View source for Guard

{{about|the move in the Paper Mario series|the boss in [[Virtual Boy Wario Land]]|[[Guard (boss)]]|the bee enemy in [[Donkey Kong 3]] also referred to as "Guard"|[[Buzzbee]]}}
[[File:PMguard.png|thumb|200px|[[Mario]] guarding in  ''Paper Mario'']]
{{Quote|That's how it's done! A successful block! That'll reduce the damage you take.|Action Toad|Paper Mario: Color Splash}}

'''Guard''' (also known as '''block''') is a defensive move in several [[Genre#Role-playing|role-playing]] games of the ''[[Super Mario (franchise)|Super Mario]]'' franchise. It is mainly used in battle to reduce the damage of attacks, occasionally preventing any damage from being taken.

==History==
===''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars''===
In ''[[Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]]'', [[Mario]] and his [[party member]]s ([[Mallow]], [[Geno]], [[Bowser]] and [[Peach]]) can guard against enemy attacks if the player presses {{button|snes|A}} as the attack connects. Depending on the timing, they can take reduced damage or no damage at all. [[Mortal blow]]s that are imperfectly guarded leave the character at 1 [[HP]]. Some attacks, mainly magic attacks such as [[Flame Wall]] and [[Static Electricity|Static E!]], are not able to be blocked.

The [[Super Mario RPG (Nintendo Switch)|remake]] makes some magic attacks blockable (mainly those that only target a single character), as well as adding a notice for unblockable attacks. Guarding also adds to the chain number that grants boosts the higher it gets, though it does not prevent status effects. Any perfect guards will produce a barrier in front of the guarding character and play a distinct sound effect.

===''Paper Mario'' series===
====''Paper Mario''====
In ''[[Paper Mario]]'', by pressing {{button|n64|a}} within 3/30ths of a second (3 frames) before an attack's impact, the player can reduce the damage that Mario takes by 1, or, if the attack is targeting a [[Partner]], nullify all damage. Guarding also nullifies any status effects otherwise inflicted by enemies. When a guard is completed successfully, the yellow text "NICE" will appear above the guarding character. By equipping the [[Dodge Master]] [[Badge]], the amount of time before impact that the player has to successfully guard increases to 5/30ths of a second (5 frames). Equipping one or more [[Damage Dodge]] Badges will further decrease the amount of damage that Mario takes by one extra point per equipped Badge.

====''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door''====
In ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door'' and [[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)|its Nintendo Switch remake]], guarding works similarly to the way it does in ''Paper Mario''. By pressing {{button|gcn|a}} within 8/60ths of a second (8 frames)<ref>{{cite|deadlink=y|archive=web.archive.org/web/20160306013016/http://ml.techyoshi.com/index.php?topic=97.5|title=Frame-advance-related miscellania|author=jdaster64|date=May 18, 2011|publisher=Milesluigi Forums|accessdate=June 20, 2024}}</ref> before an enemy's attack hits, the damage that Mario or his partner receives will be reduced by 1. Guarding will also negate almost every status effect linked to the attack, such as [[Poison (status effect)|Poison]]. The only exception to this is immobilization,{{ref needed}} which only three enemies in the game ([[X-Yux]], [[Atomic Boo]] and [[Grodus]]) can inflict without an item. When a guard is completed successfully, the blue text "NICE" ("GUARD" in green in the remake) will appear above the guarding character. By equipping Damage Dodge badges, guarding will negate one additional point of damage per equipped badge. Two [[Simplifier]] badges or one [[Unsimplifier]] badge will respectively increase or decrease the window to guard by 1/60th of a second. Guarding reduces damage even against [[piercing attack]]s.

Should an attack target both [[Mario]] and his partner, the player only has to successfully guard the first hit; whoever gets hit second will automatically take whatever defensive action (Guard, Superguard, or neither) the first did. Because of this, there is a bug where the player cannot control what the second target does if the attack misses the first target — the second target's action will match whatever the last defensive action was for the previous attack.

Items used by enemies cannot be guarded against.

There exists a much stronger version of the guard, called the [[Superguard]], which blocks all damage and status effects, while also damaging any enemies that attack Mario or his partner directly. Performing a superguard requires much tighter timing than a regular guard.

====''Paper Mario: Sticker Star'' / ''Paper Mario: Color Splash'' / ''Paper Mario: The Origami King''====
In ''Paper Mario: Sticker Star'', ''Paper Mario: Color Splash'', and ''Paper Mario: The Origami King'', pressing {{button|a}} shortly before an attack's impact will reduce the damage that Mario receives. Doing so results in blue text that says "Block!" ("BLOCK!" in ''Sticker Star'') appearing. In ''The Origami King'', the [[Guard Plus]] reduces the amount of damage Mario receives even further.

===''Mario & Luigi'' series===
[[File:MLBISDX EmergencyGuard.png|thumb|200px|Mario guarding against a [[Dried Blooper]] in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey]]'']]
''[[Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam]]'', ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions]]'', ''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey]]'' and ''[[Mario & Luigi: Brothership]]''<ref>https://www.nintendo.com/jp/switch/a8e6a/battle/index.html</ref> have a defensive move called '''Emergency Block''' and '''Emergency Guard''', respectively, which players can use by pressing and holding {{button|3ds|x}} (in ''Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam'' and ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions''), {{button|3ds|y}} (in ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey''), or {{button|switch|r}} (in ''Mario & Luigi: Brothership'')<ref>{{cite|author=Nintendo of America|date=June 18, 2024|url=youtu.be/s5I3DcapElQ?t=78|title=Mario & Luigi: Brothership – Announcement Trailer – Nintendo Switch|publisher=YouTube|timestamp=1:18|accessdate=June 20, 2024}}</ref> if they are having trouble avoiding damage in a particular situation. Like in the ''Paper Mario'' games, the Emergency Block/Guard can reduce damage taken by Mario and [[Luigi]], and [[Paper Mario (character)|Paper Mario]] in ''Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam''. However, it does not prevent status effects.

The [[Urchin]]'s explosion in ''Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam'' and the [[Great Conductor]]'s thunderbolt and the [[Extension Corps]]' explosion in ''Mario & Luigi: Brothership'' cannot be guarded against via any means other than the Emergency Block.
{{br|right}}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
PMTTYD Guard.png|''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door''
MarioVivian-Guard PMTTYD-NS.png|''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door'' (Nintendo Switch remake)
PM-SS Block.png|''Paper Mario: Sticker Star''
PM-CS Block.png|''Paper Mario: Color Splash''
PM-OK Block.png|''Paper Mario: Origami King''
</gallery>

==Names in other languages==
{{foreign names
|Jpn=ガード
|JpnR=Gādo
|JpnM=Guard
|ChiS=格档
|ChiSR=Gé Dàng
|ChiSM=Block
|ChiT=格檔
|ChiTR=Gé Dàng
|ChiTM=Block
|Dut=Verdedigen
|DutN=''Thousand-Year Door'' remake (battle option)
|DutM=Defend
|Dut2=Afweer!
|Dut2N=''Thousand-Year Door'' remake (pop-up text when move is used)
|Dut2M=Defense 
|Fre=Esquive d'urgence<ref>{{cite|title=''Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros.'' French instruction booklet|url=www.nintendo.com/consumer/downloads/manual-3DS-mario-and-luigi-paper-jam-fr.pdf|page=38|language=fr-ca|publisher=Nintendo|date=2016}}</ref>
|Fre2=Garde
|Fre3=Parade d'urgence<ref>[https://youtu.be/-TVNOKK5ZIs?si=APBw_1Gpc85IuYYB&t=151 MARIO & LUIGI L'ÉPOPÉE FRATERNELLE - J'y ai joué ! Premier avis et gameplay exclusif !]. Press Start. At 2:31</ref>
|FreM=Emergency dodge
|Fre2M=Guard
|Fre3M=Emergency parry
|Ger=Verteidigung
|GerM=Defense
|Ger2=Geblockt!
|Ger2M=Blocked
|Rus=Блок-стойка
|RusR=Blok-stoyka
|RusM=Block stand
|SpaA=Defensa <small>(''Thousand-Year Door'' remake, ''Color Splash'', ''Origami King'')</small><ref>{{cite|url=www.youtube.com/live/6pJ5AgrQlDE?t=1872s|title=Juguemos Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door - inicio gameplay español latino|author=Hugh Belmont|date=June 1, 2024|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=June 20, 2024|language=es|timestamp=31:12}}</ref><ref>{{cite|url=www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuVW0hjPvFI&t=614s|timestamp=10:14|date=March 7, 2023|author=Red Shock Inc|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=June 20, 2024|title= 😱 EL DESENROLLO DE LA SENDA ESCARLATA 🔴 {{!}} Paper Mario: Color Splash|language=es}}</ref><ref>{{cite|url=www.youtube.com/live/68ikT5G09mI?t=2167s|timestamp=36:07|language=es|title= 👑 ¡GOOMBAS GIGANTES ATACAN! Paper Mario The Origami King en Español Latino|author=GaboMania|date=July 18, 2020|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=June 20, 2024}}</ref>
|SpaA2=Bloqueo <small>(''Sticker Star'')</small><ref>{{cite|url=www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNpiuFEGq6o&t=1644s|title= 🎤 ¡LA PRUEBA DE OLFITI! 🎊 {{!}} Paper Mario: Sticker Star|author=Red Shock Inc|date=December 29, 2022|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=June 20, 2024|language=es}}</ref>
|SpaAM=Defense
|SpaA2M=Block
|SpaE=Defensa <small>(''Thousand-Year Door'' and its remake)</small><ref>{{cite|language=es-es|url=www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr8ebvGso8I&t=90s|timestamp=1:30|title=¡Un duro rival! - 02 - Paper Mario: La Puerta Milenaria (GC) DSimphony|author=DSimphony|date=July 22, 2022|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=June 20, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite|url=www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm0Uy67aT0o&t=26991s|timestamp=7:29:51|title=Paper Mario: La Puerta Milenaria - Juego Completo {{!}} Parte 1 - Español (Switch)|publisher=YouTube|date=May 23, 2024|language=es-es|accessdate=June 20, 2024}}</ref>
|SpaE2=Bloqueo <small>(''Sticker Star'', ''Color Splash'', and ''Origami King'')</small><ref>{{cite|author=FatalRagnarok|date=August 5, 2014|url=www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgg-CwKn-VY&t=1369s|timestamp=22:49|title= Paper Mario Sticker Star{{!}} Walkthrough Español {{!}} Parte 1 "Pegatinas por todos lados"|language=es-es|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=June 20, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite|url=www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_tQ1FW7I8o&t=2795s|timestamp=46:35|title=Los Vampiros Shyguy! - #01 - Paper Mario Color Splash (Wii U) en Español|author=DSimphony|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=June 20, 2024|language=es-es|date=October 6, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite|url=www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDWQ-SCvLYw&t=1791s|date=July 17, 2020|timestamp=29:51|title=Parte 2 "Musicote del bueno" 🌹 Paper Mario: The Origami King 🌹 Guía en Español|language=es-es|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=June 20, 2024}}</ref>
|SpaE3=Bloqueo resignado <small>(''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey'')</small><ref>{{cite|url=www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJnn9x4Dki4&t=317s|timestamp=05:17|title=¡El interior de Bowser! - #02 - Mario & Luigi Viaje al centro de Bowser (3DS)|author=DSimphony|date=January 17, 2019|accessdate=June 20, 2024}}</ref>
|SpaEM=Defense
|SpaE2M=Block
|SpaE3M=Resigned Block
|Ita=Difesa
|ItaM=Defense
|Kor=가드
|KorR=Gadeu
|KorM=Guard
}}

==References==
<references/>

{{PM}}
{{M&LSS}}
{{PMTTYD}}
{{M&LBIS}}
{{PMSS}}
{{M&LPJ}}
{{PMCS}}
{{PMTOK}}
{{M&LB}}
[[Category:Paper Mario special moves]]
[[Category:Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door moves]]
[[it:Difesa (comando)]]