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Moves List

By name

Also look at the listing by game
Did I forget any moves? Make any mistakes? Let me know

Just when you thought we had listed everything, we go and make a move list. Mario has had a huge ammonut of moves over the years, and this is an atempt to chroncile them. Currently all moves from SMB1-3, SML1-2, SMW, YI, SM64, and YS are up. I may add moves from minor games later. Enjoy!

Current Move Count: 32

Jump to: B|C|D|E|F|G|J|K|L|P|S|T|W

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Name: Games Mario could do this move in

Description: What the move does

How to do it: The buttons needed to perform the move on various systems

Usefulness rating: Out of 5, with explanation

Further Info.: Interesting facts

Related moves: Other moves to look into

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B

Backflip: SM64

N64: Hold down Z button + A button

Mario jumps high and backwards.

Can get Mario to higher platforms. Good for finding shortcuts.

Mario flips three times in mid-air, and is frozen for a split second after he lands.

Bounce Jump: SMB3, SMW, YI, SM64

NES/N64: Hold down A button after jumping on an enemy
SNES: Hold down B button after jumping on an enemy

mario bounces off the enemies back, higher than usual.

Good for chaining jumps together and for getting more air time.

Can be used to get more points or 1-ups if you jump on enough enemies without landing.

Bowser Spin: SM64

N64: Hold B button + rotate analog stick

Mario spins Bowser around in a circle, then throws him

Needed to kill Bowser, but only works on Bowser.

Let go of B button to throw Bowser. Analog rotation speed affects throw distance.

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C

Cape Spin: SMW

Mario spins in place, hitting surounding enemies and objects with his cape.

Good for getting ground ?-blocks or plowing through enemies.

Cape needed to perform attack

Climb: SMB2, SMW, SM64

NES/SNES: Up while next to a vine/pole/ladder

Mario climbs upward

Needed to get to some bonus areas

Automatic when you touch a vine in SMB. In SMW, you can kick a shell upward, and catch it as you climb.

Crawl: SM64

N64: Hold down Z button + analog stick

Mario crawls slowly on his hands and knees

Almost never useful

Mario can crawl in small passageways that he can't walk through

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D

Dash: SMB1-3, SMW, YI, SM64, SML1-2

NES/GB: B button Left or Right
SNES: Y button + Left or Right
N64: Analog stick (Full strength)

Mario runs fast

Useful for getting out of danger or beating time limit.

Y Button not needed in YI. About twice as fast as walking. Luigi's is harder to stop in SMB2(j). You can dash over 1-block wide gaps without jumping.

Also see: Dash Jump

Dash Jump: SMB1-3, SMW, YI, SM64, SML1-2

NES: B + Left or Right + A
SNES: Y + Left or Right + B
N64: Analog Stick (Full strength) + A

Used to cross pits, jump on enemies, get ?-blocks, etc.

Height varies with speed

Also see: Dash, Jump, Spin Jump

NES: Hit B button while standing on dirt.

Mario digs down the dirt.

Necessary to progress. Useful for getting around Phanto

Toad is faster than Mario, who is faster than Luigi and Peach.

Duck: SMB1-3, SMW, YI, SM64, SML1-2

NES/SNES/GB: Down
N64: Z button

Mario squats down to half his Super size

Good for avoiding Bullet Bills, etc.

Need to be "big" to use it in games before SMW and SML1-2. Use after Dash to slide under low passages.

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E

Egg Shoot: YI, YS

SNES: A button to aim, then Y button to shoot
N64: Hold down B button, aim, release to shoot

Yoshi throws an egg in the specified direction. Must have eggs to perform.

Kills enemies and reveals secret areas, etc.

In YI, eggs bounce off walls. In YS, eggs explode in fireworks.

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F

Fireball/Superball shoot: SMB1-3, SMW, SML, SML2

NES/GB: B button
SNES: Y button

Mario shoots a bouncing fireball from his hand. In SML, he shoots a superball.

Very good attack, puts you in minimal danger. Good against Spinies

Enemies like Buzzy Beetle are immune to it. In SMW, enemies turn to coins when hit with it. Fire Flower required

Also see: Spin Jump

Float: SMB3, SMW, SML2

NES/GB: B button repeatedly in air
SNES: Hold down Y button in air

Mario floats down gently instead of falling

Helps you avoid pits or enemies, or string together jumps.

Raccoon Leaf, P-wing, Tanooki Suit needed to perform in SMB3, Feather needed in SMW, Carrot needed in SML2.

Flutter Jump: YI, YS

SNES: hold down B button
N64: hold down A button

Yoshi kicks his legs back and forth to get extra height and distanece from a jump

Make's jumps much longer if chained together. Very fun to do.

In YS, holding Up makes you float much higher.

Fly: SMB3, SMW

NES: Dash + A button repeatedly
SNES: Dash + B button

Mario flies high in the air

Let's Mario reach hidden areas or get over tricky parts. Plus it's just COOL!

Raccoon Leaf, P-wing, or Tanooki Suit needed to perform in SMB3, Feather needed in SMW. Can be extended uing Left and Right in SMW

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G

Ground Pound: YI, YS, SM64

SNES/YS: Down while in the air
N64: Z button while in air

Yoshi falls towards the groundat super speed, butt first

Good for pounding down posts and pinpointing tough jumps

Yoshi spins a few time in mid-air before pounding the ground.

Also see: Spin Jump

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J

Jump: SMB1-3, SMW, YI, SM64, SML1-2

NES/N64/GB: A button
SNES: B button

Mario jumps straight up

Can be used to kill enemies without spiked tops or to break blocks.

Jump gets much higher in games after SMB. One of the only moves in EVERY major Mario game. Hit Up as you do it to jump out of water.

Also see: Walking Jump, Running Jump, Spin Jump

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K

Kick: SMB1-3, SMW, SM64

NES/SNES: Left or Right (Walk into a shell)
N64: B + B + B button or Z button + B button

Mario kicks whatever's in his hands or in his path (usually a shell). In SM64, Mario can kick in mid-air.

Good for clearing a path in front of you. Watch for the bounce back.

Hit enough enemies with one shell to get a 1-up. In SM64, can be used on any enemy. In SMW, hold up to kick the item upward.

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L

Lick: SMW, YI, YS

SNES: Y button
N64: Y button

Yoshi sticks out his toungue and licks up whatever he can reach

Gets rid of enemies, goes through walls, and can give Yoshi power ups.

In SMW, swallowing shells lets Yoshi fly (blue shell, B button), spit fire (red shell, Y button), or make earthquakes (Yellow shell, jump). In YI, Yoshi can either spit enemy (Y button), or swallow to make an egg (Down button). In SMW and YS, Yoshi automatically swallows all but shells. In YI and YS, lick can go in many directions.

Lift/Pick Up: SMB2-3, SMW, YI, SM64, SML2

NES/GB: Hold down B button while next to a shell, P-switch, key, etc.
SNES: Hold down Y while next to a shell, P-switch, key, etc.
N64: Hit B to punch while next to the object

Mario picks up the object. From here he can throw or kick it.

Useful for carrying items or weapons. Very important in SMB2

In SMB2, slows down all characters but Toad.

Also see: Throw, Kick

Long Jump: SM64

N64: Run, tap Z button then A button

Mario does a long, running jump.

Needed to cross long chasms... and fun.

Continuous long jumps are faster than running.

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P

Punch: SMW, SM64

SNES: Y button
N64: B button

Mario does a straight jab at the enemy

Most of the time it's less dangerous to jump on the enemy.

Can only be performed on fences in SMW.

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S

Slide: SMB3, SMW, SM64

NES/SNES:Down while on a hill
N64: Run, then B button

Mario slides down a hill killing all in his path

Good for clearing many enemies and just plain fun

If there's a ramp at the end of the hill, Mario will do a flying jump.

Spin Jump: SMW, SML2

SNES: A button
GB: Down + A button

Mario does a small jump while spinning

Kills turtles and other enemies outright, and breaks blocks.

Mario shoots fireballs in mid-jump if he has the fire flower.

Somersault Jump: SM64

N64: A button three times while running, or turn around quickly + A button

Mario Does a high jump, flippnig in mid-air

Gets you to higher platforms and fun to do.

Mario has to be running to do the third jump in A + A + A.

Spit: SMW, YI

Yoshi spits out whatever is in his mouth

Usually I'd rather havean egg. Good with turtle shells

Yoshi can spit enemies, shells, items, seeds, fire, and ice. In SMW, hold Down to lay contents gently on ground. In YI, hold Up to spit enemy higher.

Statue/Statue Smash: SMB3

NES: Down + B button (in air for smash)

Mario turns into a statue, smashing enemies below him and being unoticed by those walknig by.

Marginally useful, as an attack and enemy avoidance

Tanooki Suit necessary.

Super Jump: SMB2

NES: Down for 3 seconds + A

Mario jumps very high

Necessary for getting to some high places.

Can be used to make unintended shortcuts

Also see: Jump, Dash Jump

Swim: SMB1, SMB3, SMW, SM64

NES/N64: A button
SNES: B button

Mario flaps his arm and floats upward. In SM64, floats forward

Needed to move through water. Much faster than underwater walking

Two speeds in SM64 (Hold down A for slow speed). Frog suit (SMB3) lets you swim in any direction much faster. Use Left and Right to affect direction.

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T

Tail Attack: SMB3

Mario spins around 360 degrees, attacking with his tail.

Not very good for attacking, but needed to get many ground ?-blocks

Raccoon Leaf, P-wing, or Tanooki Suit needed to perform attack.

Also see: Cape Spin

Throw: SMB2

NES: Hit B button when holding an item.

Mario throws whatever item he's holding. It goes farther if he's running with it.

Your main means of killing enemies.

Replaced with Kick in subsequent games.

Also see: Kick, Lift

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W

Walk: DK, MB, SMB1-3, SMW, YI, SM64, SML1-2

NES/GB: Left or Right
SNES: Left or Right
N64: Analog stick (1/2 strength)

Mario walks. Yawn!

Only useful if run button is broken, or if you don't wanna wake up a pirhana in SM64.

In games after SMB3, speed is affected by slope of ground. One of the only moves in EVERY major Mario game.

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