As well as regular and charged shots, Mario Strikers: Battle League also allows players to unleash a powerful shot known as a Hyper Strike, though only after they've collected a Hyper Orb. When perfectly executed, these shots are nigh-on unstoppable, but there are still one or two things that defending teams can do to minimize their chances of conceding.
Much of this comes down to positioning and smart strategy, with savvy players able to use their understanding of the game's mechanics to their advantage. Familiarizing oneself with the movement pattern and effects of each character's Hyper Strike can also be useful, though is far from essential when it comes to defending against a Hyper Strike in Mario Strikers: Battle League.
Preventing a Hyper Strike in Mario Strikers: Battle League
What a lot of people might not realize is that it's actually possible to disrupt a Hyper Strike right up until the moment that it leaves a player's foot. This means that even after the little bar has appeared beneath the opposing player, players will still have a few moments in which to hit them with a tackle or an item before they've twice pressed the A button to decide the shot's power and accuracy.
Another thing to keep in mind is that a team only has twenty seconds to unleash a Hyper Strike after picking up a Hyper Orb. With this in mind, players may want to consider playing keep-ball for a little while in order to run the clock down. In the event that they don't have the ball, they should try to keep the opposition team pinned back in their own half where they won't be able to get a shot away.
Defending Against a Hyper Strike in Mario Strikers: Battle League
Even if players are unable to prevent the opposition from unleashing a Hyper Strike, that doesn't necessarily mean that they're going to concede a goal. Granted, a perfectly-executed Hyper Strike can fly straight into the back of the net and even a near-perfect strike can be enough to overwhelm even the very best of goalkeepers. In all likelihood, though, skillful players will be able to keep the ball out of the back of their nets; providing, that is, that they remain switched on.
Assuming the ball doesn't fly straight into the goal, the first thing that players will need to do is repeatedly mash the A button in order to fill up the on-screen arrow. If the opponent's power and accuracy was way off, the keeper will catch the ball. Most of the time though, filling the arrow will lead to the goalkeeper parrying the ball out instead. As they'll be temporarily incapacitated after doing so, what happens next can be very important.
Being the first to the ball is a sure-fire way to save a near-certain goal, so players will need to remain focused in the moments after the button-mashing segment. Players can increase their chances of being the first to the ball by positioning one of their team on the edge of the area, though they'll need to be sure not to put them in the path of the Hyper Strike and should only take this approach if they're certain that they won't be able to tackle the opposing player in time.
Mario Strikers: Battle League is available now for the Nintendo Switch.