Best Way to Approach with Roy?

[TheClamFace]

I'm curious but I'm not really sure which is the safest/most effective option. I've heard that spacing a nair is good, empty jumps to bait options, fair, etc.

 

[Nogarr]

I personally do shff nair d-tilt or jab to grab

 

[ArcanaXIII]

Switch it up between SHFF Nair and IASA Fair

 

[Gawain]

Nair and fair. Both of them are safe to land with if you space them out. Nair is much more forgiving than fair, but fair has a bigger hitbox. To be safe with a landing fair you need to land with the sweetspot hitbox, but not be too close. Hit with about 2/3 sword length to do it.

You can also approach on the ground with dtilt and ftilt if you need to play safely, both of which are safe on shield when used properly.

 

[Pale Tuna]

Switch it up between SHFF Nair and IASA Fair

May I ask what "IASA" stands for?

 

[ArcanaXIII]

May I ask what "IASA" stands for?

I remember ZeRo saying that it's "Interruptible As Soon As possible" when demonstrating the very same IASA Fair Roy tech in one of his videos. The wiki says it's "Interruptible As Soon As frames". Take your pick, they both mean pretty much the same thing.

 

[Kealmir]

Once you have those down, Tomahawk Grabs are a great mix up, and are really effective with Roy as he has so many options out of grabs. Neutral with Roy has a Rock-Paper-Scissors effect with Attack, Shield and Grabs so I also recommend learning some spacing tools. Dash Dancing isn't as useful in Smash 4 as it was in Melee, but Extended Dashing Dancing has gotten me a lot of distance with Roy, and MySmashCorner has a very resourceful video of it on youtube that would explain it better then I could.

 

[FMHappy]

Would SH/SHFF into spaced dtilt be a good approach/mix up for Roy/MarthCina?

 

[Rinku リンク]

N-air and F-air are relatively good approach options if you space them well. Considering Roy's fast fall speed I personally like to empty SH into grab as a mix up.

 

[JJpalmer]

i spam nai a bit too much i always accidentally cancel the swing on fair so ill have to try it a bit more the sh empty jump is great tho if you can cross shields up nair super awesome for that.

 

[Kealmir]

i spam nai a bit too much i always accidentally cancel the swing on fair so ill have to try it a bit more the sh empty jump is great tho if you can cross shields up nair super awesome for that.

Try sliding your thumb from "X" to "A" in a fast swiping motion. (best way I can describe it) This will start the attack as your rising, rather then when you're falling. Some characters that have fast aerials wont even have landing lag if you get used to this motion.

This wont work for Uair (I recommend using the c-stick for Uair) cause it will always do a "Jump Canceled Up-smash" at that speed, but the other Directional Aerials and Nair work fine. While this method does work in Smash 4, it also won't work in Melee cause hitting the A button fast enough cancels the jump. This is probably the only example I can think of where being faster at inputs benefits Smash 4 to Melee.

 

[JJpalmer]

oh ill have to try that i imagine if the input for dance trotting wasnt so difficult itd be a pretty solid mind game to help approaching

 

[Kealmir]

Make a rhythm game out of the inputs and it should be easier to grasp, I found if i focused on the motion rather then the result it became muscle memory faster, same goes for Shield Dropping, Pivoting and Neutral B reversals.

Edit: I recommend practicing Foxtrotting and Extended Dash Dancing with Zelda. Every character has a different timing for it but Zelda's timing felt the most natural to me and is very similar to Roy's. If Zelda isn't for you, The Falcion's and Falcon also have similar timing.

 

[Jink8]

Nair is your best option but try mixing it up with grabs

 

[Hanku Hirru]

Roy has the mobility and power to dictate the pace of the match, so learning how to pressure your opponent without being overly aggressive and easily punishable is key in your approach. Undoubtedly, Nair is the best option for approaching; it produces the least landing lag of his aerials and is relatively safe to use. He gets so much damage off grabs, but not every opponent is going to allow Roy the opening for a grab, so it's advisable to maximize mixing up your approach (i.e PP grabs, empty short hops, etc.).

 

[Jenna Zant]

SH -> fair -> jump away before you hit the ground
SH -> first hit of nair sourspotted
Empty SH into grab
Pivot dtilt could work, to, but I'll need to test that.

 

[ILOVESMASH]

I usually do tomohawk D-Tilt, Jab, and Grab to approach. I personally don't like going for SH Nair and Fair unless I am punishing a mistake made by opponent since these moves are very punishable. Fox trot grab is something I like to do as well since Roy's default dash grab range is bad and the Fox Trot can sort of extend it.

 

[LunarWingCloud]

Short hop fairs are so delicious. Learn to use them. Roy's fair is like one of the safest fairs in the game if you use it right, honestly.

 

[Thirtyfour]

Nair, Fair, Uair, Flare Sword, empty hop, SH retreating B-Reversal Dancing Blade and Flare Blade vs shield. Jab, Ftilt, Dtilt, superb movement, and Flare Blade to prevent approaches.
I'd go into detail, but I still have a lot to learn about Roy.

 

[Simperheve]

I tend to use SH fairs or nairs as they are usually enough to pressure opponents or create the correct range for Grab or Jab combo. Otherwise try baiting your opponent into whiffing an approach and then punish with a dash grab.

 

[swaffles]

shff nairs, dtilts, and empty jumps are good for spacing and keeping the opponent guessing but i find it more effective to approach with an aerial incomplete double-edged dance or a wavebounced (away) double-edged dance because it drags your opponent towards you and can set up to a jab, grab, or any creative option you want.

 

[anas abou]

try to utilize the auto cancel frames as you mixup between nairs/fairs. i like to go for empty hops into d-tilt/grab/jab which works great for me in tight situation AI when high level players be getting that scanning complete.

 

[Noble6Gabe]

I would recommend a short hop nair as a good option

 

[Zoramine Fae]

Not that I use Roy as a Main (He's actually a fun secondary I use), but SH NAir or Fair work alot, but for some reason I also like using UAir. But I really prefer just playing mindgames on the ground and waiting for my opponent to approach. For some reason I hate approaching as Roy, usually just gets me punished.

 

[Gecko Moria]

every time I do sh nair and fair I get punished with a grab. Am I doing something wrong?

 

[Seraphim.]

every time I do sh nair and fair I get punished with a grab. Am I doing something wrong?

Either bad spacing on your part or you're fighting a character with fast OoS options. Try adding in a empty hop > grab as a mixup to keep your opponent guessing.

 

[MaximalGFX]

Can the first hit of Nair actually be safe on shield if spaced properly?

Because I love using it to get kill confirm. I normally wait for my opponent to wiff a laggy move and punish with the first hit of Nair into Jab > Up-B or Dsmash depending on %. But against characters like Fox, who doesn't have that many laggy moves, I feel like my only option is to get a raw Nair. Which get me killed most of the time...

So is there a way to properly space the first hit of Nair or is there something else I should keep an eye on to land it?

 

[Jenna Zant]

Can the first hit of Nair actually be safe on shield if spaced properly?

Because I love using it to get kill confirm. I normally wait for my opponent to wiff a laggy move and punish with the first hit of Nair into Jab > Up-B or Dsmash depending on %. But against characters like Fox, who doesn't have that many laggy moves, I feel like my only option is to get a raw Nair. Which get me killed most of the time...

So is there a way to properly space the first hit of Nair or is there something else I should keep an eye on to land it?

Nair is safe on shield when it's spaced the farthest away you can hit it, ie, where you'd get a tipper if you were playing Marth.

 

[Zi^]

https://youtu.be/iiZJJ_fQIqkfQIqk
just this.
it's just completely safe.
if you hit a shield, jump.
the end (?)

 

[anas abou]

well SH nair just got buffed on landing so it's now safer by a sizeable margin. i would still go for empty hop to grab its just too good of a mixup.

 

[anas abou]

well SH nair just got buffed on landing so it's now safer by a sizeable margin. i would still go for empty hop to grab its just too good of a mixup.

 

[LEGOfan12]

I sometimes use D-tilt, F-air, N-air, or jab.

 

[anas abou]

https://youtu.be/iiZJJ_fQIqkfQIqk
just this.
it's just completely safe.
if you hit a shield, jump.
the end (?)

i'm liking fair to dancing blade so far it's kind of like marth's dancing blade to uair in terms of shield pressure.