Need a character to cover Doc's weaknesses

[TheSteveEngine]

So, I main as Dr. Mario. If you're reading this thread, chances are that you main as him too.

The problem is that he's my only main, as in he's the only character I play as and win as consistently.

I'm trying to find another character to main as to cover the Doc's weaknesses so I don't get completely screwed on matchups. Has anyone found a good "secondary character" for the Doc? I've been considering the faster characters like Zero Suit Samus and Fox for quite some time, but I was wondering if anyone knows of a good character that covers Doc's weaknesses.

 

[Kisatamura]

You're probably correct, I usually sub faster characters like Wario or characters capable of making punishes from long range when Doc isn't cutting out for me.

My only problem with Wario is that he's just as short ranged as Doc and has a worse time landing a killing hit. But faster characters in general should be able to cover the mobility issues that Doc has.

 

[TTTTTsd]

Anyone with good mobility and maybe better range if you'd like, but the former is much more important. REMEMBER AND ALWAYS HOLD IT IN YOUR HEART that Doc is a niche-like character who needs a secondary that covers what he can't.

My top recommendations are, in no particular order:
- Luigi (decent mobility, damage racking like no other, incredible)
- Captain Falcon (great mobility, good damage, kill potential, strong)
- Wario (mobility out the wazoo, strong punish game, doesn't lose hard to much in this game TBH)
- Sheik (obvious reasons)
- Diddy (also obvious reasons)
- Fox (Good mobility, strong trap game, great damage + combos)

All of these characters fill at least one or more of Doc's weaknesses and are also much more viable, good panic buttons if Doc isn't working.

 

[KeeblerGuy]

I prefer Captain Falcon, Luigi, and Greninja.

 

[GSM_Dren]

Look for any character that can cover Doc's main weakness which is mobility and then secondly, range. For me, Yoshi does all of that and more - better mobility, range, and (maybe) projectile. Actually any of the top 10ish characters do that, but it's not any reason to drop Doc since you do win consistently with him. Find a character that fits your playstyle and is well-suited to combat Doc's shortcomings.

 

[FuzzyFighter]

I also main in Dr.Mario, but i also like to play as Robin, Fox, and Little Mac

 

[TheSteveEngine]

Captain Falcon and Fox seem to be popular choices, according to you guys. I'll consider giving Zero Suit and Yoshi a shot sometime too.

 

[Holla@ChaBoi390]

I main Mario and use Dr. Mario if I'm having trouble getting KOs and don't mind losing some mobility. I use Bowser too and while he doesn't seem like a good option with Dr./Mario it works out for me.

 

[KenMeister]

Captain Falcon, because he has a good, if not better, boxing game than Doc with his gentlemen, can combo for days with Uair, which has similar hitboxes like Doc's but combos better, has a decent bair for spacing (again, like Doc), and has good kill potential for someone of his speed, meaning he can keep the pressure on someone better than Doc should he get within midrange to scare people with either his aerials, solid movement or dash grab. Granted, he does it better than Doc, but similar to Falcon, Doc is pretty good when up close and personal on an opponent, especially against someone like Samus who can't shake either of them off. Because of attributes like those, it can be rather easy to switch between the two and not worry about your playstyle being messed up too much.

 

[BloodL10N]

I was wondering this same thing, I love Doc to death but I just keep coming up short with him, its like a struggle half the time and when its not a struggle it's a mollywhop. I was considering or even but honestly I feel dirty for even considering using another character, yet at this point its just hard to keep Doc when EVERYONE outranges him even does, I mean this is something from Melee so I don't know why I'm complaining. I just want Doc to be better than what he is, jeez at least give him Mario's cape, the tornado is his greatest tool but if you rely on it too much you get punished to the end of the world.

v___v I'm just broken hearted.

 

[TheSteveEngine]

I have considered Mario since he does have superior mobility compared to that of Dr. Mario. The problem is that they both share predictable recoveries and short range, so he probably isn't the best candidate.

Do any of you guys use Toon Link? He seems to have decent range with his sword and hookshot, and he's definitely one of the more mobile characters out there. I haven't looked into him too much yet, but I'm considering giving him a shot. What do you guys think?

 

[BloodL10N]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHfeWB6vN7Y this is a pretty good video from Jtails, I know some people don't like him but he gives some good ideas as far as characters go and what they're capable of. Jtails makes him look solid for sure. As far as covering Doc's weaknesses his Z-air is pretty good since I believe it auto-cancels on landing so you can literally Short-hop Z-air across the stage with little to no lag.

 

[Doctor_Mario]

I swap with Luigi or regular ol' Mario if I have trouble with my opponent.

I also use up my secondary and teritary list.

 

[Lysergic]

Interesting question because I've been pondering the same thing. I'm currently using Dr. Mario primarily but have issues choosing a backup. I've been thinking of using Diddy but unfortunately my skill with Diddy isn't near amazing so I typically go with Ness or Villager. I'm pretty good with both Ness and Villager (used to main Ness) but wanted to get an outside opinion. Do any you have recommendation from Ness or Villager as a better secondary choice? Or would it be worth the time to get better with Diddy to use as a secondary?

 

[TheSteveEngine]

After experimenting for a while, I've found Falcon to be effective due to his long melee attacks and hyper-offensive playstyle, in contrast to that of Dr. Mario's short-range defensive one.

I've read that Zero Suit Samus and R.O.B. are also nice because of their mobility and range (in R.O.B.'s case it's his recovery), so I'll have to try them out sometime too.

My main problem with Dr. Mario is how short his range is, and how he's bad at dealing with long-ranged ones such as Shulk and ZSS, so I don't think Luigi, Ness, Villager or Diddy will do for me.

It's a shame Marth's sword has been shortened so much in comparison to his Melee days, if he were still as good I would've picked him up as a secondary in 4 in a heartbeat.

 

[Lysergic]

I'm pretty sure Ness has good range but his play style isn't for everyone.

 

[TheSteveEngine]

I'm pretty sure Ness has good range but his play style isn't for everyone.

I wasn't referring to Ness's projectiles. His arms and legs are rather stubby, making his tilts/jabs not much better (in terms of range) than Mario's. I suppose he's worth a shot though. I'll try him later. (Maybe that'll be my chance to actually get good as him...)

 

[Lysergic]

That's true. If your looking for melee range alone then ZSS and Captain Falcon are probably your best choices. Ness is going to be a complete different play style than Dr. Mario too.

 

[Randy411]

Try Falco or Fox those speedsters can normally handle doc's counters.

 

[TheSteveEngine]

Try Falco or Fox those speedsters can normally handle doc's counters.

On that topic, I think we should discuss Doc's worst matchups, or his counters. I personally think his worst matchups are Zero Suit Samus and Shulk, both because of their ridiculous range. They don't allow Doc to go in and punish with hard hitting attacks. OOS attacks are nigh impossible against 'em.

 

[Doctor_Mario]

On that topic, I think we should discuss Doc's worst matchups, or his counters. I personally think his worst matchups are Zero Suit Samus and Shulk, both because of their ridiculous range. They don't allow Doc to go in and punish with hard hitting attacks. OOS attacks are nigh impossible against 'em.

Zero Suit Samus herself is kind of OP. Any character that can hit quickly with little to no ending lag is way better than a hard hitting slow character.

That being said, it is not impossible to kick her ass.

 

[Drexel]

I picked up Pikachu to compliment Dr. Mario. He has really awesome mobility and recovery and plus you can't deny those combos he has.

 

[Eight_SixtyFour]

Diddy because why not?
Sheik for the mobility, recovery and safety at the cost of killing power.
Captain Falcon for the mobility, range, power, and weight.
Luigi because why not? Though the range and poor mobility might be a turnoff.
Fox for the fast ground speed, fast attacks and deadly Up Smash.
ZSS for the mobility, solid Up B Out of Shield Option and combos.

 

[FrankTheStud]

Doc's worst matchups pretty much are people who can space him out. Marth (The Prince of Space), Lucina, Shulk (REALLY undermined...Tons of potential on this character), Rob (nair is impossible to get in on), Peach (levitating aerials), and Sheik (obvs) all immediately come to mind. Dedede is also surprisingly good against Doc, as well as Ganondorf, Ike, and C.Falc, because their spacing options are pretty good, and Doc's slower to punish whiffed moves, leaving room to get away.
While I'm a Mario main who seconds Dr. Mario and generally plays a lot of the cast, I'm having trouble myself finding a good character to cover Mario's/Doc's bad options. Perhaps Rosalina (the Queen of Space) is a good option, but Dedede and Wario are also both surprisingly good choices. I like using Link against people who are more space-related, because Link can punish that with projectiles, while covering his close game pretty well. I'm also used to Link because he hasn't changed much since the N64. (aside from dash attack and weight). Keep experimenting!

 

[FrankTheStud]

Zero Suit Samus herself is kind of OP. Any character that can hit quickly with little to no ending lag is way better than a hard hitting slow character.

That being said, it is not impossible to kick her ***.

ZSS isn't that bad for Doc, actually. Most of her moves involve Melee combat, and can be punished pretty hard by Doc because of that. Predictable neutral B's allow you to cape and forward air her right in her pretty pink face. Her forward smash can easily be shielded and grabbed afterwards/out of, and while she's hard to gimp as Doc, she doesn't have many kill moves in comparison to Doc. Down smash can probably kill her before her forward smash can kill you. Approaching with a back air wall of pain isn't a bad option, nor is nair from above should she spam side-b to try and space you. Once you're in, keep up the pressure. Should she try and grab, roll behind her and punish, or jump in the air and punish. ZSS has a TON of laggy options waiting to be punished.

 

[CasteHappy//]

I only main Doc as well but I realize that I can win every single mu with him, even though I can get through the top 10 in the tier list.

I'm using Mega Man, ROB, Wario and Falco as secondary chars and they work fine, ROB and Wario the most.

ROB is good for the match ups where Doc can't get punishes because of his low speed and the long range of the opponent. I think Doc and ROB complement each other really well.