Given the huge amount of power-ups in the Mario franchise, it's perhaps a little surprising that there are only six items available in Mario Strikers: Battle League at launch. Some of them are incredibly useful, but one or two only really get a chance to shine under very specific circumstances.
The fact that players are unable to switch between items in Mario Strikers: Battle League is also quite annoying, as it further impacts when an item can be used. With a little bit of practice, however, players should eventually figure out how to get the best out of their items, which can be found ranked below from worst to first.
6 Bob-omb
Though the Bob-omb certainly has its uses, the size of the blast that this walking explosive emits upon detination can be incredibly problematic. When used from a distance it's not too bad, but using them at close range is almost guaranteed to lead to the user also being incapacitated.
Another issue with the Bob-omb is that it's a little slower than either of the shells, meaning that opponents who are a little further away from the player will likely have moved by the time it explodes. It's okay at kick-off, but, during open play, the Bob-omb is incredibly difficult to use safely.
5 Red Shell
Despite usually being the better of the two commonly-found shells in Mario Kart games, the Red Shell in Mario Strikers: Battle League ends up being a bit of a letdown. Much like in other Mario games, it's designed to target the nearest enemy, though it can also take out any teammates unfortunate enough to get in the way.
That the Red Shell doesn't disappear immediately after impact only compounds this problem, as it can be very difficult to predict which of the opposing team it will target next after hitting its first victim. Opposition players can move around an awful lot in the time that it takes for the shell to reach them, which can greatly increase the chances of friendly fire.
4 Mushroom
Just as it does in the Mario Kart series, the Mushroom grants its user a sudden burst of pace. This can be very useful for chasing down the opposition in the event that they're through on goal or breaking away from the opposing defense to secure a goalscoring opportunity of one's own.
The biggest weakness of the Mushroom is that it is tied to a single player, meaning that once it is activated, players can't really pass the ball to a teammate without losing the benefits of the power-up. This isn't such a big deal when playing with other human players, but, in single-player, it effectively discourages the use of combos.
3 Star
As well as making the user invincible for a short amount of time, the Star also boosts all of their attributes, allowing players to run faster and shoot harder than ever before. On paper, this makes it one of the best items in Mario Strikers: Battle League. In practice, however, things are not quite so simple.
The short duration of the Star makes timing incredibly important, but that's far from the power-up's biggest flaw. The biggest problem with Star is its rarity, with the iconic item appearing so seldomly that players can go through entire Battle Cup tournaments without ever seeing one drop.
2 Banana Peel
In the Mario Kart series, the Banana Peel is widely regarded as being the very worst item available. It can be very difficult to place effectively and could potentially take out the user on their next lap of the course if they're not careful. One might expect that the chances of self-sabotage would be considerably higher in a team game like soccer, but the Banana Peel can actually be incredibly effective when used correctly.
If thrown around randomly, players can expect their computer AI teammates to run into Banana Peels from time to time, but there's really no need to use them like that. Instead, players should save them for the opposition's kick-off, where they'll be able to steal the ball back instantly by hurling their Banana Peel at the opposition player the moment play resumes.
1 Green Shell
The Green Shell is yet another item that has the potential to cause damage to oneself or one's own team. Like the Banana Peel, though, it can be incredibly deadly to the opposition team if used the right way. Better still, unlike the Green Shells found in Mario Kart games, the ones in Mario Strikers: Battle League can hit multiple targets.
When used immediately after the other team's kick-off, players can easily take out two of the opposing players with a single Green Shell. Likewise, players can use the Green Shell to clear a path out of their own half or prevent a quick breakaway after handing the ball back to the other team.
Mario Strikers: Battle League is available now for the Nintendo Switch.
