Mario Tennis Aces has just had it's second big balance patch drop in the form of the 1.2.0 update, and a number of characters have had a pretty hefty rework. Anyone who's joined an online tournament or spent a moment on the Mario Tennis Aces subreddit will be well aware just how powerful Bowser Jr. and his nefarious pal Waluigi proved to be in the release version of the game. The charactersquickly flooded the online tournaments to the point that players were intentionally dropping out of matches against them.
Even with a minor nerf already deployed for the mini Koopa, Nintendo acknowledged there was more to be done and has finally brought out the nerf hammer. Both Bowser Jr. and Waluigi have had their sideways Trick Shot ranges reduced, as well as shortening their lunge distances and general range. Bowser Jr. has also taken a hit to his return speed and shot positioning, while Waluigi's overall speed has been reduced. On the other end of the spectrum, both Toad and Toadette have received buffs which should help the tiny characters compete with Aces' powerful roster. Read on below for the full patch notes.
Mario Tennis Aces 1.2.0 patch notes
Balance changes
All Characters
- We have increased the minimum energy level used for a Zone Shot serve from 25% to 30%. 33% energy is still needed in order to trigger the shot.
- We have shortened the distance a character is pushed back when returning a shot that pushes the opponent to the back of the court, such as a Max Charge Shot.
- The player can reduce the impact of being pushed back by returning a Topspin and Lob with a Slice, a Slice with a Topspin, and a Flat with a Flat (this was always in the game, Nintendo is simply reminding players).
- We have adjusted the way the ball bounces back when hitting the center mast on the Savage Sea court.
Toad
- Slightly increased the distance at which he can return the ball without lunging.
- Shortened the amount of time he is stationary after lunging at a ball.
- Increased the height he can return a ball.
- Slightly increased the speed at which Toad can reach his highest movement speed.
Toadette
- Slightly increased the distance at which she can return the ball without lunging.
- Shortened the amount of time she is stationary after lunging at a ball.
- Increased the height she can return a ball.
- Slightly increased the speed of her volley shot.
Wario
- Increased the distance at which he can return the ball without lunging.
- Slightly increased his ability to aim for the edges of the sideline.
- Slightly increased the speed of his volley shot.
Bowser Jr.
- Slightly shortened the distance he can return a ball using a sideways Trick Shot.
- Slightly decreased the distance at which he can return the ball without lunging.
- Slightly shortened the distance he can lunge to hit a ball.
- Slightly decreased the height of balls he can return.
- Decreased his ability to aim for the edges of the sideline.
- Slowed down the speed of balls he returns.
- Slightly decreased the speed at which he can reach his highest movement speed.
Waluigi
- Slightly shortened the distance he can return a ball using a sideways Trick Shot.
- Slightly decreased the distance at which he can return the ball without lunging.
- Slightly shortened the distance he can lunge to hit a ball.
- Decreased his ability to aim for the edges of the sideline.
- Slightly decreased the top speed at which he moves.
- Slightly decreased the speed of his volley shot.
Chain Chomp
- Slightly shortened the distance he can return a ball using a sideways Trick Shot.
- Greatly shortened distance he can lunge to hit a ball.
Bowser
- Slightly shortened the distance he can return a ball using a sideways Trick Shot.
Rosalina
- Slightly decreased the height of balls she can hit back.
Boo
- Slightly decreased the height of balls he can hit back.
Koopa Troopa
- Adjusted the accuracy of Body Shot when he is in his shell so that it matches what is seen on the screen.General changes
The 1.2.0 patch includes a number of quality of life improvements to the game's lacklustre adventure mode which we won't detail here (you can read the full notes over on the Nintendo support page), but also makes some much needed changes to multiplayer. In free play (and swing) modes you're now able to play full, 6-game matches rather than just quick play, though there's no sign yet that Nintendo will add a full tennis match to the game. There are also some big changes to the tournament rating system coming in with the new August 2018 tournament, detailed below:
Online ratings changes
- Your rating will no longer go up when you lose a match.
- When you win a match, your rating will not go down, and when you lose a match, your rating will not go up. Your rating will change based on the result of the match, but the amount it changes will be based on your opponent’s rating and on the content of the match. (The change may also be zero.)
- If the software is forcibly closed during a match, your number of losses will increase, and your rating will go down by 0.5%.
- If multiple intentional disconnections are detected, they may not be reflected in your ranking.
- Starting with the August 2018 tournament, the ability to sort by rating will be added to the ranking board.
- Along with this, the ranking board for total accumulated points will no longer display rating. You will be able to check your own rating for the month of July by looking at Results on the left-hand side of the tournament display.
- At the start of each new month, your starting rating will change based on results from play the previous month. (This will be reflected as of the change from July to August.)
- Rating of 2,000 or less - starts at 2,000
- Rating between 2,000 and 2,500 - rating stays the same
- Rating above 2,500 - 1/10th of the amount over 2,500 will be added to 2,500 to determine the rating
- Note: If you did not play the previous month, or if any irregular data is discovered, your rating will be reset to 2,000.
Those are all the big changes to have arrived in the 1.2.0 patch, but as mentioned you can read the full bug fix list and details over on the Mario Tennis Aces Nintendo support page. We'll be testing out the new changes to the game before updating our Mario Tennis Aces Tier List to match, so be sure to check back with AllGamers regularly for more news on the game.