on it. I do have a couple announcements to make. First up, I want to welcome to this sub-team! She will be writing a section based on The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth. Go check it out! Another thing I want to bring up is that next month is Issue 120, and we will try to focus on 3D Mario Collectathons like Super Mario 64 and Sunshine as there's 120 stars/shines respectively. Want to send in a guest or even full time section on games like these and more? Feel free to sign up. That's it for now, hope you enjoy this month's issue of Strategy Wing.

Section of the Month Thanks to everyone that voted! I'm pleased to say that we finally got a bunch more than usual. Congratulations to for finally beating my streak!

Mario Kart: Wheel Tips Corner
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Hello 'Shroom racers! And welcome to Mario Kart Wheel Tips Corner, here I plan to give you just some extra tips to help you with your racing, or just some changes in a track that might catch you off guard if you aren't prepared for them. Lights are out, let's start racing.

Kool Karts You can't race if you don't have a Kart to do it in, so in this section I'll give you some facts about a Kart, Bike, ATV or even tires and gliders that you can use hopefully for racing success.

This month's Kool Part is the Waddle Wing, a glider based on the enemy of the same name from New Super Mario Bros. U. Sadly, the Waddle Wing offers no stat boosts, however, what this does mean is that you can pair it with any combination. The Waddle Wing has a fairly nice aesthetic, and I like how you can attach it to any part without having to worry about if affecting you negatively in the race.

What's Changed? Retro tracks are now a huge portion of the Mario Kart games, typically amounting to half the courses in the game. But usually these courses change some things up, so in this section I'll help you find out "What's Changed" in the retro tracks.

Mushroom Gorge was one of my favorite tracks from Mario Kart Wii, so I was thrilled when it came back for Mario Kart 7, and now it's time to look at its changes. Graphics is a given at this point, but there were quite a few other changes. Mushrooms are now larger, and several have been removed both from the background and the track; the arrows on the signs have changed to the colour brown; at the split there is another Boost Pad on the left side, whilst on the right side it has been moved forward; Grand Goombas have been turned into Goombas; and finally the green mushroom on the left of the cave portion has turned into a blue one that causes the player to glide.

Ace Shortcut In this small section I give you a way to shave a few seconds off your time, whether you know about it or not. Be warned, most of these shortcuts will require a Mushroom.

This issue I bring you a shortcut from Daisy Circuit.

After the first couple of corners is a set of stairs in a house. If the player has a Super Mushroom, they can boost up the stairs and use the Boost Ramp there to land on the roundabouts, and cut a corner.

Isaac Synergies
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Hello ‘Shroom Readers, welcome to my new section called Isaac Synergies from the game Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, but more specifically from the DLCs Afterbirth and Afterbirth+. Why those DLCs and not the base game? Synergies, which are the interaction or cooperation between two entities, and in this case, items. They add an insane amount of synergies that were not available in the base Rebirth, and some of them are quite good and game breaking. This section is dedicated to showing off those very good synergies.

I’m going to start off this section talking about an item that a lot of people absolutely hate: Tiny Planet. It’s not hard to see why this item is so unpopular. Your tears now orbit around your body in a sometimes unpredictable pattern, making aiming nearly impossible. If your damage is low that just makes Tiny Planet even more unbearable.

You may be aware of a Tiny Planet synergy that works pretty well. That would be with the addition of Brimstone. Tiny Planet makes every Brimstone shot curve around your body before shooting out on its regular path.

It’s an alright synergy but nothing too amazing in my opinion. However, there is one fairly simple synergy that makes Tiny Planet fantastic: when it’s paired with A Lump of Coal. A Lump of Coal is a boss drop from Krampus, so it’s an item that’s fairly common. This item works by increasing the damage of your tears the further they have traveled. Now here’s the beautiful part: since Tiny Planet naturally make tears travel a long distance, the A Lump of Coal tears gain more damage than any other item paired with it.

As you can observe, the bigger the tears, the more damage it deals. That’s pretty neat right? Well we can take it ‘’a step further’’ and add a whole bunch of range, making the tears orbit two or three or more times further than previously, all while the A Lump of Coal just multiples that range into pure damage as seen here:

Surprisingly enough, Tiny Planet and A Lump of Coal synergy can most definitely be a game winning synergy by itself. Which just goes to show you, even the worst of items can have it’s uses.

I hope you enjoyed my new Strategy Wing section and maybe it will help you in future Isaac runs. See you all next month!

Party Trick!
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Welcome to this month's Party Trick! Last time, I announced that I would start taking requests for minigames and boards. Our first request is from, who suggested to do Deep Bloober Sea from Mario Party 3!



This board is rated at a one star difficulty level and has quite a few interesting details about it. First off, players start in the bottom right corner, and players start by moving left from that spot. There is a Koopa Bank very close to the start, so it's likely that you'll have to fork over 5 coins on the first turn. However, there's also a second Koopa Bank near the top left. Other recurring board features such as the Item Shop, Skeleton gates, and Boo.

There are also several split paths along the way. However, one in particular is not normal. At the junction to the left of the map next to the Sushi, you will have the option to pick between moving up or down. However, you'll also have to press one of four switches. One of them has a torpedo. Get hit by the torpedo and you will end up going the way you did not select. The other thing to note about it is that the cycle only resets if someone gets the torpedo. This means that the if the first person to press a switch is safe, then the next person to cross the Sushi will have to pick between the other three switches, and then the other two switches if that person is safe. This means that the chances of success feel lower as more buttons that are safe are pressed. One strategy, is if there is two buttons left, go the direction you don't want to go, and instead hope you get the torpedo. That way, you'll get bumped into the direction you actually want to go. If someone gets the torpedo first when there's four buttons to choose from, then the cycle resets to four again.

The next area of interest are the eight Happening Spaces by the Blooper on the right side of the map. How it works is fairly simple. If you land on one of the spaces, the Blooper will summon its mother and you will be moved to the other side of the Blooper. So if you land on one of the top left Happening Spaces by the Blooper, you will be moved in the bottom left part of the area. Not much to do to avoid or purposefully land here as it's just luck.

The final area to note is the angler fish in the top left where there are six Happening Spaces. Landing on one of these will trigger an Action Time event. When someone lands on the space, the angler fish will spin the arrow on its head to point either right, down, or diagonally right down. Then it will proceed to try and suck all the players in to spit them back out in that direction to either the red circle in the bottom left, the red circle in the top right, or the start space depending on where the arrow is pointing. If you don't want to go where the arrow points, just tap the A button as fast as you can. However, sometimes you might be able to get blown away on purpose. For example, if the star is in the top right area, and the arrow on the angler fish points to the right, then you can get blown over there on purpose that way you'll be closer to the star.

Our minigame on the list was also requested by Twentytwofiftyseven. It's Mario Mechs from Mario Party 5. Mario Mechs is a 1-vs-3 Minigame where the one player is inside a giant robot mech, and the other three players ride little scooters. The goal is quite simple, and that is to defeat the other team. Obviously, the one player has an advantage here. If you're the one player, using charge shots with the A button is a good way to quickly take out the opponents health, and the shock wave can also help keep your opponents away from you. If you're on the three team, you'll have to play a little more defensively, dashing out of the way from enemy attacks. Additionally, split up from the rest of the group. This way the one player can't hit all three of you at once. Additionally, the three player team has the ability to quickly dash away using the B button. This can be handy for getting around obstacles and the one player quickly. This is a pretty fun minigame for the concept alone, and it should be easier every time.

That's all for this month's Party Trick! Have a minigame or board you'd like me to do? Send me a message on my talk page or message me on the forums and you could be mentioned in next month's edition!

Mario Calendar
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Hello, readers, and welcome to this month's issue of Mario Calendar! Unfortunately, due to a series of events, I was unable to turn in a section last month, but now everything has been taken care of, and I'm back to the paper.

I guess it's time to check the Mario-related games released on a February day, so here's the list!!


 * February 1st
 * 1997 (JP): Game & Watch Gallery (GB)
 * 2008 (ZA):
 * Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
 * Mario Party 8 (Wii)
 * February 2nd, 2001 (EU/AU): Mario Tennis (GBC)
 * February 3rd
 * 2011 (AU): Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! (NDS)
 * 2016 (KO):
 * Super Mario Bros. (NES-3DSVC)
 * Donkey Kong (GB-3DSVC)
 * Super Mario Land (GB-3DSVC)
 * February 4th
 * 2005 (EU):
 * Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (GCN)
 * DK: King of Swing (GBA)
 * 2011:
 * (UK): Mario Sports Mix (Wii)
 * (EU): Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! (NDS)
 * February 5th
 * 2001 (NA): Paper Mario (N64)
 * 2007 (NA):
 * Super Mario World (SNES-WiiVC)
 * Diddy Kong Racing DS (NDS)
 * 2015 (NA): Game & Watch Gallery 3 (GBC-3DSVC)
 * February 6th, 2014 (EU/AU): NES Open Tournament Golf (NES-WiiUVC)
 * February 7th
 * 2008 (AU):
 * Donkey Kong Jet Race (Wii)
 * Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (NDS)
 * 2011 (NA): Mario Sports Mix (Wii)
 * February 8th
 * 1999 (NA): Mario Party (N64)
 * 2008 (EU): Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (NDS)
 * February 9th
 * 1990 (NA): Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
 * 2002 (NA): Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 (GBA)
 * 2007 (EU/AU): Super Mario World (SNES-WiiVC)
 * 2012 (AU): Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (3DS)
 * February 10th
 * 1997 (NA): Mario Kart 64 (N64)
 * 2006 (EU): Mario Party 7 (GCN)
 * 2012 (EU): Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (3DS)
 * February 11th, 2009 (JP): Mario & Luigi RPG 3!!! (NDS)
 * February 13th, 2014:
 * (JP): Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze (Wii U)
 * (EU): Dr. Mario (NES-WiiUVC)
 * February 14th
 * 2004 (JP):
 * Famicom Mini: Donkey Kong (GBA)
 * Famicom Mini: Super Mario Bros. (GBA)
 * 2005 (NA): WarioWare: Touched! (NDS)
 * 2006 (CN): Yoshi Touch & Go (iQue DS)
 * 2012 (NA): Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (3DS)
 * 2014 (AU): Dr. Mario (NES-WiiUVC)
 * February 16th
 * 2007 (EU): Mario Slam Basketball (NDS)
 * 2012:
 * (NA): Super Mario Bros. (NES-3DSVC)
 * (EU/AU): Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (GB-3DSVC)
 * February 17th, 2016 (KO): Yoshi's Story (N64-WiiUVC)
 * February 18th, 2016 (JP): Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (3DS)
 * February 19th
 * 1994 (JP): Wario's Woods (NES & SNES)
 * 2007 (NA): Donkey Kong Country (SNES-WiiVC)
 * February 21st, 2014 (NA/EU): Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Wii U)
 * February 22nd, 2014 (AU): Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Wii U)
 * February 23rd
 * 2000 (JP): Mario Artist: Talent Studio (N64DD)
 * 2006 (AU): Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (NDS)
 * February 24th, 2005 (AU):
 * Super Mario 64 DS (NDS)
 * WarioWare: Touched! (NDS)
 * February 25th, 2005 (EU/AU): Mario Power Tennis (GCN)
 * February 26th
 * 2009 (KO): Super Paper Mario (Wii)
 * 2014 (JP): Dr. Mario (NES-WiiUVC)
 * 2015 (NA):
 * Donkey Kong Country (SNES-WiiUVC)
 * Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES-WiiUVC)
 * Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (SNES-WiiUVC)
 * Donkey Kong Land (GB-3DSVC)
 * Donkey Kong Land 2 (GB-3DSVC)
 * Donkey Kong Land III (GB-3DSVC)
 * February 27th
 * 2006 (NA): Super Princess Peach (NDS)
 * 2014 (EU/AU): Wario's Woods (NES-WiiUVC)
 * February 2000 (UK): Game & Watch Gallery 3 (GBC)

That's all for now, folks! See you in March!!

Pokédex Power
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Hello everyone, it's me, Yoshi876 again with a new edition of Pokédex Power, a section that walks you through the Pokédex entries of all 802 Pokémon. We're still sticking with Pokémon that appear in the main game of Pokémon Sun and Moon, as there's still no Pokédex entries on those ones, hopefully next month I'll be free to choose whatever.

Also, with this section I'll be alternating each generation. I know looked a Generation I Pokémon in the first section, and then I moved straight onto Generation III, but this time we'll be hanging around with a Generation II Pokémon. Next month will be a Generation IV Pokémon, and so forth.

It's still Winter, but only just about. So to show the progression of Winter into Spring, I've chosen a Fire type Pokémon. The Pokémon in question is Magby, a baby Pokémon that was introduced in Pokémon Gold and Silver, alongside a whole range of others like Pichu or Cleffa.

Generation II

Despite being the first Pokédex entries for Magby, these ones aren't particularly interesting. The entries generally just set out where it lives, and how high its body temperature / flame can go, which for a Fire-type Pokémon is a common Pokédex entry. That said, the Crystal entry is interesting in the volcanic eruption thing, there aren't many volcanoes in the Pokémon series, so does their presence actually create a volcano? Also interesting is the entry for Gold and Pokémon Stadium 2, because as far as I can see, Magby doesn't actually have any nostrils, but if embers come out of them, they must be somewhere.

Generation III

Bar word changes, FireRed and LeafGreen offer nothing new into Magby, but Ruby and Sapphire do. These entries state how you can tell the health of a Magby by the flame that it emits from its mouth, this kind of reminds me of Charmander, as either the Pokédex or anime refers to how its health can be told by the ferocity of the flame on its tail. Emerald doesn't add anything, just a repeat of the last bit from Ruby and Sapphire.

Generation IV

Gen IV was very disappointing for Magby's Pokédex entries, as only Platinum adds anything new, the rest are just repeats or rephrasing. It's not particularly shocking to hear that Magby's blood is magma-like given how it's a Fire-type Pokémon, and how in Pokémon Yellow it states that Magmar is born in a live volcano. However, given how Magby is the baby version of Magmar, it would have been nice for the Pokédex entry to transfer onto Magby.

Generation V

Generation V was another disappointment, the only thing it added was in Black 2 and White 2, where it made the simple observation that Magby is a small Pokémon. Nothing really groundbreaking...

Generation VI

Generation VI was the most disappointing as all of the information is repeated from previous generations.

Generation VII

New information comes from the Generation VII entries, with Sun stating that they get excited when feeding. However, is this when feeding in general, or when given food by a Trainer? In my opinion, the wording seems to suggest that it is feeding in general, but either way I'd be careful when feeding a Magby. Moon is the most interesting yet, with this small tale about the potter. Whilst it doesn't really add anything interesting about the Pokémon's biology, it's interesting to see how they are able to interact with humans in the real world. This entry alone almost makes it feel like Magby is an actually creature in our world.

Conclusion

Magby doesn't really have interesting Pokédex entries, most are what you'd expect from the Fire-type Pokémon, or are just simple observations. The health thing is fairly interesting, which is probably why they rehashed it so often throughout the generations. The most recent gen entries are also fairly interesting, but on the whole I feel like the Pokédex let down this Fire-type baby.