First Strike

The First Strike is a technique used in Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, and the Mario & Luigi titles. In Paper Mario, Goompa first mentions this to Mario as they walk through Goomba Village. To do a First Strike, Mario can simply jump on the enemy or hit it with his Hammer, depending on whether or not the enemy has spikes. The First Strike helps Mario in battle, as it allows him to damage or drain all HP from an enemy before taking a turn.

The First Strike can also be used against Mario by enemies. For example, if a Koopa Troopa successfully attacks Mario with its shell, Mario will get hit by the First Strike and take damage. First Strikes from enemies can be avoided by dodging the attack or by using the Chill Out Badge.

In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Mario will do a First Strike with an Action Command, doing more damage and possibly defeating weak enemies, such as Goombas and Dull Bones.

The appearance in the Mario & Luigi titles is similar to Paper Mario's. However, in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, the First Strike with a hammer works differently. When Mario or Luigi hammer an enemy on the overworld, all enemies in the battle will become dizzy. In Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, a First Strike with a hammer will instead damage all enemies.

Trivia

 * The only enemies that cannot be harmed by first strikes are bosses, mid-bosses (Such as Kent C. Koopa), M. Bushes, and Hurt Plants.