Every character in Mario Strikers: Battle League has an incredibly flashy and devastating Hyper Strike, but which one is the best?
Mario Strikers: Battle League sees Mario and his usual cast of friends and rivals take the field once more to battle it out in a friendly game of football. While the matches played are affable, everyone involved still competes with the competitive spirit they always have when Mario decides to play a random sport with his pals.
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Intense tackles, checks, and shots still make an appearance in Battle League, but all ten characters now have Hyper Strikes unique to them that offers a devastating and stylish twist on their shot attempt. Though every Hyper Strike is remarkable in its own right, some clearly stand above the rest.
While entertaining, Wario's Hyper Strike is one of the worst in the game for several reasons. First, he rolls the ball a few feet in front of himself, then jumps high into the air before crash-landing onto it with a powerful butt-slam that launches the ball, which is where the second issue comes into play.
Despite launching the ball with tremendous force, it will violently ricochet off the arena walls, players, and anything else in its path seemingly at random, making it difficult to rely on in crucial moments. You will have to be perfect with the Hyper Strike Meter Mini-Game for this to be of any use to you, which is why we confidently have it in dead last.
If we were going off pure football skill and style points, then Toad would definitely be in the top three due to him getting tossed into the air by a group of other Toads before striking the ball with a devastating headbutt. Unfortunately, this Hyper Strike isn't particularly great or reliable aside from sending the ball burrowing underground towards the goalie.
Toad's low Technique Stat makes landing his Drill Smash more challenging than it should be, and being able to see the ball's trajectory underground allows the opposing team ample time to get out of its way and avoid its main selling point, the ability to stun opponents. Toad's Hyper Strike had great potential, but his skill to use it properly holds it back significantly.
In contrast to Wario and Toad's Hyper Strike, Bowser's is actually quite good in many ways, making it tough to rank amongst the others due to how challenging it is to use and perfectly nail its meter. As for the Hyper Strike itself, Bowser commits a football crime, picks the ball up, and proceeds to set it ablaze with his flame-breathe before hurtling it at the goalie.
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What makes Bowser's Hyper Strike particularly excellent is that even if you don't make the goal, the flame-engulfed ball will set anyone it makes contact with on fire and make them fan out, creating a significant gap in the field. So, even missed shots will allow you to follow up with an uncontested one, making it an overly practical move in most situations.
Yoshi suffers from the same fate as the previously listed characters but handles things better overall, making him rise above them convincingly. His low Technique Stat makes landing the Egg Stomp Hyper Strike incredibly difficult, but, unlike the others, it has a chance to redeem itself even if you whiff the Meter Mini-Game.
As expected, Yoshi eats the ball and pops it out as a large egg before swiftly launching it into the air and sending it violently back to the ground with a punishing butt-stomp. The impact of the egg hitting the ground causes it to bounce several times, hitting and stunning any enemies in the area before heading towards the goalie. Though your opponent can predict the egg's pathing, if it hit any of them, it could spell trouble for the goalie as the egg would get the extra push it needs to bounce into the goal, making it amongst the best low-tier Hyper Strikes available.
Closing out the bottom-five characters in the roster is Donkey Kong, who offers the strongest Hyper Strike listed so far with his mighty Banana Blast. Donkey Kong's Banana Blast has him toss the ball into the air before following through with a volleyball-esque spike, sending it towards the goalie in a banana-shaped arc.
Furthermore, if the ball hits an opposing player as it makes its way to the goal, it will launch them towards the arena's walls, temporarily impairing their movement. This Hyper Strike acts similarly to Bowser's, except the banana-shaped arc gives it the extra "oomph" needed to make it shine bright, even if Donkey Kong has a low Technique Stat like the others.
Ushering in the top five Hyper Strikes is Luigi and his devastating Spin Tornado. This move has Luigi perform a spinning kick to the ball with tremendous momentum behind it, causing the ball to spin into a twister and fiercely make its way towards the goalie.
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Due to Luigi having the highest Technique Stat in the game (without including gear), consistently landing a perfect Spin Tornado Hyper Strike shouldn't be too hard, but it does have one significant downside. The Spin Tornado approaches the goalie at a plodding pace, making it relatively easy for enemies to avoid, placing it at the bottom of the top five as a result.
Staying one step ahead of his brother at all times, Mario is next up with his Fire Cyclone Hyper Strike, which is undoubtedly one of the best in the game. The Fire Cyclone starts with Mario leaping high into the air before nailing the ball with a fiery bicycle kick, sending the ball in a blazing corkscrew motion towards the goalie at a blinding pace.
Though one point less than Luigi, Mario has one of the highest Technique Stats in the game, and the Fire Cyclone's speed makes it soar past Luigi's Spin Tornado in the blink of an eye, making it the better move by a long shot. Its speed will force your opponent to fan out or get caught in the fiery aftermath, allowing you to regain possession of the ball and take an uncontested shot if the Fire Cyclone somehow misses its mark.
It's not often Waluigi bests Mario and Luigi, yet here we are, witnessing the impossible in Mario Strikers: Battle League. While Waluigi's Technique is lower than the Mario Bros', it's still amongst the highest in the game, making his Thorn Barrier a potent Hyper Strike that's hard to deal with as the opposing team.
Waluigi's Hyper Strike has him shoot the ball in a zig-zag pattern towards the goal, leaving a trail of thorns in its place. The thorns will ensnare anyone who comes into contact with them, even the goalie, making it impossible for them to contest subsequent shots temporarily. The Thorn Barrier's potential to bind all opposing players, including the goalie, and Waluigi's high Technique, make this a top-tier Hyper Strike without any questions.
Peach isn't messing around when it comes to Battle League and backs it up with one of the best Hyper Strikes in the game, Dance of Hearts. Dance of Hearts is similar to Waluigi's Thorn Barrier in several ways, but Peach's higher Technique and ability to Charm the opponent puts it slightly above.
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This Hyper Strike has Peach kick the ball in such a way that it travels towards the goalie in a heart-shaped pattern, Charming anyone caught up in the loving chaos. When an opponent gets Charmed, they lose the ability to move on their own, making them walk in every direction that isn't towards the ball. However, the cherry on top is that if the goalie is Charmed by Dance of Hearts, he will toss the ball into the goal, giving Peach the score.
Not only is Rosalina's Hyper Strike the most ridiculous, but it's also one of the best utility specials in the game and out-performs every other one in the game as a result. The Orbital Burst has Rosalina punt the ball deep into space, having it circle an ice planet, turning it into a chunk of ice. The ice-covered ball then hurtles back down to the Mushroom Kingdom, where Rosalina meets it with one last devastating kick, sending it at the goalie with incredible force, leaving an ice trail in its path.
Rosalina's absurd Hyper Strike mixed with her high Technique make her Orbital Burst incredibly hard for anyone to deal with, which is why it's the best in the game. Furthermore, the ice trail left behind by the ball will freeze enemies in place, allowing you to follow up with an uncontested shot if Orbital Burst somehow fails to make it into the net.
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Seth Parmer is a freelance writer/editor in the games industry. He's done Wiki-Guides for IGN and is now a Staff Writer for TheGamer. In his spare time, he loves talking about games, music, and sports. His favorite games are the Soulsborne titles. You can follow him on Twitter @Parmersan!