The 'Shroom:Issue LXXX/Brawl Tactics

Brawl Tactics by

Hello Brawlers, welcome back to Brawl Tactics once again with me, Timmy! My third article being written here and I am rather surprised I have earned Section of the Month for Brawl Tactics the second time in a row now! Thanks for all the support, you guys!!

So my first article I covered a general tactic (which was on getting a KO). My second article I covered a character (on the lovely Princess Peach). This time, I'll cover a stage! Here, we're going to the beautiful town on Isle Delfino; Delfino Plaza! This is actually my favorite stage in the game!

Delfino Plaza is a stage that comes from Super Mario Sunshine for the Nintendo Gamecube from 2002. In this stage, most of your brawling takes place on a moving platform with a few more platforms (the small platforms change layout each time). All of these platforms can be passed through from below, but you cannot fall or duck through the main platform. The platform randomly goes to one of nine locations for a short while, then it'll return and move to the next location. This cycle repeats indefinitely!

The 9 locations are:


 * 1) The walkway at the front of the main courtyard. There is water on both sides here for players to swim in, and the Pianta Statue as well as the F.L.U.D.D. boxes by the small fountain are not there either.
 * 2) The small, dune-shaped island to the east of a plaza. A warp pipe and a palm tree are in the background here. There is water on both sides of this island.
 * 3) The three grass-covered stones near the shoreline by the Gelato Beach entrance. There is water here as well.
 * 4) The second, slightly larger island on the far western area of the main plaza. Just like the other island, there is water on both sides.
 * 5) Near the cannon to Pinna Park, a shallow veranda sits in between, which characters can walk around in, and on the left there is water to swim in.
 * 6) The roofs of the buildings in front of the Shine Gate. However, be wary of the walk-off on the left and that the edge of the right house cannot be grabbed.
 * 7) To the left of the Shine Gate, there are parasols. On the left there is shallow water that players can walk in and there is a wall as well. To the right, there is a walk-off.
 * 8) The area in front of the dolphin fountain with a staircase on both sides, where the entrance to Noki Bay is.
 * 9) Finally, there is an area where players can Brawl on top of the Shine Gate, near the entrance to Corona Mountain.

This stage overall is not very disruptive, however, the walk-offs in some locations can cause easy KOs, and the walls on the Shine Gate as well as the wall in area with the parasols can lead to being trapped by your opponent which can make you take a lot of damage. However, it is a perfectly viable stage; almost every Brawl tourney allows this stage! If you want a fresh stage choice with a small gimmick, yet you want to keep it simple and not be too bothered with stage hazards, this is a great one! There's also nothing to worry about in the water here; Pirate_Ship has those bombs and the front of the ship that can kill you easily if you aren't careful; Summit has that annoying fish that will eat you if you stay in water for too long; the water in Jungle_Japes carries you away to being KO'd, and you cannot swim in the water in Hanenbow. Just make sure you don't drown yourself and get out once the platform starts to leave for the next area.

This stage is very beneficial to those with lackluster recoveries, such as Link, Ganondorf, or the Starfox characters. Since you can go through the moving platform from below, you can be a bit more flexible with your recovery, and if you barely miss going through the main platform, try moving a bit to either the left or right edge to try to grab it. Falling to your death here is rare since there are walls, water and walk-offs. You can only fall in this stage on the moving platform, the right side of the rooftops, or on the Shine Gate. Some characters really appreciate the water, as it makes recovery a non-issue for them (like Ness and Lucas) and can be beneficial if you need a quick moment of breathing space from your opponent. Also, since this is a moving stage, some characters can air stall long enough to avoid falling to their death. For example, if Peach was falling but her double jump and Parasol would not reach the edge of the platform, she could double jump, float, and then use her Parasol in hopes of the stage moving to the next location before she actually falls and land safely once the stage reaches the next destination.
 * However, you become a vulnerable target in the water; characters like Ness, Ike or DK can try to meteor smash you with no risk and possibly get a KO, or you may get hit by a powerful falling attack such as Kirby's Stone, Jigglypuff's Rest or Bowser's Bowser Bomb, and they won't suffer from the landing lag of their attacks. The water offers more options to both you and your opponent, so make sure you know what you're doing in the water! Be sure you don't drown yourself either; the more damage you take, the less time you can spend in there. If you see your character panicking in the water, it's a signal to get out. Yes, even Squirtle can drown (for some reason) in this game, haha.
 * A trick that I like to do if I'm on the ledge of the main platform and trying to get back up is to let go of the ledge, double jump and do an aerial through the platform to try to hit my opponent, then use my recovery if necessary. It can surprise your opponent and get you some free damage or even just get you the KO that you need!

With items here, you want to make sure that you keep them in the center so that they aren't gone if the moving platform comes, because it will leave behind any items not on it. Also make sure that your items don't go into water or they aren't thrown out of bounds past the walk-offs, otherwise they'll be lost! With Final Smashes you need to be a bit more careful with where you them; if you use them in mid-air while the main platform moves, you will keep falling, so try to avoid using them over the pitfalls for the duration of the moving platform unless you are sure that you can recover afterwards. If you're in 1 of the 9 locations, be sure to account for where the moving platform would pick you up; you don't want it leaving you behind and dying because of it!

The stage blastzones can vary from location to location; in some places it's easy to get a kill, others times it can be difficult. Some areas have walk-offs where you can be thrown to your death with ease and can lead to cheap KOs. Other times, just when you think you've got the KO (from hitting your opponent upwards), just as you get the hit, the moving platform comes which significantly raises the ceiling just as it comes. Overall though, you get KOs at a relatively high percent from the center of just about any location.

The city's size in Brawl has been decreased; it was proved by comparing with characters in Brawl and in Super Mario Sunshine. Oddly, this is considered as a busy plaza, yet not a single Pianta (or any other resident of this town) is found in this stage.

For soundtracks on this stage, there is: A bolded soundtrack means it must be unlocked.
 * Delfino Plaza (Original Soundtrack)
 * Title/Ending of Super Mario World
 * Main Theme of New Super Mario Bros.
 * Ricco Harbor (Original Soundtrack)
 * Main Theme of Super Mario 64 (Original Soundtrack)

Well, with my take on the gorgeous, shining Delfino Plaza, I hope you guys enjoyed this section on Brawl Tactics! See you guys next time on Brawl Tactics!