Anyone else not play a campy Robin?

[Opana]

I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority here, but I play an aggressive Robin with strong emphasis on Levin Sword aerials. I find basing play around Levin Sword to be a pretty good strategy, as Robin definitely has the tools to stall out its respawn. Dtilt is great for both, "phases" of play, as it's a quick move that while lacking knockback I'd still compare it to a GTFO move, and when Levin Sword is available it can help string fair. Arcfire is good in both phases as well, for stalling or setting up. As for Thunder, I almost always use Elthunder due to its longer range and speed at which it's used compared to the other Thunder charges. I'll use the further Thunder charges during the stall period, but still often use Elthunder over the rest. Also, I make sure to almost always grab the Levin sword and Jump Cancel Pivot Throw it towards them followed by charging Thunder. I also a use a Levin aerial if I know it's my last use to escape combos.

Anyway, am I the only one who emphasizes aggressive play when possible? I know Robin is lacking speed, but as a Ganondorf main I've learned to compensate with mind games and fast bait attacks(Dtilt)..

 

[Mr. Johan]

I'd be interested in seeing some matches with your aggro Robin to see how he works.

I try to mix in a blend of aggro and zoning. If I've got my opponent on lock-down and doing predictable, habitual stuff, I go all in with the Sword and first two Thunder charges, with Arcfire to catch rolls. If I'm not confident I got the read, I reset to normal with a turnaround Arcfire to cover myself.

 

[False Sense]

Well, I usually like to keep my distance, but I don't shy away from charging down the opponent with Levin Sword strikes when the opportunity presents itself.

 

[Altais]

With Robin, I tend to play the bait-and-punish game. If nobody's coming at me, then I'll snipe from a distance with Thoron or Elthunder. Once they come charging at me, I simply wait for an opening and punish them with the Levin Sword or Fire Jab.

If I'm dealing with an opponent with a reflector, I'll often approach them carefully, let them take a swing at me first, block or dodge them, then punish them with a tilt or jab combo, or Smash attack.

At first, I was very campy with Robin, but I've learnt how to use him/her effectively in close-quarters, too. I NEVER use Robin's Smash attacks if the opponent is really close, as they can easily be punished, due to their starting and ending lag.

 

[Ultimastrike]

Robin technically needs to use his/her tactics around the field, which most of the time means using their entire moveset. Robin shouldn't need to go in recklessly with the Levin Sword, considering he's no fighter(despite the good damage and KB behind Levin). Using those tomes will definitely give them an edge.

 

[~ Valkyrie ~]

I tried to play Aggro-Robin first when using him early times of getting the game, but I just couldn't keep up with his sluggishness. You can still approach with SHFF N-Air now and then though but I think I can't really play my Robin aggressively (except when in the air).

 

[Opana]

I don't ignore his whole moveset, but emphasize other areas. I tried shff nair but it seems laggy, as do most(if not all) his aerials seem when shff,

I'll attempt to get a vid, although I try not to upload matches vs. users without their consent even if I hide their name. I'll try for if not user gameplay then FG as that's the next best thing.

I am not saying this way is superior, but I'd like to explore it a bit more.

Robin vs Link FG

Wanted to show a video where I did pretty well with a few mistakes.

Robin vs Robin FG

I made some pretty bad mistakes here, ultimately ends in them suiciding.

 

[chaos_Leader]

I do play an extremely campy Robin, but I'm working to change that. Robin has the tools to take a more proactive stance when he needs to, and there are matchups where that can be to his benefit.

on a side note, I really really hope I'm not the only one who thought of this when considering Robin and the campy playstyle so many players (including me) use with him:

Spoiler

 

[Opana]

Robin probably is best played campy, but I was just curious if anybody made offensive Robin work. Not necessarily with Levin Sword, but in general.

 

[MarioFireRed]

I'd say I play a pretty passive and campy Robin, but that's kind of me relying on my tomes too much and finding myself pretty much useless in close quarters with Levin Sword.

 

[lunarum]

I don't really think Robin is supposed to be played as a campy character. Even though he takes his time to charge up the thunder tome, his performance is best at a certain range, where he can hit with his projectiles, and close in quickly enough to get another hit with his Levin sword. If I need to approach for optimum distance, I approach. If it's a character with high speed and rushdown capabilities, I'll need to back off a bit, since Robin is usually lacking a little in range or speed in his melee attacks.

 

[Opana]

I don't really think Robin is supposed to be played as a campy character. Even though he takes his time to charge up the thunder tome, his performance is best at a certain range, where he can hit with his projectiles, and close in quickly enough to get another hit with his Levin sword. If I need to approach for optimum distance, I approach. If it's a character with high speed and rushdown capabilities, I'll need to back off a bit, since Robin is usually lacking a little in range or speed in his melee attacks.

I see where you're coming from, Mega Man plays like similarly to how you described.

I'm just interested in the many ways one character can be utilized.

 

[Demonstormkill]

I started off fairly campy feeling that I could rely on mostly defensive options but I'm finding that quick characters can break down that approach. Particularly Sheik and Greninja with his shuriken. Branching out and getting familiar with more aggressive play seems to be making a dent in those matchups, and helping with the others too. Having the option to switch at any moment between two viable playstyles offsets Robin's speed problem, because he remains unpredictable even while his movement options are limited. I think to play the ideal Robin you need to know both playstyles in depth, and how to blend them together. It also seems like knowing the cast well pays off with Robin, as I do very well against the characters I know best. Robin kind of actually is tactical because you can bring out the weaknesses in your opponent's character.

 

[Xerox the beautiful]

I play a mix of aggressive as well as bait and punish Robin although lately I've been playing more on the aggressive side using Nair to approach and specials to limit my opponents options similarly to how I play my Peach

 

[Skides]

I don't really play "campy" but I am careful. I use a mix of defense and offense depending on the match-up. I only play super aggressive after a punish or if they are at a high percentage.

 

[guedes the brawler]

Robin's meant to be a camper, because he is a master strategist and this is the best strategy in FE when you are not overleveled and can rushdown, which has it's own parallel in smash.

well played, Sakurai. You didn't give me Chrom but... well played.

 

[adacis]

I play both campy and aggressive, whichever seems to be working against the opponent. I spar with friends regularly, so I must change up the combinations of passive and aggressive fighting constantly. His Levin aerials are most reliable for offensive fighting, but even tomes are good to dish out on the opponent if you've got them scrambling to recover; he can be overwhelming. I like playing the offensive+defensive mix, really makes use of his arsenal to the fullest.

 

[Kevandre]

I'm totes all about that aggro Robin. It works really well.

 

[Scarf Wynaut]

First post in the Robin thread hehe, here I go..

What I like to do is hang around arcfire-range territory, catch them with a shorthop 'fading' (moving backwards) sideB and follow up from there (Uair, fair, grab, fsmash, maybe even nosferatu if i'm feeling fancy). If that doesn't work out then I do what Altais mentioned where I bait out a sloppy play (a laggy aerial, a whiffed grab maybe) and punish accordingly to rack up percent. Killing tools are either arcfire -> Uair (Which is actually very reliable and kills at a reasonable percent), thoron or elwind spiking.

 

[N7Kopper]

Robin's meant to be a camper, because he is a master strategist and this is the best strategy in FE when you are not overleveled and can rushdown, which has it's own parallel in smash.

well played, Sakurai. You didn't give me Chrom but... well played.

Although the only reason it's a winning strategy in FE is that all the (suspiciously not ever female, except pegs, troubadours and the like) mooks just mindlessly rush you. If they'd stay in their fancy castles and force you into an impossible push, they'd win a lot more often.

And by the same token, sometimes Robin has to approach a target with a more powerful camping game.

 

[guedes the brawler]

Although the only reason it's a winning strategy in FE is that all the (suspiciously not ever female, except pegs, troubadours and the like) mooks just mindlessly rush you. If they'd stay in their fancy castles and force you into an impossible push, they'd win a lot more often.

And by the same token, sometimes Robin has to approach a target with a more powerful camping game.

there is actually a random female sniper in that chapter where eliwood promotes in Fe7, i never got why.

and yeah, if enemies turtled and forced YOU to approach stuff would get harder.

 

[Mac2492]

For anyone who plays aggressively, I strongly recommend Speed Thunder, Firewall, and Gliding Elwind. Abuse the hell out of Gliding's spike on the second hit by using it to followup and harrass opponents every time they're off-stage. Firewall gets opponents out of your face and clears out ground campers. Speed Thunder lets you keep up with projectile spammers and rushdown characters plus you don't need to stand still charging for as long. All-in-all this setup lets you play Robin even super aggressively. These moves are much less punishable than her laggy defaults at the cost of power and range, but who needs those when you're in their face with tilts and aerials. =P

 

[The Merc]

I while I do go campy, some times I like to play a patience and aggressive Robin. What I mean is, I wait for my a opponent to give me an opening, then I go full fledged at them, keeping the pressure on so that they can do anything. That or I straight out charge them and give them no room for error. It's a hard play-style to master, I will give you that

 

[Ragna22]

I'll alternate between aggressive and campy based on how much I know about my opponent's play style, if I'm going up against a good player who's being patient I'll play a mix of campy and aggressive play, arcfire setups are amazing for that, if I'm going up against someone who's more wreckless I'll go ham, especially if it's a reckless Bowser Player, those guys are so much fun to combo with any character in my opinion.

 

[CosmicFuzz]

If you give me enough space, I will gladly charge my B special and defend with Arcfire or "camp". A charged B is a deadly tool in Robin's hands and I'll charge it anytime I can.

However, as soon as I knock you off stage or send you flying above the stage, I'm coming after you to secure the kill.

 

[ESoTeRlC]

I would definitely consider myself to be a pretty aggressive Robin, I like to mix zoning with aggression and switch between them often.

 

[Lukred]

I hate going against fellow robins just to have them roll away and spam thoron shenanigans. I strongly disagree with anyone who thinks robin is only good when camping, many players ive seen with robin disregard how good his aggressive/zoning game is. Robin is actually pretty decent at all ranges, which is probably why i love him so much. Often a lot of the time i can count on robin as one of my mains who can pretty much counter anyone, I even disregard reflectors now, its the best feeling in the world when your against a falco, your charge thoron, and never use it... oh the mind games..

 

[Zareidriel]

Rush-down types like Zero Suit aren't going to let you play "campy", they'll be running under your Arcfire even as you cast it. And you can forget about charging Thoron. I guess you could play pretty campy against some characters who would oblige you, but I only stay at long range long enough to get the Thoron charged up; then it's to mid range, to look for an opening, then BZZZT. Trying to run away, throw Arcfires, and charge Thorons all day is only going to lead to defeat against anyone experienced. And when you're playing campy, what do you do when Arcfire runs out? Roll around like a dumbass?