Marth vs. Robin?

[AetherStorm]

Hey, Robin boards. *Awkwardly waves hand.*
As a Marth main, Robin seems to really be the only character I'm having trouble against.
So.

Assuming I approach, the opposing Robin will always throw out an arcfire to keep me at bay. That would be cool and all, but it gives them time to charge thunder. So, of course, I jump over the arcfire. From there, I have three(?) options: Do nothing, which results in them grabbing me as soon as I hit the ground. Use an aerial, which lets them shieldgrab me. Or try for a shieldbreaker to see if I can't lure them into being stunned. Shieldbreaker will work the first time, but once they figure it out, they'll always roll and grab me again. Assuming I somehow do get into optimal Marth position, I can pull off a few attacks, but one hit from the levin sword will send me flying back into to my initial problem.

Any tips to help get around this?

Thanks.

 

[The_Cardinal]

I actually play both Marth and Robin and I have played against Robins as Marth online so perhaps I can give a few pointers.

First off, you're gonna have to be more specific with how you are approaching since that changes everything. I highly recommend walking. Marth and Lucina have the fastest walking speed in the game barring speed Shulk. Unlike a dash, you can do any action out of a walk instead of just a dash attack, roll, jump, grab, or dancing blade. By walking, I was able to doge like 80% of all arcfires by running back or rolling forward into arcfire's blind spot after a walk on reaction.

This should go without saying but as a Marth main you always have to keep your opponents at midrange/tipper range with your sword. One of many spacing tools you can use against Robin is short hop forward fair and then fade back. This will keep Robin at an awkward range where Robin can't abuse projectiles without fear of punishment and although her bronze sword is relatively fast, it will never outrange Marth's falchion. Furthermore, if you tip with any of Marth's moves, including his aerials, they will be safe on block and as such, you shouldn't be shieldgrabbed much in the first place.

Finally, for the love of all that is holy, go offstage against Robin. Although Robin's recovery is by no means bad, it is predictable. Marth has no business respecting it. Even if you don't ko her, it's free damage.

So to sum it up in 3 words: walk, midrange, and offstage. I hope any of this helps.

 

[Tattles]

I actually play both Marth and Robin and I have played against Robins as Marth online so perhaps I can give a few pointers.

First off, you're gonna have to be more specific with how you are approaching since that changes everything. I highly recommend walking. Marth and Lucina have the fastest walking speed in the game barring speed Shulk. Unlike a dash, you can do any action out of a walk instead of just a dash attack, roll, jump, grab, or dancing blade. By walking, I was able to doge like 80% of all arcfires by running back or rolling forward into arcfire's blind spot after a walk on reaction.

This should go without saying but as a Marth main you always have to keep your opponents at midrange/tipper range with your sword. One of many spacing tools you can use against Robin is short hop forward fair and then fade back. This will keep Robin at an awkward range where Robin can't abuse projectiles without fear of punishment and although her bronze sword is relatively fast, it will never outrange Marth's falchion. Furthermore, if you tip with any of Marth's moves, including his aerials, they will be safe on block and as such, you shouldn't be shieldgrabbed much in the first place.

Finally, for the love of all that is holy, go offstage against Robin. Although Robin's recovery is by no means bad, it is predictable. Marth has no business respecting it. Even if you don't ko her, it's free damage.

So to sum it up in 3 words: walk, midrange, and offstage. I hope any of this helps.

How does this all change if it's a male Robin?


Cardinal's tips are all probably the best ways to go about beating Robin on flat stages, but you can gain a further upperhand with platforms. (however they all still apply on platform stages, of course.)

While Robin benefits a lot from platforms as well (try to not be above him, but this applies to basically everyone), it also hinders some things he can do. Arcfire can get caught on a platform, you'll both have to be on the same level for his Thunder's to be a huge threat, or his Levin Sword/Tomes can get caught on platforms; if he goes for them, it'll be easier to punish him for it since you will likely not be in the same exact level, so he can't just throw it the second he grabs it. Marth's air game is a lot better overall, and a hell of a lot more accurate. Approaching quickly from platforms has proven to be pretty good for me.

FAir off of falling off a platform is an easy hit that Robin can't really deal with (this is assuming Battlefield, but it applies to any other similar platform placement low to the ground) unless he hits you with Arcfire, which, you shouldn't be in range for that to hit you (because of the angle it's cast) if you're using your falchion at it's full range with good timing.

Counter is your friend. Robin has a lot of options at any given time, but he's still slow. His smashes don't come out particularly fast, so you may not even have to predict a hit, but rather react to it. Don't abuse it though, because you'll get abused.

 

[Scarf Wynaut]

I've played both Marth and Robin frequently before in the past and what I can tell you is that you need to stay in that desired area that both makes you too close to get hit with an Arcfire (Which you can see and punish before it comes out) and too far away to get hit with any levin Aerials, yet close enough to hit with an Fsmash / ftilt / Fair. Spacing is key in this match-up. Never allow Robin to charge up Arcthunder, as that means that as long as you're in Robin's face, he can throw it out and most likely catch you with it, allowing for nasty follow ups. Don't ever use Counter on one of his Projectiles, it never works because its a multihit and you will take guaranteed damage. Keeping Robin at bay and allowing him to do nothing is the key to winning. You should be out of F-Tilt / U-Tilt / Jab range, which is one of Robin's quickest moves which is great because he's a slow character; his Levin aerials and smash attacks have noticable start-up lag, your Fair should come out faster. Watch out for Nairs and Up-Airs. Assuming you're facing Robin face-to-face, those two moves come out quick and send you flying, allowing for neutral B charging, which is what you do not what. In this instance, Counter is a great option. As @ The_Cardinal mentioned before, edgeguarding Robin is really important and easy to do. Robin's recovery is very linear, meaning he's incredibly vunerable to a sweet D-Air spike or a F-Air gimp. Also, if you see Robin charging a Neutral B, try your very best to space a sweetspot shieldbreaker quickly, the reason being that the only input Robin can do during this stage is releasing the thunder attack or shielding. If they've released neutral B, congratulations, you've succeeded in not allowing Robin to charge up. If they instinctively hit shield, they're taking a massive amount of shield damage or have it broken entirely. Marth doesn't have that many moves that are safe on shield so approaching him / her will be an issue. I'd recommend pressuring Robin at a safe distance is your best bet in succeeding in the match-up.

feel free to correct me if i've made any errors during that, people. hope I helped