The Phony Ball is a special move used by Wario in the Mario Baseball series. It first appears in Mario Superstar Baseball as Wario's Star Skill, and returns in Mario Super Sluggers as his Star Pitch, with Phony Swing now being his Star Swing.
Description[]
Mario Superstar Baseball[]
If Wario uses the move while pitching, he throws both a regular baseball and a clove of garlic, confusing the batter as to which one to hit. If Wario uses the move while batting, he hits both a clove of garlic and a baseball, likewise confusing the fielders as to which ball they should catch. The ball is hit as a high fly ball, and splits into the real ball and the garlic shortly before hitting the ground. Attempting to catch the garlic temporarily stuns the fielder.
Waluigi's Star Skill, the Liar Ball, is similar, except Waluigi throws an eggplant instead of garlic. Compared to the Phony Ball, the Liar Ball travels a shorter distance if Waluigi uses it while batting.
In Challenge mode, the Gnarly Garlic power-up must be bought first before Wario can start using Phony Ball.
Mario Super Sluggers[]
The Phony Ball operates a bit differently. Instead of throwing a garlic with the real baseball, Wario now throws two baseballs, one of which is a fake. The balls move at relatively slow speeds, and if the batter swings at the fake ball, this gets them a strike.
