Both of these characters are constantly slinging some sort of projectile around, but that’s usually so that they can get close to their opponent safely and wail on them with melee attacks.So, while the game’s absurdly huge audience is waiting for the next Mage, Rick Sanchez, to come out, let’s go over how exactly Mage-type characters are meant to be utilized in MultiVersus.
How Do Mages Even Work?
Before anything else, let’s go over how Mages were “meant” to be played in MultiVersus and then look and how they’re actually played. By design, Mage characters are all about peppering enemies with projectiles, using unique tricks and gimmicks to keep them off their game, and capitalizing on their frustrations with even bigger moves. They have a ton of different projectile moves, a lot of movement options, and are frankly just annoying to fight against.
Now, does this design mentality actually match up with how Mages like Bugs Bunny and Tom & Jerry are played in-game? The answer is yes, mostly. Anyone who has played against a Bugs or a Tom and Jerry can easily say that Mage Class characters are a force to be reckoned with. The only thing that might differ from how this Class might seem on paper is the fact that they actually just have insanely strong Normals as well which let them win fights up close as well as far away.
They’re Meant To Be Tricksters
To put it simply, Mages are tricksters. They have a whole host of tools, gadgets, and tricks in their belt to respond in a variety of ways to any situation. For example, Tom has a slingshot, rocket, fishing hook, dynamite, and even corks that he can use with Jerry to constantly pepper enemies at range, yoink them out of the air, or follow them off-stage.
Meanwhile, Bugs Bunny has pies, Acme projectiles, Acme Rockets, a literal Safe, a two-way tunnel his allies can use, and even a Charm Debuff. Both of these characters can play very “honest”, but they’re at their best when using all their tricks and gimmicks to harass their opponents and force them into playing poorly through either bad decision-making or from pure aggravation. So, players who want to “main” a Mage need to learn what their character’s “tricks” are and what situations they’re best at responding to.
Don’t Be Afraid To Get Close
Both Mages and Supports in MultiVersus might seem like they’re not meant to get into the thick of it in a Teams match, but they absolutely are and exceed other classes in this respect in some ways. Just to name a few fantastic close-range options each character has, there’s:
Tom and Jerry’s: Mallet Time, Paddle-Paddle-Paddle, Trash Band, and Cast-Iron Crusher. Bugs Bunny’s: Flying Rabbit’s Foot, Swing Batta Batta, and Look Out Below.
Using any combination of these, frankly overpowered moves when an opponent gets close will likely throw them off guard as they get beat down in the range they thought they had the advantage in. Though, it is worth saying that Bugs Bunny does apparently have some nerfs coming, so be ready for that.
In any case, this is all to say that people looking to play a Mage character shouldn’t only think of them as projectile spammers at the side of every stage because that’s absolutely not where they excel. A true Mage veteran is constantly in the thick of it, positioning themselves to use their projectiles without getting hit before getting back in for a few more melee attacks, then getting back out for more projectiles, and so on.
Always Try To Lead The Opponent
High-level fighting game matchups eventually just become mental battles more than technical ones. Guessing how an opponent will respond to an attack, where they’ll go, or how they’ll attempt to recover are things that just start coming naturally to most people if they play a fighter long enough, and are actually called “reads” in most games.
But, for Mage players, reads are extra important, as being able to lead and guess how the opponent will respond is a surefire way to absolutely dominate them with seemingly endless combos of both projectiles and melee attacks. Just take one look at someone like CLG Void (the number 1 Tom player in the world) as he fights against people online, and it should become immediately clear the difference being able to make accurate reads makes. Just to give a new Mage player some direction, these are the types of questions they might want to start asking themselves during a match:
Is it better to keep a distance or go in? How is the opponent going to respond to getting hit with this attack? Will they dodge backward, dodge back in, or attempt an immediate counter-attack? If an opponent is off-stage, what are the options for punishing them off-stage and forcing a Ringout? The opponent is starting to force themselves into close range more, what should I be doing to get them more frustrated, so their play becomes even worse? This opponent has moves that reach further than the character I’m playing, where are my opportunities to punish them or capitalize on their mis-plays?
There are a million more questions players could be asking themselves during a match, but these few sample ones should give beginner players an idea of how the skilled Mage Class players got to where they are.
Learn What Moves Work As Feints, Baits, Or Fake-Outs
Another aspect of fighting games, which of course includes Smash, that becomes more prevalent the longer and more skilled people become is the act of “feinting” to lead an opponent or “baiting” out an attack from them. The act of baiting the opponent into thinking a move is coming, only to do something completely different in response to their action.
For example, it’s incredibly easy to dash-cancel out of attacks in MultiVersus, and some Specials even have multiple options for how they’re used or aimed so that players can fake each other out. So, mess around with any of the Mages in The Lab and figure out what moves work for easy feints and so on.
Figure Out What Their “Gimmick” Is
Finally, while Mages are in the same “Class” they don’t play exactly the same. In fact, the overall playstyle of Bugs players in comparison to Tom and Jerry players is actually pretty different. A high-level Tom and Jerry player is basically an endless onslaught of ranged projectiles, frying pan spikes, and trash can lid aerial punishes while Bugs players are fantastic at leading and responding to their opponent’s actions, especially opponent’s playing characters with some pretty obvious weaknesses.
This isn’t to say that Bugs can’t be played as aggressively as Tom and Jerry or vice versa, just that each Mage has a “Gimmick” they’re good at by default, and getting used to that Gimmick goes a long way towards getting better with them.
MultiVersus is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
