- Game Versions
- Smash 3DS, Smash Wii U
This is a general Robin guide describing how to use him, which means little to no specific move details, frame data, percentages, no info on custom moves, etc.
Overview
As Fire Emblem’s second newcomer, Robin brings a brand of zoning unique to himself. A chargeable projectile, temporary mine, health restoring move and projectile recovery give him a versatile moveset that can be tough to work around without smart prediction. Robin is not completely defenseless up-close, however, as his Levin Sword carries good damage output and combo potential, making it a risky endeavor to approach recklessly, and allowing Robin to function at any distance. These traits make him an unorthodox, yet powerful fighter capable of holding his own from afar.
However, all zoners have flaws, and Robin is no exception. What stops Robin’s arsenal from being overpowered is that his weapons break after a certain amount of uses, temporarily leaving him without an option, or with weaker output in the case of the Levin Sword. This extends to his recovery move, Elwind, which is very dangerous if your opponent can edgeguard well. Befitting of a tactician, Robin is cursed with the slowest run speed in the whole game, which means faster characters can catch up easily. His normal and smash attacks, while useful, also have some startup and long recovery to them, and can miss against said speedsters while they punish him if they miss. That being said, do not expect to get in easily if you lack a solid answer to Robin.
Understanding Robin
Robin's difficulty of use comes from his sheer complexity. The breakable weapons are a big factor here: The Levin Sword breaks after a number of smash attacks, leaving Robin with weaker attacks until it recharges. Overuse of the magic tomes will also destroy them, robbing Robin of specials (including his recovery, which is dangerous against skilled edgeguarders) until they recharge. Learning to juggle all these things in Smash's chaotic combat system will take time and finesse, but the payoff is a diverse moveset geared for most situations. This also means that Robin is not a close range fighter, and despite possessing a great tool in the Levin Sword, it is imperative to avoid close combat as much as possible.
With Robin’s general concept down, let’s examine his moveset.
Moveset and Properties
Robin has 3 ranged projectiles(Thunder and it’s 3 charge levels, each their own projectile, Elwind, and Arcfire), one of which is a stationary, temporary mine of sorts(Arcfire), one chargeable for added power and effects(Thunder) and one of which is his recovery move(Elwind). Also here is his health restoring move, Nosferatu, which restores health if Robin manages to connect it with his opponent, restoring more if it hits from behind, a trait comparable to Shulk’s Back Slash.
Thunder is your go-to projectile, with charge levels not unlike Samus’ Charge Shot. Each charge level is it’s own projectile.
Thunder is a weak, fast projectile that covers 1/3rd of an FD style stage.
Elthunder is a slightly stronger and faster projectile that covers just over two thirds of an FD stage.
Arcthunder starts up slower and is slightly slower than Elthunder, but covers the same distance and hits multiple times on an opponent. Great for when you don’t want to use Thoron to ensure a kill.
Thoron is the maximum charge, represented by Robin flashing. It goes full-screen and hits 4 times normally. If you hold B while Thoron fires, you can add a bit more damage. For UMVC3 players, think of how mashing buttons during a Hyper Combo boosts damage.
Thunder’s uses before breaking are unique. Each spell costs “points” to use, ending in 20, or 20 Thunders. Elthunder can be used 7 times before breaking from full, Arcthunder 4 times, and Thoron 3 times. You can combine these to get the most out of a tome.
Arcfire is Robin’s mine equivalent. It fires(pun intended) downwards to the ground and hits opposing players 5-7 times, the 7th being a small explosion that can hit opponents just outside it’s range. Arcfire is an invaluable tool for getaways, combos with the Levin Sword, setting up a charged Thunder, or finishing off someone at high percentage. You can use it 6 times before it breaks.
Nosferatu is Robin’s health restoring move. It’s a command grab with little range, and heals up to 15% damage. You can use this 4 times before it breaks. Attacking from the back also increases recovery. Use this as a punish to slow or predictable attacks, as the small health can make a huge difference.
Something to note about Nosferatu is that the higher damage you are at, the more health you'll recover if you land it, especially if it's a backstab, sort of like a reverse Lucario. While risky, it can very much decide battles on last stocks, so keep that in mind.
Elwind is Robin’s recovery move. 2 green projectiles move Robin upward before leaving him in a helpless state. This should rarely ever be used for attacking, as the downward angle is difficult to connect both hits with, but is useful in edgeguard wars if your opponent is beneath you for some reason. This tome’s durability is measured if both projectiles come out, so you can get between 9(if both come out) and 18(if only one comes out) uses. Be very careful using this outside of recovering back to the stage, as you could be left completely screwed if you wasted it.
Up-close, Robin is weaker but not defenseless, because of one weapon: the Levin Sword. A reliable tool that deals respectable damage and is a prime killing tool at high percentages. On the ground, the Levin Sword is slow, but kills easier, while the aerial Levin Sword needs an extra bit of percentage to send an opponent flying but is among Robin’s best attacks, especially the backwards version, which is a great poking tool.
Robin's jabs are unique in that they have 2 variations which change based on input, sort of like Marth/Lucina's Dancing Blade. Holding
triggers the 3 hit series with the third hit being a Fire explosion. Mashing the same button uses a repeated Air slash that covers the front of Robin and launches once you release the A button. The former is more reliable for damage output and consistency. Beware that these also eat into your Fire and Elwind tome uses.Worth noting is that weapons flash when about to break. This gives you a clear indicator of planning your next move.
A fun trick you can do is pick up a tome or sword when it's expended like an item; it does surprising damage when thrown and is a decent back up projectile. This must be done quick, however.
Moveset Details and Frame Data
Below is Robin's full moveset plus frame data and other factors such as damage. Credit goes to @Raziek for compiling it and @Croi for the frame data.
Jab 1: 3%. Quick upwards sword slash. Surprisingly good range.
does 3%
shield on frame 38
Jab 2: 3%. Quick downwards slash, similar range.
does 3%
shield on frame 60
(Hold: )Jab 3 (Fire): 5%. Hold A after Jab 2 or just press it once to get the Fire finisher. Small explosion in front of Robin, with decent knockback.
does 5%
interestingly, the hitbox comes out before the explosion
shield on frame 85
(Mash: )Jab 3 (Wind): 5-8%, depending on how many of the 'blades' hit. Decent knock-back, killing around the same time as Fire, but very easy to pop out of the finishing blow when it would actually be relevant for a kill-blow. Once you get the 'vortex' going, you can hold the button to have the blades continue, release it to get the final hit. Use at low to mid percents, use Fire for the kill, due to being able to DI out of Wind's final hit.
multijab:
each hit does 1%/last hit does 3%
shield on frame 54 (after last hit)
Note: Both Jab finishers also consume Tome durability.
Fire counts exactly the same as Elfire, so 6 casts to break.
Wind seems to be about 8 casts. I found out that you can hold 'A' once the vortex starts and the blades will continue until you either release the button, or it breaks. It takes about 18.5 seconds of holding the button down for Wind to break as a result of the vortex.
Tilts
F-tilt: 7% damage. Quick forward slash, angled slightly downwards (so not a straight stab). Reasonably fast start-up and recovery. Hits enemy horizontally, but has awful knockback. Good enough to get them away, but certainly not a killing tool.
does 8%
shield on frame 40
D-tilt: 6% damage. Extremely fast stab at Robin's feet. Short range, but has absurdly fast start-up and almost no recovery. You can spam this move, and shield nearly immediately. Almost guaranteed to be safe, I think. Knocks down and away, but has almost no knockback. Will eventually cause hard knockdown around 150, they have to tech at that point.
does 6%
shield on frame 29
U-tilt: 6% damage. Fast upwards swipe. Has almost no horizontal hitbox, so this is basically reserved for an anti-air and landing trap. Reasonably fast recovery. Not a kill move.
does 6%
shield on frame 43
Dash Attack: Short-ranged stab close to his body. Awful recovery, doesn't kill until fairly late. Not a good option.
dash attack:
does 10%
shield on frame 60
Smash Attacks
F-Smash(Bronze Sword): Short stab in front of Robin, pretty close range punish. Does 9%. Kills around 175.
F-Smash(Levin Sword): Same thing, possibly slightly more range. Does 16%. Uncharged, kills around 130 pre-hit. Not horrible recovery, but is probably not safe.
does 16%
shield on frame 74
D-Smash(Bronze Sword): Overhead slash directly in front of Robin. Does 8%. Kills around 150 maybe.
D-Smash(Levin Sword): Same Slash, does 15%. Levin Sword adds a Shockwave that extends from the sword forwards and backwards (like Dedede's Up-B landing) that does 8% with less KB. Main hit (both sides) kills around 110, probably will be one of his more reliable kill moves.
does 16%
shield on frame 79
U-Smash(Bronze Sword): 9% damage. Upwards slash. Basically no horizontal hitbox, awful KB.
U-Smash(Levin Sword): 15% damage (tip). 10 damage for side hitboxes. Same thing, better horizontal hitbox. The tip hitbox is very strong, kills around 110 as well. Launchers not very strong.
does 16%
shield on frame 70
Aerials
Neutral air: 7% damage on either hit. Relatively fast double slash in an 'infinity' symbol motion. Not particularly good reach in either direction. Not an approach tool, but fairly safe to retreat, or just kinda float it out there. Almost no kill potential. Short-hopping it has a nice auto-cancel window if you don't fast-fall, but has some landing recovery if you do.
interestingly, the hitbox comes out before the "hit splash" graphical effect does
does 7%
shield on frame 21 (after landing lag)
low kill potential
does 7%
shield on frame 21 (after landing lag)
low kill potential
Fair(Bronze Sword): 6% damage. Slight delay before a forwards-facing Scoop slash. Kills around 190-200. Similar to nair, has a solid auto-cancel if you don't fastfall, bad recovery otherwise. Likely able to follow-up with another fair at mid-percents.
Fair(Levin Sword): 11% damage. Same animation. Kills around 140.
does 11%
shield on frame 21 (after landing lag)
medium-low kill potential
Bair(Bronze Sword): 9% damage. Leans back for a fast slash with solid reach, angled slightly downwards. Kills quite late, around 180.
Bair(Levin Sword): 15% damage. Same animation. Kills at like 110. This is probably Robin's second best aerial, behind Uair. Same AC style as all his other aerials.
does 15%
shield on frame 22 (after landing lag)
does 5%
shield on frame 6 (after landing lag)
Uair(Bronze Sword): 7% damage. Upwards crescent slash, similar to Marth's. Kills around 155. Same AC window as Nair and Fair.
Uair(Levin Sword): 13% damage. Same animation, better reach. Kills around 110. Godlike aerial. Seriously godlike.
does 13%
shield on frame 19 (after landing lag)
does 5%
shield on frame 6 (after landing lag)
Dair(Bronze Sword) Dair: 7% damage. Downwards one-handed slash below and slightly in front of Robin. Hits sideways, pretty useless. Hitbox is only at the bottom, not on the actual swing.
Dair(Levin Sword): 12% (side), 10% (bottom). Has a Horizontal hitbox with the Levin Sword, still hits sideways with crappy KB, but at least has some damage. Downwards hitbox ground-bounces, but has too much recovery to follow up on.
does 10%
shield on frame 29 (after landing lag)
Throws
Grab: Puts opponent in a magical bind. Pummel (
) zaps them for 3%, fairly slowly. Pretty short-range standing grab. Dash-grab has better range, but more recovery. Solid pivot grab range, larger than both standing and dashing.standing grab:
variable damage
no shield (shield on frame 41 on whiff)
dash grab:
variable damage
no shield (shield on frame 51 on whiff)
pivot grab:
variable damage
no shield (shield on frame 48 on whiff)
F-throw: 8%. Throws opponent forwards. Very very poor KB growth, sends almost nowhere even at 300%. Sends just far enough to prevent follow-up. Might be able to get a follow-up with Thoron, but can likely jump out of it. Does cause a Jump/Airdodge trap with any Thunder spell or Arcfire.
B-Throw: 11%. Leaves opponent above and behind Robin a solid distance away. Definitely no follow-up. Kills around 150, earlier than I expected given training mode testing. Some strange training mode shenanigans afoot, perhaps.
D-Throw: 6%. Slams opponent into ground, bouncing them vertically. Doesn't kill until long after B-throw would. Decent possibility for follow-up at low percents, with Uair.
U-Throw: 8%. Tosses vertically. No kill power either. No follow-ups.
Special Moves & Custom Specials
(Default Special)Thunder (Neutral B): Charges Thunder tome. Can be charged in the air, canceled with Air-dodge. Can be canceled almost instantly. On the ground, can cancel charge with a roll, shield, or grab. Has multiple release levels: Thunder, Eltthunder, Arcthunder, Thoron. Can tell how charged it is based on how violent the sparks are.
The Charge works in a 'level' system, where you store the highest level you reached. You cannot 'micro-charge' your way to the next level, extra charge is lost.
Example: You're at Elthunder, trying to get Arcthunder. That takes about 1.5 seconds charge. If you do .5 seconds over and over and over, you will NEVER get to Arcthunder. It has to be a full 1.5 second charge 'block'.
Thunder: 3%. Reaches from the center of BF to the edge of the floating platform. Travels fairly fast, but no KB to speak of.
can fire as early as frame 9/hits as early as frame 21
does 3% (unaffected by distance)
shield on frame 43 (after firing)
(charged)Elthunder: 9% damage. About 0.75 seconds charge gets to Elthunder. Elthunder travels a bit slower, but farther. Goes from far edge to far edge of BF's floating plats. Kills really late.
charges in 39 frames/hits as early as frame 50
does 9%
shield on frame 45 (after firing)
(charged)Arcthunder: 10% damage. About 2.5 seconds gets Arcthunder, signified by black sparks. Travels the same distance as Elthunder. Starts moving slowly, but picks up speed as it travels. Kills around 150.
charges in 109 frames/hits as early as frame 120
first hit does 4% (range dependent)/second hit does 1%/third hit does 1%/fourth hit does 1%/fifth hit does 1%/sixth hit does 1%/seventh hit does 1%/10% total
shield on frame 56 (after firing)
(charged)Thoron: 10% (or 18%). About 3.5-4 seconds for Thoron, only when it hits full charge and he goes back to neutral stance. Shoots a fast-moving horizontal bolt that doesn't seem to dissipate. Kills around 120.
Thoron seems to do additonal damage if you hold down B after casting it. It seems like it adds a little bit of extra recovery animation, but is definitely worth it.
The best I can describe it is that it turns Thoron into a channeled beam, where holding the button after casting it deals additional damage if the extra hits connect. The beam is also affected by gravity, so casting it while rising or falling will have it remain level with Robin.
charges in 169 frames/hits as early as frame 189
Shield on frame 44 (after firing)
(Custom Special Move 2)Thunder+: Consumes around double the durability, but does extra damage and knockback, as well as travelling father distance. Takes longer to charge.
Damage values:
Thunder2: 5%
Elthunder2: 11%
Arcthunder2: 13%
Thoron2: 17% or 31%!
Thoron2 seems to do additonal damage if you hold down B after casting it. It seems like it adds a little bit of extra recovery animation, but is definitely worth it.
The best I can describe it is that it turns Thoron2 into a channeled beam, where holding the button after casting it deals additional damage if the extra hits connect. The beam is also affected by gravity, so casting it while rising or falling will have it remain level with Robin.
Damage values:
Thunder2: 5%
Elthunder2: 11%
Arcthunder2: 13%
Thoron2: 17% or 31%!
Thoron2 seems to do additonal damage if you hold down B after casting it. It seems like it adds a little bit of extra recovery animation, but is definitely worth it.
The best I can describe it is that it turns Thoron2 into a channeled beam, where holding the button after casting it deals additional damage if the extra hits connect. The beam is also affected by gravity, so casting it while rising or falling will have it remain level with Robin.
(Custom Special Move 3)Speed Thunder: Fast-charging version of thunder. Travels farther and faster, but deals less damage.
Damage Values:
Thunder3: 2%
Elthunder3: 5%
Arcthunder3: 7%
Thoron3: 10%
Damage Values:
Thunder3: 2%
Elthunder3: 5%
Arcthunder3: 7%
Thoron3: 10%
(Default Special)Arcfire (Side B): 6-11%. The damage you get out of this depends largely on where on your opponent it bursts, as it lingers like PK Fire does. The hitbox widens as it burns, and it ignites as long as it contacts a solid object, including the stage. The burn is long enough that you can definitely follow it up, but I'm unsure how much SDI could affect this. To compensate, the start-up is fairly long, so missing will leave you vulnerable. If you use it on the way up from a jump, it will dissipate before it hits the ground, and thus won't ignite. Use while falling, mostly, or at stuff above you.
does 2%/1%/1%/1%/1%/1%/4%/12% total
shield on frame 65
Hits on frame 87. Perhaps Elfire lasts longer if it whiffs?
(Custom Special Move 2)Arcfire+: 10% damage. Casts about the same speed as Arcfire1, but shoots on a very horizontal angle (~30 degrees). Has a larger explosion hitbox, but still not a kill move.
(Custom Special Move 3)Fire Wall: 6-7%. Turns Arcfire into a near-vertical Fireball that travels very fast, and does not burn It lingers where it hits, and can get up to 2 hits if you hit it in JUST the right spot. On the ground, this hits basically directly in front of Robin's feet. In the air, shoots diagonally downwards at a steep angle. (~70 degrees) Decent knock-back, but won't be killing anyone until 300.
Very, very powerful tool. Probably my Fireball of choice. Very fast, and you can follow behind it pretty safely. Probably Robin's best zoning tool.
Additional Note: Fire Wall lingers long enough to reflect Dedede's Gordos. It's really amazing.
Very, very powerful tool. Probably my Fireball of choice. Very fast, and you can follow behind it pretty safely. Probably Robin's best zoning tool.
Additional Note: Fire Wall lingers long enough to reflect Dedede's Gordos. It's really amazing.
Nosferatu (Down B): Fortunately, I already have all 3 versions of this one!
The basic idea is that Robin creates a dark vortex in front of him. If the vortex hits the opponent, Robin 'warps' next to them and leeches life from them while they are stuck in a 'pain animation', so to speak. He also heals based on the amount of damage he does, healing additional damage if he hits them from the back.
I'm PRETTY SURE this is a grab, and thus can't be shielded. It can be mashed out of to reduce the damage taken. It can be used while airborne, and has a generous vertical catch-box. This will be the basis of a lot of Robin's platform traps.
All damage numbers listed are with no mashing by the CPU.
(Default Special)Nosferatu: 15 damage, 13 healing (front). 15 damage, 16 healing (back). The Vortex spawns right in front of Robin, fairly quickly.
Important: Nosferatu's healing values SCALE! The more percentage you have than your opponent, the more you heal.
[collapse="Data"]
25 vs. 0 - 16 (front), 20 (back)
50 vs. 0 - 24 (front), 29 (back)
75 vs. 0 - 32 (front), 38 (back)
100 vs. 0 - 40 (front), 48 (back)
75 vs. 25 - 24 (front), 29 (back)
999 vs. 0 - 326 (LOL)
[/collapse]
Based on some trial and error, Nosferatu heals you for approximately 13% (from the front, no mashing) + [(Your HP - Opponent's HP) * 1/3].
It gets a bit wonky when the numbers get large because smash likes to use invisible partial percentages.
Neither Nos2 or Nos3 scale AT ALL.
Nos1 confirmed the best.
variable damage
no shield (shield on frame 57 if whiffed)
(Custom Special Move 2)Distant Nosferatu: 11 damage, 6 healing (front). 11 damage, 7 healing (back). NosferaTwo trades a big buff in range for damage. You can grab from almost double the range, though it gains a dead-zone in the original grab space. It also has slightly more start-up.
(Custom Special Move 3)Goetia: 20 damage, 0 healing. NosferaThree ditches the healing aspect of the move entirely, but gains a huge buff in range and damage. The grab-box is about double the size of the normal move, and has a wind-box that pulls nearby opponents into it during its start-up period.
Elwind (Up B): Elwind is Robin's recovery tool. He shoots two wind-blasts below him, propelling him upwards along with it.
(Default Special)Elwind: 5%, 6%. Total of 11% if you hit both blasts. Shoots both blasts below, first giving a slight hop, second giving a large one. Takes you from the middle of BF to just slightly above the top platform.
does 7%/7% (range dependant)
enter helpless on frame 84
low kill potential (can spike?)
(Custom Special Move 2)Soaring Elwind: 4% (first), 5% (second). Shoots two blasts downwards, like Elwind1, but has a noticeable delay between the first and second. The trick is that the second one goes significantly higher than normal (About 1.5 times higher, eyeballing it). Drawback is that you have almost no horizontal movement during the cast, and cannot start to fall horizontally until you reach the Apex (think like Wolf's UpB in Brawl).
(Custom Special Move 3)Gliding Elwind: 4% (first), 3% (second). Shoots one blast diagonally downwards behind him, giving him a large boost forward on about a 30 degree angle, followed by a short vertical second hop.
Advanced: Elwind3 Slide
If you're playing on a sloped stage like YI:B, you can Elwind3 INTO the slope, and your momentum will carry, sliding you up to as far as the middle of the stage! You can shield fairly quickly, but not instantly.
Advanced: Elwind3 Slide
If you're playing on a sloped stage like YI:B, you can Elwind3 INTO the slope, and your momentum will carry, sliding you up to as far as the middle of the stage! You can shield fairly quickly, but not instantly.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You cannot grab the edge while facing backwards DURING the Elwind cast. If you're facing backwards, you will need to go far enough above the ledge to either land on the stage, or enter the specialfall animation, which will allow you to snap facing backwards.
Additional Note: Elwind has a meteor hitbox on Robin's hand during the first wind-slash! Get right above (or next to, in Elwind3's case) your opponent and let it rip!
[collapse="Video Demonstration of Elwind Meteor"]
Intangibles
forward roll:
invincibility ends on frame 23
back roll:
invincibility ends on frame 26
spotdodge:
invincibility begins on frame 3
invincibility ends on frame 18
airdodge:
invincibility begin on frame 3
invincibility ends on frame 29
airdodge landing lag:
Tome/Levin Sword Durability & Regeneration Mechanics
Robin's Levin Sword, and every individual tome has it's own independently tracked durability. Durability is a finite count, not a passively regenerating meter. When the durability runs low, you will be able to see the tome flashing in Robin's hand, indicating that it is about to break. The tome must break completely before it can begin re-charging, at which point it undergoes a 'respawn timer'. After the timer elapses, the tome reappears in his hands, indicated by a visible flash of light, regardless of what Robin is doing at the time.
Once the Sword/Tome breaks, it is forcibly 'ejected' from his inventory and falls to the ground. It pops slightly upwards at first, and during this time, you can grab the item and throw it! Additionally, the items have a hitbox on the way down! (That will hit opponents, but not you) All tomes do the same amount of damage (14-19%, regular vs. Smash-throw), while the Levin Sword does 12%. Amusingly, they are actually pretty powerful when thrown, and can kill around 150-160!
Attempting to use a currently broken tome results in Robin doing the same casting animation, but only getting a small puff of smoke that does nothing, indicating that the tome is still broken. In the case of the Levin sword, he will simply do the Bronze Sword version of the move.
Durability is consumed regardless of whether the move hits or misses, for both the Levin Sword & Tomes.
Dying will have you re-spawn with all of your tomes and the Levin Sword at FULL DURABILITY (regardless of if they were broken or not before you died)
Durability Counts (# of casts before it breaks)
Arcfire: 6 (Flashing at 5).
Elwind: 9 (Flashing at 7)
Nosferatu: 4 (Flashing at 3)
Elwind Note: 9 is for a FULL cast of the move. If you get hit or cancel the cast by some other means, you'll only shoot 1 wind-slash. In this case, it has 18 uses. I just listed 9 as that's the common 'effective' number of times you can cast it.
Thunder is a special case. The Tome itself has a 'total durability' that is shared among all versions of the cast. Tomes begin flashing when they pass 75% of their total durability.
Thunder: 20 (Flashing at 15) = 5% per use
Elthunder: 7 (Flashing at 5) = 15% per use
Arcthunder: 4 (Flashing at 3) = 25% per use
Thoron: 3 (Flashing at 2) = 40% per use
(Thanks to isoZero for correcting my initial guesses)
Thunder2: 10 (Flashing at 8) = 10% per use
Elthunder2: 4 (Flashing at 3) = 25% per use
Arcthunder2: 3 (Flashing at 2) = 40% per use (testing by 1 Arcthunder + 6 Thunder)
Thoron2: 1 = 100%. You use this, it breaks.
Speed Thunder: Identical to Thunder.
The numbers listed are for using the 'individual version' the entire time. However, as an example, you can also do 3 Arcthunders (25 * 3 = 75) and 5 Thunders (5 * 5 = 25) before the tome breaks.
Regeneration Timer:
Thunder tome:
tome regenerates in 615 frames (10.25 seconds)
Fire tome:
tome regenerates in 660 frames (11 seconds)
Nosferatu tome:
tome regenerates in 2352 frames (39.2 seconds)
Wind tome:
tome regenerates on frame 408 (6.8 seconds)
Landing from helpless:
shield on frame 29
Levin Sword
You get exactly 8 swings of any Levin Sword move, starts the warning Flash at 6.
Levin Sword: Regenerates on frame 485 (8.09 seconds)
In other words, go ham with the Levin Sword, and do not worry about conserving it. You will almost always have it, and it's not down long enough to matter, really.
Moveset Overview Video
@NinjaLink also made a video overviewing some of the mechanics discussed in this guide:
@NinjaLink also made a video overviewing some of the mechanics discussed in this guide:
Battle Strategy
The first thing you should do when entering battle is to assess what character type the opponent is using and your first action. If a slow character or a character with no projectiles such as Bowser(watch for fire breath), Ganondorf or Wario(watch out for the motorcycle) is against you, start charging for Thoron until they approach. If your opponent is a fast, melee based character such as Lucina, Zero Suit Samus, Meta Knight or Lucario, it's best to throw out an Arcfire as your first move and gain time to charge Thunder or plan ahead. Finally, if the opponent is also a projectile focused character like Samus, ROB, Mii Gunner, or another Robin, they will most likely charge their projectiles alongside you, so charge Thoron unless they attempt to charge you, when Arcfire should be used instead. Against all of these, beware of them firing early if they stay and charge lest they hit you and gain momentum. For this reason, it's safe to charge until Elthunder to predict an opposing projectile, evade it and conserve momentum.
Robin is very effective as a punisher if you can guess an opponent's reaction or nail their game plan. Slow moves such as Shulk's Back Slash and Bowser's Bowser Bomb are perfect targets for Nosferatu(watch for splash damage when getting close), Arcfires and Thoron. If you catch them early on, these attacks can even be interrupted with an aerial Levin Sword. The latter tactic is high risk, high reward, so tread carefully.
An important part of playing smartly is to know what to do when you lose a tome or your sword. Depending on the weapon, some adjustment is required:
Losing Thunder means you lose your main projectile. With no projectile to speak of, you must rely on Arcfire and the Levin Sword for damage, as you can no longer deal damage from afar. Melee based characters may still have problems due to Arcfire, though.
Losing Arcfire strips you of a valuable defensive tool and instantly makes you more vulnerable to characters that can close distance quickly. If you still have Thunder, use it sparingly while Arcfire recharges, since losing both tomes leaves you reliant on close combat, which you want to avoid.
Losing Nosferatu is seldom a problem due to it's limited usage and practicality, despite its possibly game-changing properties. You won't realize you've regenerated it anyway since it takes a long time.
Losing the Levin Sword strips Robin of his best attack for close quarters combat. Not so much of an issue if you still have Arcfire, a big problem if you lack Arcfire. Having Thunder remedies the problem, but not completely, since Thunder is better suited for long distance damage, although Elthunder can act as a pseudo-Arcfire.
The worthy opponents.
Intended pun aside, characters under these categories give Robin problems, due to their specific attributes that Robin can have trouble working around. Smart play and luck can tip the scales in your favor, however.
Fast characters on both ground and air: Little Mac, Sonic, Zero Suit Samus, and Meta Knight are among those that have very fast mobility and can close the distance of a typical stage lightning fast. Aside from that, their versatile mobility allows them to evade all of Robin's attacks with ease. They tend to be fragile, however, meaning that with enough damage, a Levin Sword or well timed projectile can take a life.
Heavyweights: While carrying the downside of being easy targets due to their frame and bulk, their weight class means that it is very easy to use up tomes several times over trying to KO them, possibly leaving Robin at a disadvantage when in theory they could easily be dispatched.
Characters with projectile reflectors/absorbers: Barring custom moves, characters with an innate ability to reflect or absorb projectiles, such as Mario/Dr Mario, Fox/Falco, Rosalina, and Link can force Robin to approach and risk fighting with his subpar close combat, as attempting to fire against a smart player will usually result in a nullified and/or wasted spell, or in a worst case scenario, reflected back at Robin for massive damage.
Thus ends the General Robin Guide. As I said in the Overview, this is only how to play him at a beginner to intermediate skill level. For those of you looking for the technical stuff like percentages, frames, custom moves and the lot, Raziek's Robin Research Room & Repository has all the information you could possibly need. I hope this guide has given you insight on how to use Robin better.
Now go, trained Tactician, and Bring the Thunder!
Please rate, as all feedback is appreciated.
Video demonstrations will be added soon, as I haven't had much time on my hands. I'll incorporate the other points you mentioned at some point as well.
Your input is highly valued.