First Strike: Difference between revisions

{{more images|Image for the earlier ''Mario & Luigi'' games}}

{{quote|You struck first!|Battle text|[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]}}

[[File:PM First Strike.png|thumb|250px|Mario [[hammer]]ing a [[Goomba]] for a First Strike in ''Paper Mario'']]

'''First Strike''', also known as a '''pre-emptive attack''', is a technique that appears in the ''[[Paper Mario (series)|Paper Mario]]'' and the ''[[Mario & Luigi (series)|Mario & Luigi]]'' titles of [[Genre#Role-playing|role-playing]] ''[[Super Mario (franchise)|Super Mario]]'' games.

In the ''Paper Mario'' series, First Strikes can be used by Mario to damage or possibly defeat enemies before he takes his first turn in battle. Bosses and mid-bosses (with a few exceptions), and some enemies like [[M. Bush]]es and [[Hurt Plant]]s cannot be harmed by usage of a First Strike. First Strikes can also be used against Mario; for example, if a [[Koopa Troopa]] successfully attacks Mario with its shell, Mario will get hit by the First Strike.

To perform a First Strike, [[Mario]] can simply [[Jump]] on the enemy, hit them with his [[Hammer]], or hit them with an attack from a [[partner]]. If Mario's First Strike is a Jump, it will fail against Spiny or Fire enemies and result in recoil damage on Mario, just as though he had used a Jump attack during the battle. Conversely, Hammers can make a First Strike against airborne enemies, as long as Mario was able to land the First Strike in the overworld - usually, a Hammer attack will miss against flying foes.

In ''[[Paper Mario]]'', [[Goompa]] first mentions this to Mario as they walk through [[Goomba Village (location)|Goomba Village]]. First Strikes in this game can be performed by Mario, or by his partners [[Kooper]] and [[Bombette]]. The text that Mario makes the First Strike is "You made the First Strike!", and the text when Mario is hit by a First Strike says "You're hit by the First Strike!". First Strikes from enemies can be avoided by dodging the attack or by equipping the [[Chill Out (badge)|Chill Out]] [[Badge]]. While the [[Dizzy Attack]] Badge is equipped, Mario can inflict [[Dizzy]] on the first enemy in a formation (but does not deal damage) by using his [[Spin Dash]] move to run into an enemy before a battle. Mario can instantly defeat any enemy that would reward one or more [[Star Points]] (which is considered to be "weak"), entirely skipping the battle without rewarding Star Points, with a First Strike by equipping the [[First Attack]] Badge. This property can be extended to Mario's spin dash by equipping the [[Spin Attack (Badge)|Spin Attack]] Badge, and even further extended to walking by equipping the [[Bump Attack]] Badge (which overwrites both First Attack and Spin Attack due to just requiring contact with the enemy in question). Mario can equip the [[Spike Shield]] Badge to be able to jump on spiky enemies such as [[Cleft]]s, or can equip either the [[Fire Shield]] or [[Ice Power]] Badges to jump on fire enemies like [[Lava Bubble]]s.

In ''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]'', [[Professor Frankly]] first mentions First Strikes to Mario after he and [[Goombella]] defeat the three [[Goomba]]s in the [[Rogueport Sewers]]. In battles, First Strikes now include [[Action Command]]s, doing more damage and possibly defeating weak enemies, such as Goombas and [[Dull Bones]], as well as allowing him to perform [[Stylish move]]s allowing Mario and his partners to gain [[Star Power]] before the battle fully begins. First Strikes can also be started by using [[Koops]] or [[Admiral Bobbery|Bobbery]] but they automatically succeed on a First Strike, removing the need to perform their respective action commands. Their Stylish moves are still able to be performed. [[Flurrie]] can be used to stun enemies before a battle, freezing them in place making them easier First Strike targets for a few moments, however she herself cannot give enemies a First Strike. The Chill Out, First Attack, and Bump Attack Badges are still available and function the same as in ''Paper Mario'', however First Attack and Bump Attack do not work inside of the [[Pit of 100 Trials (Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door)|Pit of 100 Trials]]. With the removal of the Spin Dash, the Dizzy Attack and Spin Attack Badges were removed. The Fire Shield Badge was also removed, being merged fully into Ice Power. During the first fight in the [[Glitz Pit]], a scripted, unavoidable enemy First Strike occurs when a member of the [[Goomba Bros.]] [[headbonk]]s Mario before [[Grubba]] has the chance to officially start the fight.

Due to the absence of the RPG-styled battling system throughout the majority of the game, First Strikes are absent from ''[[Super Paper Mario]]''.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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|Ita=Iniziativa <small>(''Paper Mario'' series)</small><br>Attacco prioritario <small>(''Mario & Luigi'' series)</small>

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[[Category:Game mechanics]]

[[Category:Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story moves]]

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