Dram Strat
Dram Strat, often simply referred to as Dram, is a capture warp speedrun technique used in the ruins portion of the Sand Kingdom. It involves throwing Cappy upward near a Bullet Bill, collecting the Power Moon in the alcove below as Mario, and then homing in with Cappy to warp back up to the Bullet Bill.
The name "Dram Strat" comes from dram55, the speedrunner who popularized the trick. This name was originally used as a joke, since dram55 claimed that he disliked when speedrun techniques were named after specific people. Because of the satirical name, the term "dram" has been applied to various other tricks. This page will address the original technique in the Sand Kingdom that was popularized by dram55.
Execution
To execute this trick:
- Throw Cappy upward so that he stalls just below where the Bullet Bill is circling;
- Hold X or Y as Mario falls and moves toward the Alcove in the Ruins moon;
- Shake the controller just before grabbing the moon to initiate Cappy's homing action;
- Automatically warp up to the Bullet Bill after collecting the moon.
It is also important to pay attention to the moving platform near the launcher, to ensure that it won't be in the way of Cappy's homing ability. Since Cappy can only stall for a limited amount of time, the Power Moon must be collected quickly.
Speedrun usage
This trick is used in the Any% and World Peace speedrun categories.
Any%
In the case of Any%, Alcove in the Ruins is collected regardless of which route is used. Therefore, opting not to do this trick (or failing it) will require the player to climb back up to the top afterward. Because of this, Dram Strat saves a fair amount of time in this category.
World Peace
In the case of World Peace, this trick has encouraged a complete reroute of the Sand Kingdom. Opting against or failing the trick with this updated route is as slow as or slower than the original route. Therefore, if one is not comfortable with Dram Strat, he should opt for the original route. (Even without the use of Dram Strat, the updated route is still harder than the original one.)
Variations
There are a few variations of Dram Strat that can save time over the original long jump method.
Ice Pillar Dram
Ice Pillar Dram, often simply called Ice Dram (not to be confused with Snow Dram), is a variation of Dram Strat that involves jumping to the nearby ice pillar and performing a spin jump from the top of it, instead of climbing all the way up to the same level as the Bullet Bill launcher and performing a long jump. Ice Pillar Dram involves capturing the Bullet Bill slightly closer to On the Lone Pillar and farther from the crate moon. In World Peace, this trick is slightly faster than traditional Dram Strat because the World Peace route does not get the crate moon, meaning the player is slightly closer to the next objective.