How To Get Dr Mario In Melee

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Dr. Mario Guide

This is a guide to using Dr. Mario in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Dr. Mario's bread and butter combos, how to unlock, frame data, alt costumes and skins, as well as Dr. Mario's matchups, counters, and tier list placement can all be found here.

Dr. Mario

Game Series	Super Mario Bros.
Smash Bros. Debut	Super Smash Bros. Melee
Fighter Number	18
Unlock Order	62
Number of Jumps	2
Weight	98 Units (33/87)
Dash Speed	1.464 (78/87)
Air Speed	0.9238784 (76/87)
Fast Fall Speed	2.4 (57/87)
Special Attributes	Wall Jump

Dr. Mario in Smash Ultimate is a character who fights up close using his moves with high damage output and knockback. His quick and easy to hit aerial attacks (Nair, Bair, Uair) are good for dealing damage, while he can make use of his Down Special and very fast Smash Attacks / Up Special to take stocks.

While his Up B is very strong as a finisher, the vertical distance on it is significantly worse than that of regular Mario's, so you have to be extra careful not to get edgeguarded, or else he will have a tough time recovering. His poor mobility also makes it somewhat difficult for him to approach characters with superior range.

See Our Tier List Here!

Strengths	・Several powerful moves for taking stocks (Smash Attacks, Up B, F-air, Down B) ・Several moves that come out quick and deal decent damage (N-air, etc) ・Up B is good for breaking combos and edgeguarding
Weaknesses	・Poor mobility (very slow) ・Poor range on his attacks ・Poor recovery (Up B)


-2
-1
0
+1
+2

1. -2 = Disadvantage. -1 = Slight Disadvantage or Even. 0 = Even. +1 = Slight Advantage or Even. +2 = Advantage.
2. The matchup chart was based around both the opinions of professional players of each character, as well as our own experience through playing Dr. Mario.
3. Characters within each tier are unordered
4. Pokemon Trainer's individual Pokemon (Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard) as well as Echo fighters with no significant difference than their regular counterpart are not shown.
5. For other characters who are not shown here, we are still investigating the matchup.

Grounded Combos
Down Throw┳Up Smash ┣Up Tilt ┣Up Special ┣Down Special ┗Up Tilt
Dash Attack┳Up Air ┗Down Special (Only when opponent is on the ledge)
Aerial Combos
Neutral Air━Down Tilt━Up Special
Jump━Neutral Special━F-air(Down Special)

Down Throw Combos Explanation

This combo can work with a wide variety of percents. The down throw to down special combo can also be used as a killing combo.

Dash Attack Combos Explanation

This combo can be landed by starting it just after landing a dash attack. The dash attack to down special combo will only work when the opponent is on the ledge, but it is a kill so be sure to remember it.

Neutral Air━Down Tilt━Up Special

This combo can be used on opponents with lower percents. This attack will do around 32% damage, so try to incorporate it into your gameplay.

Jump━Neutral Special━F-air(Down Special)

A killer combo that can be used at various percents. You need to learn the timing of how to get next to your opponent the instant after you use your special for this combo to work. By learning this, your kill options will be increased.

Move	Frames
Up B	3 Frames
Neutral Air	6 Frames
Up Air	7 Frames
Up Smash	9 Frames
Back Air	9 Frames
Shield Grab	10 Frames

Dr. Mario has access to some great out of shield options, with his up B being one of the quickest out of shield moves in the game. It will be your go to oos punish, as it is quick enough to punish nearly any move that hits your shield without proper spacing. Dr. Mario can also use one of his aerials for a quick punish, depending on where the opponent is, or an up smash to hit opponents above him. His shield grab is 10 frames, which can lead into a combo starting with down throw.

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Jab 1 (A)	3.5	2
Jab 2	2.1	2
Jab 3	5.6	3

Dr. Mario's jab is extremely fast, making it a great move to use after landing, or as an up close get-off-me tool.

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Dash Attack (Dash ＋ A)	13.8	6
Dash Attack (Weak Hit)	8.4	10
Forward Tilt (← or → + A)	9.8	5
Up Tilt (↑ + A)	8.8	5
Down Tilt (↓ + A)	9.8	5
Down Tilt (sour spot)	7	5

Dr. Mario's dash attack slides forward, and will send an opponent upward so they can be comboed. Its long hitbox makes it good for catching opponents' landings.

Dr. Mario's forward tilt has good range, and very quick startup. It is another good get-off-me tool for opponents that you want to send away.

Dr. Mario's up tilt sends opponents upward, allowing for various combos into itself, up air, or back air. It is one of his main combo starters.

Dr. Mario's down tilt sends opponents upward, and is another quick combo starter. It can combo into down B at higher percents, which is one of Doc's main KO confirms.

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Forward Smash (Smash ← or → + A）	25.1	15
Forward Smash (sour spot）	20.7	15
Up Smash 1 (Smash ↑ + A)	19.7	9
Down Smash 1 (Smash ↓ + A)	14.1	5
Down Smash 2	16.9	14

Dr. Mario's forward smash has different damage and knockback depending on whether it hits from the base or the tip. When possible, try and hit opponents up close with it, since Dr. Mario's hand will send opponents further.

Dr. Mario's up smash comes out quick, has relatively short endlag, and gives him temporary intangibility on his head. It is great for punishing an opponent attempting to approach from the air.

Dr. Mario's down smash is his fastest smash attack, and kicks on both sides of him. The back hit is stronger than the first one, so if using it to KO, try and hit opponents while turned away from them. It can be used to catch rolls or edgeguard recovering opponents.

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Neutral Air (A + no direction while airborne)	7	3
Neutral Air (delayed hit)	11.2	11
Forward Air (Initial Hit)	14.1	16
Forward Air	21.1	17
Forward Air (Weak Hit)	12.7	21
Back Air (← or → Opposite of the direction you are facing + A while airborne)	16.9	6
Back Air (sour spot)	9.8	9
Up Air (↑ + A While Airborne)	12.2	4
Down Air (↓ + A While Airborne)	16.9	16

Dr. Mario's neutral air comes out extremely quick and has a lingering hitbox. It is great as a combo breaker and get-off-me tool. It is extremely safe on shield too (-4/-3), so it is good for shield pressure as well, and can also be used for ledgetrapping.

Dr. Mario's forward air deals great damage and knockback. It can be comboed into from a pill (neutral B), which is a useful KO confirm. It does not spike opponents.

Dr. Mario's back air has good range and quick startup, and since it is -5/-6 on shield, it is good for pressuring shields. It is a good KO option for Dr. Mario, so aim it at opponents at high percents.

Dr. Mario's up air comes out very quick, and sends an opponent upward, making it useful as a combo extender.

Dr. Mario's down air is a stomp, which can spike opponents, making it useful for edgeguarding or as an on-stage combo starter.

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Neutral Special (B)	7	17
Neutral Special (weaker hit after 2 bounces)	7	47
Side Special (← or → + B)	9.8	12
Up Special (↑ + B)	16.9
Up Special (sour spot)	8.4
Down Special (↓ + B)	2.2	10/14/18/22/26/30
Down Special (last hit)	4.2	40

Dr. Mario's neutral special sends a pill out, which bounces forward on the ground. Capsules are one of Dr. Mario's main approach tools, as they allow him to find an opening on his opponents, and can combo into other moves.

Dr. Mario's side special is used to reflect projectiles back at the sender. When used directly on an opponent, it will reverse the direction they face, so it is useful for edgeguarding, since it can send an opponent in the opposite direction.

Dr. Mario's up special is a powerful move that comes out extremely quick, making it a great out of shield option. It can be used to KO opponents, but it is rather lacking as a recovery, since it offers poor vertical movement.

Dr. Mario's down special is a powerful spinning attack with great knockback on the final hit, making it useful as a KO option, particularly when preceded by a down throw. Mashing the special button also allows Doc to travel upward slightly, so it can be used together with hs jump and before up special when offstage to recover.

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Pummel	1.8	1
Grab (Normal)	-	6
Dash Grab	-	9
Pivot Grab	-	10
Forward Throw (Hitbox) (← or → While Grabbing)	11.2	13
Back Throw (Hitbox) (← or → While Grabbing)	15.5	30
Up Throw (Hitbox) (↑ While Grabbing)	9,8	18
Down Throw (Hitbox) (↓ While Grabbing)	7	18

Dr. Mario's forward throw is mainly used for gaining stage control or putting an opponent offstage. It does not KO until very high percents, so it is usually better to go with another throw.

Dr. Mario's back throw is one of the strongest of its kind on the game. When standing near the ledge, it is great for KOing an opponent at 100%+.

At low percents, Dr. Mario's up throw can combo into his aerials like back air or up air.

Down Throw is Dr. Mario's go-to throw, since it can combo into a variety of his moves. Near the ledge, it can be comboed into down b for one of his most powerful KO confirms.

Attack Name	How to Use	Effect
Doctor Finale	Press B after obtaining the Smash Ball	Releases two massive capsules. Deals multi-hits to opponents and heavy knockback. Jumping before using it will allow the capsules to cover more area.

	Change
Neutral Air Attack	Extended launch distance for the high-damage window.
Up Air Attack	Increased attack power and maintained launch distance.
Down Air Attack	Increased attack speed.
Side Special	Increased the amount of time hit detection lasts.
Down Special	Increased the speed that super armor activates when using the move on the ground.

	Change
Final Smash	Increased power.

	Change
Side Tilt Attack	Increased power. Extended launch distance.
Down Tilt Attack	Increased the amount of time opponents will be in the damage animation. Shortened launch distance.
Neutral Air Attack	Increased the power of the attack in the high-damage range. Extended launch distance when hit in the high-damage range.
Down Air Attack	Increased the amount of time hit detection lasts.
Up Special	Extended launch distance when hit in the high-damage range.

	Change
Final Smash and FS Meter	At the start of the move, nearby opponents will be slowed more and slowed longer.
Neutral Special	Reduced the power against shields.

	Change
Down Aerial (↓+ A While Midair)	Meteor hitbox added in. Buff.

Unlocking Via Smash Mode
62nd fighter unlocked After unlocking Bower Jr. let 10 minutes pass OR play another battle in smash after soft-resetting OR return to the menu from World of Light
Unlocking via Classic Mode
Clear Classic Mode 7 times with Mario.
Unlocking via World of Light
Ribbon Road

There are 3 ways to unlock Dr. Mario. Completing any of these, then defeating Dr. Mario when they appear in the "a New Challenger Appears" screen will allow you to use them afterward.

How to Unlock Characters Fast

Dr. Mario Alternate Costumes Enlarge

Character Stats
Weights of All Characters	Run Speeds of All Characters
Air Speeds of All Characters	Fast Fall Speeds of All Characters