LUCKY (hit)
This article is astub. Please considerexpanding it to include any missing information.Specifics: Confirm if a lucky hit can happen alongside a critical hit inMario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions andMario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey. More information is needed on how some gear items interact with lucky hits inMario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey.
- “OK, so sometimes you attack a monster, and all of a sudden you seeLucky! appear... That shows that your attack power was stronger than usual!”
- —Toadbert,Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
LUCKY, originally known aslucky hit (also formatted asLucky Hit), is a recurring game mechanic in theMario & Luigi series. When a playable character deals damage, there is a chance that an attack will be LUCKY, causing it to deal more damage while being marked by a unique visual effect and sound. The bonus damage multiplier of a LUCKY hit, as well as what attacks can be LUCKY depends on the game. The chance of getting a LUCKY is based on the attacker'sSTACHE stat, or in the case ofBowser, his HORN stat.
The mechanics of LUCKY attacks is similar to other role-playing games having random critical hits. Despite other games calling them critical hits, and theMario & Luigi series calling them LUCKY, theMario & Luigi series has its own critical hit mechanics that are not to be confused with the LUCKY system. Critical hits instead occur in situations like using an elementally effective move (likefire against a blueOho Jee) or attacking a foe in a vulnerable state (like bosses that becomedizzy inMario & Luigi: Brothership).
History
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Lucky hits[1] are introduced inMario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, and are used byMario andLuigi. Lucky hits can only happen when performing a soloJump,Hammer, orHand attack. Lucky hits cannot occur inBros. Attacks,counterattacks, orfirst strikes.
The bonus damage multiplier for a lucky hit is different if it is a Mario Jump, Luigi Jump, Mario Hammer, or Luigi Hammer attack. Hand attacks use the same multiplier.[2] A lucky hit cannot occur alongside a critical hit.
Damage calculation
The formula for the damage of a solo attack and lucky hit is calculated as follows:
where:
- AttackConstant is the final value in the calculation that depends on if Mario or Luigi attacked, what type of solo attack they did, and if the attack was a lucky hit. All attack constants used for solo attacks can be found in the table below. The solo Hammer attacks have multiple attack constants which causes some damage variance. TheSuper Hammer andUltra Hammer each have their own set of attack constants that causes greater damage variance. If the attack is a lucky hit, then the attack constants in the lucky column are used instead.[2]
Attack constant values | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Attack | Normal (Mario) | Lucky (Mario) | Normal (Luigi) | Lucky (Luigi) |
Jump | 1.20 | 2.30 | 1.00 | 2.00 |
Normal Hammer | 0.90/1.00/1.10 | 2.10 | 1.00/1.15/1.30 | 2.50 |
Super Hammer | 0.80/1.00/1.20 | 0.90/1.13/1.36 | ||
Ultra Hammer | 0.80/1.05/1.30 | 0.80/1.10/1.40 | ||
Hand | 1.15 | 2.20 | 1.15 | 2.20 |
Using the knowledge of the attack constants and the attack constants for lucky hits, the approximate bonus damage multiplier for lucky hits can be obtained:
Attack | Mario | Luigi |
---|---|---|
Jump | ≈1.916× | 2× |
Normal Hammer | 2.1×* | ≈2.174×* |
Super Hammer | 2.1×* | ≈2.21239×* |
Ultra Hammer | 2×* | ≈2.27×* |
Hand | ≈1.913× |
* - Approximate value obtained using middle attack constant value.
Lucky hit chance calculation
The formula for determining the chance of a hit being a lucky hit is calculated as follows:
where:
- LuckyChance is the percent chance of a lucky hit, clamped toMinChance andMaxChance explained below. Threebadges can modify this chance; the Lucky Attack special effect from Lucky Bros., Lucky Ribbon, or Wonder Badge will increaseLuckyChance by 15%. This allows a maxLuckyChance of 25% in the international versions, and 40% in the Japanese version.[2]
- PlayerSTACHE is the STACHE stat of the attacking brother. Three pieces ofgear can modify this value.
- TheCobalt Necktie accessory doubles the wearer's STACHE stat.
- The Mushluck Pants and Shroom Slacks clothing have the Lucky Mushroom special effect, which increases the wearer's STACHE in-battle depending on the number ofMushrooms Mario and Luigi have.[3]
Lucky Mushroom bonus STACHE formula |
---|
(Mushrooms × 51 + Super × 51 + Ultra × 64 + Max × 76) / 256 |
- EnemySTACHE is calculated by taking the enemy's internal level statistic, then averaging the STACHE stat Mario and Luigi would have at that level assuming no bonus points from the bonus roulette during aLevel up. Because the Japanese version changed Mario and Luigi's stat increases per level up as well as some enemy level statistics,EnemySTACHE is different in the Japanese version compared to the international versions.
- SeeMario & Luigi: Superstar Saga bestiary for a list of all enemy statistics.
- SeeMario & Luigi: Superstar Saga level up progressions for a list of Mario and Luigi's stat increases for each level up.
- LuckyBase,LuckyMult,MinChance, andMaxChance are constants that are different depending on how close the attacking brother's level is to the enemy's level. Three sets of constants exist for if the level difference is within 10%, 10% to 25% apart, or over 25% apart.
International version constants | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Level Difference | LuckyBase | LuckyMult | MinChance | MaxChance |
Within 10% | 0% | 10% | 6% | 15% |
10% to 25% Apart | 0% | 12% | 10% | 20% |
Over 25% Apart | 0% | 6% | 4% | 10% |
Japanese version constants | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Level Difference | LuckyBase | LuckyMult | MinChance | MaxChance |
Within 10% | -0.83% | 9.17% | 6% | 22% |
10% to 25% Apart | -1.54% | 8.46% | 10% | 30% |
Over 25% Apart | -1.54% | 8.46% | 4% | 15% |
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Lucky hits[4] return inMario & Luigi: Partners in Time, and are used by Mario, Luigi,Baby Mario, andBaby Luigi. Lucky hits can happen in normal Jump or Hammer attacks, as well asBros. Item attacks. Lucky hits cannot occur in counterattacks or first strikes.
The bonus damage multiplier for a lucky hit is 2× the original damage.[5] It is possible for a lucky hit to apply to a critical hit; if this happens, the hit will say "Lucky!" instead of "Critical!". The bonus damage multipliers from the lucky hit (2×) and critical hit (1.6×[5]) will stack multiplicatively, causing the hit to deal 3.2× the original damage.
Lucky hit chance calculation
The formula for determining the chance of a hit being a lucky hit is calculated as follows:
where:
- LuckyChance is the percent chance of a lucky hit, clamped to [1, 99]. This means that a lucky hit always has at least a 1% chance, and at most a 99% chance. Twogear items can modify this chance; equipping the Lucky Badge will double the chance, while the Lucky Badge A will quadruple the chance.[6]
- AttackerSTACHE is the STACHE stat of the attacker in the hit.
- EnemyLevel is the enemy's internal level statistic.
- SeeMario & Luigi: Partners in Time bestiary for a list of all enemy statistics, including level.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Lucky hits return inMario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story now formatted as both lucky hit[7] and Lucky Hit,[8] and are used by Mario, Luigi, andBowser. Mario and Luigi can get lucky hits in their solo Jump or Hammer attacks, as well asSpecial Attacks. Bowser can get lucky hits in hisPunch andFlame attacks, as well as his ownSpecial Attacks. Lucky hits cannot occur in counterattacks or first strikes.
The bonus damage multiplier for a lucky hit is 1.5× the original damage.[9] It is possible for a lucky hit to apply to a critical hit; if this happens, the hit will say "LUCKY" and "CRITICAL!". The bonus damage multipliers from the lucky hit (1.5×) and critical hit (1.5×[9]) will stack multiplicatively, causing the hit to deal 2.25× the original damage.
In the beginning of the game, after Bowser is sent toDimble Wood after crashing the meeting atPeach's Castle, he encounters acloaked figure. This figure claims that Bowser has won a Lucky Mushroom, and that it will give Bowser the luck to defeat Mario. The figure describes this by saying"Scoff this down and your luck will power up to super luck!", and"With every attack, lucky hits will shower in a happy waterfall!". This Lucky(?) Mushroom is then revealed to be aVacuum Shroom, which causes Bowser to mindlesslyinhale everything he sees.
Lucky hit chance calculation
The formula for determining the chance of a hit being a lucky hit isthe same asMario & Luigi: Partners in Time.[10] SeeMario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story bestiary for a list of all enemy statistics, including level. Some pieces ofgear can modify the lucky chance. The Happy Charm accessory used by Mario and Luigi increases the chance of a lucky hit by 1.5×. The Lucky Charm accessory used by Mario and Luigi and the Lucky Band used by Bowser double the chance of a lucky hit.
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
Lucky hits return inMario & Luigi: Dream Team now formatted as Lucky Hit,[11] and are used by Mario, Luigi, andDreamy Luigi. Unlike previous games where only certain types of attacks can be a Lucky Hit, all attacks can be a Lucky Hit. This includes solo attacks, Bros. Attacks,Luiginary Attacks, counterattacks, and first strikes.
The bonus damage multiplier for a Lucky Hit is 1.5× the original damage; choosing theRank-Up Bonus Big Lucky will increase this to 2.0×.[11] It is possible for a Lucky Hit to apply to a critical hit; if this happens, the hit will say "Lucky" instead of "Critical". The bonus damage multipliers from the Lucky Hit (1.5× normally, 2× with Big Lucky) and critical hit (1.5×) will stack multiplicatively, causing the hit to deal 2.25× (3× with Big Lucky) the original damage.
Some pieces ofgear interact with the Lucky Hit system. The Mini Boots and Mini Hammer give the user guaranteed Lucky Hits only if they have theMini status effect. The Lucky Gloves and Lucky Gloves DX increase the chance of a Lucky Hit. The Birthday Ring increases the user's Lucky Hit chance only if it is the player's birthday as set in theNintendo 3DS system settings.
Somebadge effects interact with the Lucky Hit system. The Virus Badge + Gold Badge combo when used activates the Lucky Chance effect, which temporarily adds 0.5 to the bonus damage multiplier for Lucky Hits. This causes a Lucky Hit to deal 2.0× the normal damage, and a Lucky Hit with the Big Lucky Rank-Up Bonus to deal 2.5× the normal damage. If a Lucky Hit applies to a critical hit with this 2.5× bonus damage multiplier, then the hit will deal 3.75× the original damage. The Miracle Badge + Bronze Badge combo when used activates the Lucky Time effect, which temporarily increases the chances for Lucky Hits.
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
Lucky Hits[12] return inMario & Luigi: Paper Jam, and are used by Mario, Luigi, andPaper Mario. LikeMario & Luigi: Dream Team, all attacks can be a Lucky Hit. This includes solo attacks, Bros. Attacks,Trio Attacks, counterattacks, and first strikes.
The bonus damage multiplier for a Lucky Hit is 1.5x the original damage; choosing the Rank-Up Bonus Big Lucky will increase this to 2.0×.[12] It is possible for a Lucky Hit to apply to a critical hit; if this happens, the hit will say "LUCKY" instead of "CRITICAL". The bonus damage multipliers from the Lucky Hit (1.5× normally, 2× with Big Lucky) and critical hit (1.3×) will stack multiplicatively, causing the hit to deal 1.95× (2.6× with Big Lucky) the original damage.
Some pieces ofgear, namely some accessories interact with the Lucky Hit system. Mario and Luigi can use the Star Brooch and Star Brooch DX to receiveStar Points upon getting a Lucky Hit. Paper Mario can equip paper versions of the Star Brooch and Star Brooch DX to get the same effect.
SomeBattle Cards, namelyamiibo Character Cards interact with the Lucky Hit system. The amiibo for Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Yoshi have LV 1 Cards that doubles the chances of Lucky Hits. The amiibo for Yoshi has a LV 2 Card that quadruples the chances of Lucky Hits. The amiibo for Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, and Toad have LV 2 Duo Cards that triggers a Lucky Attack, which guarantees a Lucky Hit.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions
Lucky Hits return inMario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions now formatted as lucky hit,[13] and are used by Mario and Luigi. Like the original Game Boy Advance version, lucky hits can happen when performing a solo Jump, Hammer, or Hand attack, but unlike the original, Bros. Attacks can now get lucky hits. Lucky hits, like the original, still cannot occur in first strikes and counterattacks.
The bonus damage multiplier for a lucky hit is 1.3× the original damage.
Some pieces ofgear interact with the lucky hit system. The Mushluck Pants has the Lucky Mushroom special effect, which increases the chance of a lucky hit based on the number of Mushrooms Mario and Luigi have. The Casual Coral and Piranha Suit have the Lucky Critical special effect, which increases the power of lucky and critical hits by 50% of the user's base POW stat. This allows lucky and critical hits to get a bonus damage multiplier of up to 1.95× if the user has no POW bonuses; having a POW bonus from something else like a badge would lower the 1.95× multiplier, but a big enough bonus would not lower it past the normal 1.3× bonus damage multiplier. The General Badge has the Lucky Speedster special effect, which increases the rate of lucky hits based on the user's SPEED stat. The Lucky Bros. and Lucky Ribbon badges have the Lucky Attack special effect, which increases the chance of a lucky hit. The Ohoracle Badge, Bowser Fist, and Popple Badge AA all have the First Striker special effect, which gives +100% base POW and a 100% lucky hit rate to the user only if they have the first turn in a battle and only in their first attack.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey
Lucky hits return inMario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey now formatted as both lucky hit[14] and Lucky Hit,[15] and are used by Mario, Luigi, and Bowser. Like the original Nintendo DS version, Mario and Luigi can get Lucky Hits in their solo Jump or Hammer attacks, as well as Bros. Attacks. Bowser can get Lucky Hits in his Punch and Flame attacks, as well as Brawl Attacks. Lucky Hits, like the original, still cannot occur in first strikes and counterattacks.
The bonus damage multiplier for a Lucky Hit is 1.3× the original damage. The Rank-Up Bonuses Lucky and Good and King's Blessing for the Mario Bros. and Bowser respectively will increase the damage of their Lucky Hits to 1.5× the original damage.
Some pieces ofgear interact with the Lucky Hit system. Mario and Luigi can use the Brawny Wear, Master Wear, and Muscle Wear, while Bowser can use the Ironclad Shell to increase the power of their Lucky and Critical Hits. Mario and Luigi can use the Mushroom Stone accessory, which increases the user's chance of a Lucky Hit based on the number of Mushrooms they have. Bowser can use the Lucky Ring and Lucky Ring DX, which increases the power of Lucky and Critical Hits by "a small amount" and "a good amount", respectively.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership
Lucky Hits return inMario & Luigi: Brothership now stylized as LUCKY,[16] and are used by Mario and Luigi. Almost every type of attack can be LUCKY. This includes solo attacks, combo attacks, Bros. Attacks, counterattacks, most first strikes, and mostLuigi Logic damage. While Jump, Hammer, andBro Bomb first strikes can be LUCKY, crashing into the enemy withBall Blitz cannot be LUCKY. Despite that a Bro Bomb first strike can be LUCKY, the Bro Bombs used while chasing downReclusa in part of the final battle cannot be LUCKY. Luigi Logic damage againstSharpcask andGlohm Bowser can be LUCKY, but the damage caused toPipegunk by switching the arena to the opposite temperature area cannot be LUCKY.
The bonus damage multiplier for a LUCKY is 1.3× the original damage;[16] choosing the Rank-Up Bonus Big Lucky will increase this to 1.5×.[16] Unlike previous games where a LUCKY can apply to a critical hit, a hit being critical prevents a LUCKY from also occurring.
Some pieces ofgear, namely some accessories interact with the LUCKY system. The Lucky HP Bangle heals the user by 10% of their max HP if their attack has a LUCKY hit. The Luck Charm and Luck Charm DX increase the chance of getting a LUCKY by 1.5× and 2×, respectively.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership introduces theSTACHE-Up status effect to the series, which increases STACHE during battle. Because STACHE's only use is for the chance of a LUCKY, this status effect effectively improves the chance of a LUCKY result.
References
- ^"The higher your Stache points are, the easier it is to get lucky hits in battle." – Book inBeanbean Castle.Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.Nintendo (English).
- ^abcdeJdaster64 (May 10, 2017).Superstar Saga’s Stateside and Overseas Stats – A Side-by-Side Size-up.Wordpress.com (English). Retrieved February 25, 2025.
- ^Jdaster64.M&L Superstar Saga - Various Stats (Simplified).docs.google.com (English). Retrieved February 25, 2025.
- ^"Make lucky hits easier to land." – Lucky Badge decription.Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time.Nintendo (English).
- ^abJdaster64.M&L Partners In Time - Various Stats README.docs.google.com (English). Retrieved February 27, 2025.
- ^abJdaster64 (February 19, 2016).Forum/Nintendo DS Games/Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time.tasvideos.org (English). Retrieved February 25, 2025.
- ^"The bigger this number is, the easier it is to land lucky hits and get winning scratch tickets." – STACHE description inStar menu.Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.Nintendo (English).
- ^"The higher the number, the more likely you are to get a Lucky Hit or a Scratch Card." – STACHE description inLevel up screen.Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.Nintendo (English).
- ^abJdaster64 (February 17, 2013).The Inside Story on M+L 3’s enemy stats + damage calculation..Wordpress.com (English). Retrieved February 25, 2025.
- ^Jdaster64 (February 20, 2016).Forum/Nintendo DS Games/Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.tasvideos.org (English). Retrieved February 25, 2025.
- ^ab"Boosts the power of Lucky Hits so you deliver200% of normal damage." – Big Lucky description.Mario & Luigi: Dream Team.Nintendo (English).
- ^ab"Increases the damage of Lucky Hits to200%." – Big Lucky description.Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam.Nintendo (English).
- ^"The higher your STACHE points are, the easier it is to get lucky hits in battle." –Pea in Beanbean Castle.Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions.Nintendo (English).
- ^"With every attack, lucky hits will shower in a happy waterfall!" – Fawful.Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey.Nintendo (English).
- ^"Increases the power of your Lucky Hits." – Lucky and Good and King's Blessing descriptions.Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey.Nintendo (English).
- ^abc"Damage dealt by LUCKY attacks increases from 1.3× to1.5×." – Big Lucky description.Mario & Luigi: Brothership.Nintendo (English).