Unlike Free-for-All, Coin Battle is a competitive party mode. In it, the levels are laid out the same, except now there are hundreds of invisible coins to collect. As you all progress through the level, you’ll see hundreds of coin outlines indicating that a coin can be collected. To reveal the coin, someone must first pass through the coin outline.
When the coin appears, grab it! Since this is a competitive mode, the way you play will be vastly different than Free-for-All. All of the same rules apply. For example, you can still pick up the other players, bounce off their heads, and grab power-ups, but the point is to come out on top, not to play nice.
Battle Strategies
Early Bird Gets the Coin
If one of you goes into a pipe, it forces the rest of the group to go in behind you. So it is extremely important always to be the first one down the pipe.
By always pulling the rest of the group with you, you can ensure two things: One, you’ll be the first to grab the coins in the next area, and two, you’ll keep the others from collecting coins in the previous area since they’ll be forced to travel behind you, leaving uncollected coins behind.
Let Them Float
In Free-for-All mode, it was desirable to free your friends from their bubbles (unless you wanted to pull them past a difficult area). In Coin Battle mode, it’s best to leave them in their bubbles as long as possible. While they’re in their bubbles, they can’t collect coins!
Take It All
In Coin Battle, being the last person standing usually ensures that you’ll win. So the fewer power-ups that are left for your competitors and the fewer 1-Ups they collect, the better off you are.
Grab any and all power-ups you can, even if you already have one. That includes Super Mushrooms, even if you’ve got something better already. As long as the competition is vulnerable, you stand a better chance of surviving longer!
Toss ’Em
This is competition, so the only time you should pick up a competitor is when you’re going to toss them to their death! Don’t throw them into coins or into secret areas. Instead, grab ’em, toss ’em, and get rid of ’em! If you see a tough enemy, a pit, or lava, feel free to give the competition an unfriendly “nudge” to get them out of your way.
Sometimes, Second is the Best
Earlier, you read that the early bird gets the coin. In some cases, however, it pays to let the others run ahead of you. When they do, they’ll pass by invisible coins and force the coins to appear. That’s when you run up behind them and collect the coins as soon as they become visible! Let your opponents do the dirty work while you reap the rewards!