A button: Pass ball, switch control of players when not in possession of the ball. During a mega strike, use A to block the ball. B button: Charge/Shoot ball. When the Mega Strike meter is activated, the B button also controls your selection (more on mega strikes later). Analog stick: Move, point in the direction you want to go Z Button: Chip ball ahead Z+A: Air pass Z+B: Lob shot C button: Use items Shake remote: hit/tackle players D-Pad: On offence, use a deke to throw defenders off, on defence, use for slide tackle/steal.
Balanced: These characters are average in all aspects of the game which include shooting, passing, defence, and movement (speed). Balanced captains: Mario, Luigi, Yoshi. Balanced sidekicks: Shy Guy, Koopa Troopa. Power: Players with excellent shooting and defensive skills, but lack in terms of speed and passing. Power captains: Bowser, DK, Petey. Power sidekicks: Birdo, Monty Mole. Offensive: Offensive characters are great shooters and passers, but are slow and lacking on defence. Offensive Captains: Wario, Bowser Jr. Offensive Sidekicks: Hammer Bro. Defensive: Players who are quick and play great defence, but are poor on offence and can’t do much when the have the ball. Defensive Captains: Waluigi, Daisy. Defensive Sidekicks: Dry Bones. Playmakers: Players who can pass well and are quick. They are good for setting up goals but don’t shoot or play defence well. Playmaker Captains: Peach, Diddy Kong. Playmaker Sidekicks: Boo, Toad.
You start out on the relatively easy Fire Cup, being one of four teams. Play each team twice, and the top two teams compete in an elimination game. The winner plays the Fire Cup Champion in a 3-game series. The champion is Bowser Jr, and if you win you unlock him as a playable character. You can then move forward to the Crystal Cup. The difficulty level is increased and there are now six teams. Play each team twice, top four teams advance. A two-round playoff system determines who plays the Champion (Diddy Kong) in a 3 game series. If you win, you unlock Diddy Kong and move on to the Striker Cup. The Striker Cup is tough and there are ten teams fighting for the trophy. Play each once; the best eight advance to playoffs. The winner in the playoffs faces the games final boss, Petey, in a series for the Cup. If you win, you have beaten the game and unlock Petey.
If you get the meter to stop (by pressing B) in the grey, the shots will be fired slowly, giving the goalie a better chance of blocking them. Landing in the green results in a medium-speed mega strike, and orange is very fast. Be careful when trying to select a high number of shots; the longer the meter goes, the more time your opponent has to stop you by stealing the ball. If you go too far, the meter will give you a default minimum three shots.
Besides just pressing B, you can also charge the ball by passing it to teammates and chipping it ahead with Z.
