Part 6

Learn about Birdo and Monty Mole's strengths and weaknesses in Mario Strikers: Battle League, plus how WiFi multiplayer works.

Birdo

Birdo's strengths lie in shooting and curling the ball. If there's nobody standing in front of you, let off an Extreme Egg. What to look out for: Extreme Egg. If you are at a distance where you cannot tackle her in time, just stand a few metres in front of her to block the egg OR stand in front of the goalie. Rating: 7/10. Birdo can be a great asset for your team, but she's unreliable and never seems to be where you want her to be.

Monty Mole

Monty Mole is a great Power character. His Skillshot is FANTASTIC when you can get the right distance away from Kritter and his tackling is legendary. Deke: Dig (Monty goes underground and pops up again, hurting anyone in the area). Skillshot: Dirt Drill (Monty goes underground and pops up again nearer the net, knocking the ball off of his head). Tactics: A Monty Mole can be teamed up with Jr. as a shooting combo. Dirt Drill is best used at around halfway between the edge of the pitch and the halfway line. You will knock Kritter back before you knock the ball off your head. What to look out for: The deke is pretty slow and easy to counter, but you have to be careful not to be hit by Monty's return shot. Rating: 8.5/10. Monty can be a priceless member of your team once you really get him, but since it's really hard to actually play as him at the beginning you may want to try using him once you understand the game more. Dirt Drill is a great starting move.

WiFi

Mario Strikers: Battle League supports WiFi, taking multiplayer into a whole new level. You need a router that supports Nintendo WFC (Wireless Fidelity) to play. The WiFi setup on the Wii is easier than on the DS and offers a better graphical experience.

Getting Started with WiFi

When you first log in to WiFi, there will be 4 options:

• Friendly - A match against one of your registered friends.
• Friend Roster - A list of all your registered friends.
• Ranked - A random match against someone, possibly just in Britain.
• Leaderboard - Check the daily rankings, showing wins and losses for you, your registered friends, and people closest to you in ranking.

Ranked is often the most popular choice due to the variety of match difficulty and because many people don't have Wii friend codes. Your overall rank is determined by your points, which are calculated based on wins, losses, and goals scored. Winning a match gives you 10 points plus points for goals scored (maximum 10). Losing a match gives you 1 point plus points for goals scored. For example, Dave has 20 wins, 3 losses, and 250 points. Jack has 4 wins and 134 losses but scored many goals, resulting in 378 points. Jack's rank would be higher than Dave's.

Connection Quality

Connection quality is rated with stars:

• * - Lowest connection. Gameplay is slow and choppy. Often rejected.
• ** - Slightly better connection. Gameplay is still slow but enjoyable. Megastrikes often go funny. Usually accepted.
• *** - Pretty good connection. Enjoyable gameplay without much catching up. Megastrikes usually work, but sometimes button presses are not registered, leading to free goals for the opposition. Avoid letting them get Megastrikes! Always accepted unless you have to leave.
• **** - Best connection. Gameplay is almost the same as playing a computer. Always accepted.

Striker Challenges

This is a 1-player mode where you analyze teams and complete challenges.

1. TILL SUDDEN DEATH DO US PART! (Mario)
   Skill Level: Novice
   Team: Mario, Toad, Boo, Monty Mole
   Rating: 7.5/10
   Aim: Beat DK in a sudden death match. This is very easy since DK is on a very low level and you have Monty Mole. The team lacks balance, and scoring without Monty Mole is difficult unless you get lucky with Toad and Boo's dekes or a Megastrike. DK's team is made up of Birdo, Hammer Bro, and Toad, but DK's low level makes it barely worth mentioning.
2. SIBLING RIVALRY! (Luigi)
   Skill Level: Novice
   Team: Luigi, Koopa, Koopa
   Rating: N/A
   This is a very easy challenge.