Mr Sandman - Punch-Out!! Guide - IGN (2024)

Mr. Sandman is a very fast and powerful opponent, though he can oddly be defeated with relatively simple tactics. While reacting to his individual attacks is pretty tough due to their speed and variety, the same reaction works against most punches. Every punch he throws can be dodged by slipping to the left or right, it's just the timing that's tricky.

But trying to read his attacks and dodge them accordingly isn't the easiest way to beat him. We found that constantly throwing straight jabs with long delays between them is enough to consistently catch Mr. Sandman as he winds up for a punch. Only two of his punches won't be interrupted by this incessant barrage of jabs—his two haymakers—and only one of them (the right haymaker) will punish you for the lazy tactics. Generally, this tactic of constant pitter-patter punches will earn you a lot of stars off of countering Sandman's overhead left and "Boo!" taunt, letting you frequently unload star punches to quickly wear him down.

Overhead Left

• Block
• L Dodge
• R Dodge
• Duck
• Counter

Mr. Sandman starts the fight with this punch, a very quick overhand left. It's very difficult to react to this punch because it's so fast, but you can dodge it either left or right. You can also counter it at any point during the windup animation by throwing a head punch—if you interrupt him early, you'll simply interrupt the punch, and if you interrupt Sandman as he swings down you'll earn a star.

Overhead Right

• Block
• L Dodge
• R Dodge
• Duck
• Counter

Almost a mirror image of Sandman's overhand left except that his overhand right is a lot slower to come out. If you dodge it too early, Mac will swing back into place just as the punch unloads. Like the overhand left, you can counter jab Sandman at any time during his animation to interrupt him. Wait a second and counter Sandman as he swings down and you'll earn a star.

Right Haymaker

• Block
• L Dodge
• R Dodge
• Duck
• Counter

In between the overhead attacks Sandman uses at the beginning of the fight, he will very quickly weave to your left and come at you with a straight right haymaker punch. You can counter him with a left jab as he comes at you with the punch to earn a star, but during his rolling weave animation he isn't touchable. If you try to counter him early you'll just whiff and take his punch in the face. Alternatively, you can dodge the punch (either left or right) to leave Sandman open. Delay a half second before swinging with a punch of your own to earn a star. If you don't delay enough, you won't earn a star.

Dreamland Express

• Block
• L Dodge
• R Dodge
• Duck
• Counter

Occasionally Sandman will take a step back and drop his hands. If you try to swing at him, he'll just dodge your punches before stepping in and unload a series of three uppercuts. You can dodge all three uppercuts by slipping either left or right. If you manage to dodge all of them, tag Mr. Sandman with a left body shot as he holds the final pose of the third uppercut to earn a star.

Left Haymaker

• Block
• L Dodge
• R Dodge
• Duck
• Counter

After you've knocked down Mr. Sandman, he'll start throwing this punch into the mix. Fortunately, it's very easy to deal with. Sandman ducks to your right and waits a second before coming at you with a big left straight. Even if you react too early, you can usually recover quickly enough to input a second reaction. You can counter Sandman with a right jab to earn a star, or you can dodge the punch to leave Sandman open for a counter attack. If you wait a half second before following your dodge with a left hook you'll earn a star.

"Boo!" Taunt

Frequently, Sandman will drop his hands and say "Boo!" while sticking his chin out very quickly as a bit of a fake. If you can jab him in the head as he does this you'll earn a star, but reacting to it is pretty tough because it's so fast. Also watch for Sandman to sometimes use this "Boo!" feint after he backs away and readies for the Dreamland Express combo.

Title Defense Tips

Sandman telegraphs his fastest punches by flinching and winking one eye. He does this at the start of each round, after you've been knocked down, and after you knock him down. He always alternates the direction (left/right) of his flinching, though the direction of the first flinch is random. When Sandman tries to fake you out with a flinch and a wink, quickly jab the winking side of his face to earn a star. Again, he alternates sides with each consecutive wink. Sometimes Sandman steps back and does a few body fakes before coming in with a series of three uppercuts. The timing of his fakes and his uppercuts is identical, so even when he's faking you should time a dodge to coincide with the fake. Even if you're just dodging fakes, the timing will be proper when Sandman decides to start to throwing punches. When you dodge one of Sandman's punches and combo him while he's stunned (first a jab, then a body shop combo), he'll bounce away from the last hit (either the fourth or fifth for most punches). You can catch him with one more punch as he recovers after bouncing away.