Was learning 13-2 any % and looking at the small outcropping housing the solitary mole right at the beginning, if Mario could get on top of there he can then skip the second half of the level. He can't naturally jump that high, but it seems like it might be possible to get up there with a boost from something like a p-switch jump. I'm not great at those and haven't been able to get it to work, but thought I'd ask in case anyone can help figure out if it's possible.

Your theory is correct. I managed to get Mario on top. you need access to both P Switches. once you have them hold one and trigger the other and run left. dodge the deadly obstacles and jump off the mole that was in-caged in the very first part of the level and then perform a P Switch jump and land onto the roof.

I've only managed to get Mario on top of the roof by jumping off the mole and then P Switch jumping. I know that you can in fact receive access to both P Switches. I don't know if the journey back is feasible or if the mole that you need to jump off of falls off the step denying you from performing the trick during your return.

Well that definitely makes things more complicated :P Did you already try to time it out to see if it's faster? If not I'll probably give that a try sometime this week

it does not save time

I managed to get on top of a platform i created in course bot with the same variables, that is the same height as the jump you need to clear in 13-2. Mario was running however

I have cleared the gap in 13-2 with only one P Switch It is possible and it does save time if done

I just recorded a 237 Any% done. Also sorry for the spam. I like to announce my finding to the community. You could possibly shave 1s if you platform without loosing any momentum from hitting Mario into a wall.

:o Nice job - that looked awesome! :D Thanks for figuring it out :) Also wondering if you can jump a bit earlier at the end so you connect with the goal sooner - hitting it from the left or top left corner rather than just the top could save a little time, but it's not enough to make it to the next second on its own. Maybe with your suggestion above it would be enough? Still a really solid time

yes, I just mistimed my jump. but to shave 1s or more, you will need better platforming.