The 'Shroom:Issue LXXXIV/Brawl Tactics

Brawl Tactics by

What is up Brawlers?! Timmy here, writing his fifth article of Brawl Tactics!

So, this time I'm covering a stage, again. What stage? It will be on Yoshi's Island (the Brawl version), since Yoshi's New Island is releasing soon!

This stage originates from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. It's a fairly simple stage with 2 main platforms, where the top platform tilts from time to time. Occasionally, a Support Ghost platform will pop up on either the left or the right side of the stage, which can actually save someone who's recovering if they're lucky! There are also Fly Guys here who will drop off some Food if you have items on and you hit them. You cannot go under the stage, so don't try gliding with Pit or Meta Knight; it won't work.

As a Ness main though, I don't like this stage. The main platform is not perfectly flat, so sometimes if I try to shoot a PK Fire, it just gets absorbed by the slant. Sometimes when I have to recover, a Fly Guy will come from nowhere, who will absorb the PK Thunder and make me fall, or my PK Thunder will hit the ghost platform when I make it go downwards to try to launch Ness. I also have to be very careful with the trajectory I launch Ness; if I'm right next to the wall, I need to launch him straight up, otherwise I will rebound off of the wall and fall. Many other characters outclass Ness on this stage, so I try to avoid it. It is a perfectly viable stage though; all tournaments allow it (except those in Japan), and it is always available as a starter. If you want a stage that's somewhat basic, yet has a few things that make it stand out, then this is for you!
 * Note that the Fly Guys don't just disrupt projectiles like Ness' PK Thunder. It can also disrupt projectiles like lasers from the Starfox characters, Link's Arrow's, etc. However, they can be useful if you want to refresh your other moves, since you're actually hitting something.

Throughout the match, the seasons change randomly. This is only a cosmetic change though; it doesn't affect the gameplay. The music also changes volume based on the season. The season you start off with is always random!
 * Winter: Heavy snow starts to fall.
 * Spring: The Chain Chomps appear on both the left and right sides. Giant red tulips appear in the background.
 * Summer: The Special Flowers appear in the background.
 * Autumn: Wheat grass and Goonies appear in the background. Fall colors also come in.

You may want to be a bit careful with items here. Sometimes they'll spawn onto a slant... And then they fall. Be careful with explosives, since you don't want to accidentally hit a Fly Guy and get caught in the explosion too! Ideal Final Smashes here are ones that take up a huge area, like Luigi's, the Starfox characters, etc., since this stage is fairly small and there won't be much space for your opponents to run away.

The stage blastzones are about average size. If you're trying to go for a Star KO, try doing so from the top platform; you'll be closer to the ceiling so it'll be a bit easier to KO that way. The ghost support platforms appear quite close to the side blastzones, so if you get a good hit on your opponent at a decent damage, you'll most likely get a KO.

For the soundtracks on this stage, there is: A bolded soundtrack means it must be unlocked.
 * Obstacle Course [There are actual variations of this song as the seasons change.]
 * Ending (Yoshi's Story)
 * Yoshi's Island
 * Wildlands
 * Flower Field

Well, that wraps up my take on Yoshi's Island! Hope you enjoyed it (along with Yoshi's New Island when it releases), and I'll see you next time, on Brawl Tactics!