I really don't care much for Death Battle, considering how often they get stuff wrong and even outright ignore their research team, but I'll guess their verdict will go something like this.
AP: Probably Mario. Punting castles > Destroying big robots.
Speed: I'd say Sonic. My guess is they'll use the black hole feat for Sonic while probably using a feat of Mario dodging lasers or something. They'll probably ignore their verdict on Metal Sonic's speed, or just say that Sonic is faster than Metal. (While ignoring the fact that Metal is faster than Sonic.)
Durability: Mario. They're using the stadium explosion for him, and my guess is they'll use Sonic's multiple freefalls from space.
Intelligence: Mario. Not only is Mario smarter than Sonic, he has a lot more experience than Sonic does.
Arsenal: Mario. While they did say that their items countered each other, I think they've realized that that's bullshit. No one's going to say that Sonic has a better arsenal than Mario does.
Natural Abilities: Sonic. Alot of Mario's special powers come from power-ups, while Sonic can create tornadoes and spindash and stuff.
Overall Verdict: While it may seem pretty one-sided, I'm not really sure who they'll have win. If they assume that the black hole powerup Sonic gets turns him into an actual black hole (which they probably will), then Mario's gonna have a hard time avoiding that. Of course, they are using NLF for Starman, the Black Hole won't be able to damage Star Power Mario. Which makes me think Mario will win. But if Super Sonic is being used, it's a different story. He's able to defeat Dark Gaia, which makes him a planet buster, and they'll probably use NLF and say that he's invulnerable. They'll probably say he has a time limit, but it'll be more than enough to speedblitz and defeat Mario. But the more I think about it, I think they'll have him use the Metal Cap, Mega Mushroom, and the Tanooki Suit's ability to turn to stone to outlast Super Sonic, since those power-ups are also "completely invincible." But when Super Sonic runs out, Sonic will be completely healed, while Mario will be heavily wounded, exhausted, and out of power-ups, leading to Sonic overpowering Mario.
