Taunt Ball
| Taunt Ball | |
|---|---|
| |
| Description | |
| Enrages an enemy in the background. Whooooosh! | |
| First appearance | Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (2013) |
- “Taunt Foes Forward
You can't attack background foes... When you see them, use a Taunt Ball. But careful! Some enemies are strong!” - —In-game text, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
Taunt Ball is an item found in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. It is a yellow ball with a teasing expression drawn on it. It can be used during battle against the enemies that appear in background, and inflicts 1 damage point. A Taunt Ball can lure Pi'illodactyls and Pi'illodactyls R out of the background and into the battle, so Mario and Luigi are able to fight it. When a Taunt Ball is thown at Shy Guy Airtubs, Shy Guy Airtubs R, Lakitus, and Lakitus R, they come out of the background and attack Mario and Luigi, and if they are not defeated by counterattacks they retreat to the background again. Background enemies are never required to be defeated in order to win the battle; they all flee when alone. Background enemies with only 1 HP, such as a Nipper Plant spawned by a Piranha Plant, are instantly defeated if hit by a Taunt Ball. Bandits holding a Golden Egg will drop them when struck with a Taunt Ball, and Inky Piranha Plants can be stunned with one to stop them from spitting ink, while three Taunt Balls can defeat them.
When Mario and Luigi are fighting Dreamy Bowser, the Taunt Ball can be used against the Shy Guy Airtub DX when it appears, and Dreamy Bowser himself when he escapes to heal damage. Rather than join the foreground, they will instead perform retaliation attacks. The Shy Guy Airtub DX will chase one of the brothers with cannon fire, while the other brother will knock out the Shy Guys piloting it and attack the ship - this is one of its usual attacks it can perform during its own turn, but triggering it in this way allows the player an additional chance to damage and destroy the ship. Against Dreamy Bowser, the Taunt Ball will incur a new attack; Dreamy Bowser will rampage through the battlefield chasing the brothers. The player can steer each of the brothers as they run to direct Dreamy Bowser into the horde of enemies, Dreamy Goombas, Dreamy Paratroopas, Dreamy Shy Guys, and Dreamy Bob-ombs, and deal damage to each one he steps on. This attack can bring Dreamy Bowser back from the background sooner in order to stop him healing once all Dreamy foes have been defeated.
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dutch | Treiterbal[?] | Taunt Ball | |
| French | Boule provocatrice[?] | Provoking ball | |
| German | Spottball[?] | Ridiculing ball | |
| Italian | Schernosfera[?] | From schernire ("to taunt") and sfera ("ball") | |
| Portuguese | Bola irrequieta[?] | Restless ball | |
| Russian | Шар-дразнилка[?] Shar-draznilka |
Tease ball | |
| Spanish (NOA) | Bola Chacota[?] | Joke Ball | |
| Spanish (NOE) | Provocabola[?] | From provocar ("provoke") and bola ("ball") |
