A Lob Pass is a passing technique in Mario Strikers: Battle League that has the ball fly in an overhead arc to its receiver. Conversely, a regular Pass will have the sender kick the ball to another teammate, during which the ball will roll on the ground towards the direction of its receiver. Yet, the character's kicking animation will slightly differ for the Lob Pass, passing the ball in Mario Strikers up into the air towards their intended receiver. The one accepting the ball will then perform a stylish jump to catch it. Any opponent standing in the middle of a Lob Pass while the ball is airborne will be unable to steal it, making this a crafty passing move in Mario Strikers: Battle League.
On the other hand, it is still possible to intercept a Lob Pass, but those who attempt this interception will require skillful timing to pull it off. Once a Lob Pass has been interrupted, the interceptor is able to either pass the ball to a fellow teammate or send the ball in another direction for their own follow-up shot in Mario Strikers: Battle League.
To do a Lob Pass to a teammate in Mario Strikers: Battle League, players must press the Y button on their Joy-Con. This airborne Pass can be performed sequentially by pressing Y again once the ball has reached its receiver. As long as no opponent has intercepted the ball, the player can Lob Pass to their heart's content until they've lined up their goal shot.
Intercepting Lob Passes in Mario Strikers Battle League
Intercepting Lob Passes in Mario Strikers: Battle League requires proper timing and positioning. To execute a Lob Pass interception, press A or B when close to the intended receiver. This action will cause the character to jump and stop the ball in mid-air, changing the ball's trajectory. Keep in mind that this interception is not possible when standing next to the sender or while the ball is midway on its flight path. The player must be near the receiver in order to intercept the ball in Mario Strikers: Battle League, after which it will be sent in a different direction or passed to a teammate.
Additionally, it is possible to prevent a Lob Pass by tackling an opponent before they can get the chance to kick the ball. Of course, there's no way to know what kind of Pass they will perform prior to the kick. However, players can observe when their rival's character begins a ball-pass animation, granting them a small window of opportunity to execute a tackle and steal the ball.
Mario Strikers: Battle League is available on Nintendo Switch.