The second great RNG boss. Miracle Matter has seven different phases that it changes between
randomly. Each pattern can be 1-cycled, but whether or not that's possible can depend on RNG.
Furthermore, since you finish 6-3 with lightsaber, getting spark or cutter first can speed up the
fight as well. For most of these strategies, I like to stand on the leftmost third of the
screen.
Bomb
Despite the randomness in where the orbs shoot and pop, bomb can often be 1-cycled. I like to
swallow the powerup because I don't have to worry about finding another orb. The invincibility
frames for this phase are misleading, so when I swallow one, I use the long-lasting hitbox
of single bomb to get the second hit in.
When I swallow two orbs, I like to throw the powerup as soon as possible into Miracle Matter.
Unlike single bomb, double bomb doesn't have the same lingering hitbox. For some reason,
double stars and powerups will pass through Miracle Matter and break right after it exits, so
this is another way to anticipate the boss's vulnerability.
Cutter
Cutter is perhaps the easiest 1-cycle. The second video shows a faster strat that saves probably
around a second. It is possible that MM will spin the other direction, but you can run to the
right and swallow a powerup before MM gets to the top of the screen.
Fire
There are essentially three patterns for fire. The easiest pattern is shown in the top-left,
and it's faster to swallow the powerup than spit it out three times. One pattern, where MM
shoots out four pillars (top-right), cannot be killed in 1-cycle. In the third pattern, MM
shoots out two horizontal pillars (bottom). I've found that throwing the powerup for the
second hit is the most consistent and safest way of defeating this pattern.
Ice
Ice is fairly straightforward, since the snowball's hitbox is gigantic. Ideally, you want
double ice, but this strat can still work with single ice, as shown on the right. The main
difference is that single ice's hitbox does not extend vertically past Kirby's hitbox,
making the timing a bit tighter.
Needle
Needle is another easy 1-cycle. After swallowing the powerup, jump and use the
powerup immediately after. Because of the long invincibility frames, the remaining
two hits don't need to be as tight. I like to inch over to the powerup just to save
a little bit of time. If the needles spawn counter-clockwise, you should stand
on the left side.
Spark
Spark has the lowest probability for a 1-cycle, and I'd say it happens probably
around a third of the time. Because of all the RNG, just about all the top runners
I've seen will swallow the powerup. MM will try to shoot three lasers at you, so
to get them to bounce consistently, I stand all the way to the left and jump over them.
The easier pattern to 1-cycle is when the first shot drops as early as possible (left).
It's possible to tell when it changes to something swallowable by seeing when it starts
to shorten. The second 1-cycle pattern is much tighter, and happens when the third laser drops
almost immediately (right). The spark attack's hitbox is pretty large, so you don't need
to stand that close to MM to damage it.
Stone
There are a million strats for 1-cycling stone, but the one on the left I've found to be the
most consistent and almost the fastest. The stone form follows
your position, and I feel like this strat requires the least amount of movement to manipulate
MM to the right location.
Other strats include using the stone attack multiple
times, or not even using the attack at all and spitting three drops. On the right, I show a strat
that uses the stone attack three times. For the second and third one, roll forward in stone form
as MM approaches you so that you get pushed to the other side.
Combinations
If you don't 1-cycle a powerup, it is sometimes useful to combine it with the next phase
and hope it comes up again. A few of the spark combinations are useful, which is nice because
more often than not, you won't 1-cycle spark.
If there are two phases left and the first one isn't 1-cycled, it is almost always better
to combine, even if you can't 1-cycle the other phase (e.g. spark to needle). One of my any%
records combined spark and bomb at the end.