Ray MK III Possible moveset
*I'm going to be referencing Solbliminal's pictures a lot, so here's the link:
http://sta.sh/21z8toroojb5
*If I have multiple ideas for a move, then I put another bullet to describe it. It goes without saying that only one bullet point can be used for each command.
Jabs and tilts:
I can't really think of any specific canon moves for tilts, so I won't say anything much here. Ray doesn't need to be holding weapons, so if it makes things easier for the PMDT the I'd be okay with Ray using his fists, but if they want to, then the following two would work.
-Blade gun (not shooting anything, but as said before can just be used as a sword)
-Knuckle gun
N air:
U air:
F air:
D air:
F smash:
-Magnum from Custom robo. A very short-ranged shot that does a lot of damage and knockback. Comes out quickly, like a small flash of light.
-Stun gun, which also has short range, but immobilizes the enemy for a bit, like ZSS.
Up smash:
-Rayfall gun. Ray shoots a collection of blades upward, and they float right above his head for a bit before zooming for the opponent. The second half sounds a bit overpowered...
Down smash:
-Bomb launch (Solbliminal's idea. Upon initiation, a target shows up on the ground. The longer you charge the smash, the farther away the target goes. Releasing the attack fires a missile in an arc, landing on the target. Good for edgeguarding or anti-air.)
-The dash attack of the Funky big-head from Custom Robo, only stationary (he crouches and spins in circles, arms extended, with a damaging hitbox all around him)
Dash attack:
-Dash attack from Custom Robo Arena (Ray slides sideways on his feet, his body angled back a bit, so his front foot hits the opponent)
-sliding shot from Custom robo (Ray slides and shoots three consecutive shots at a slight upward angle. You should be able to slide one way and shoot the other by doing a pivot dash attack)
Neutral B:
-three or four consecutive bullets that fly straight (the jab combo from Solbliminal's page). I based this move off the standard gun from custom robo. You can use the same bullets from the Assist trophy, if possible.
-Gravity gun (Ray's anti-air tool for sure and a must have weapon. It creates an still orb that deals multiple hits of damage. Also a good wall for blocking a few projectiles) ~copied from Solbliminal's post
Side B:
-dash attack from Custom Robo Gamecube (basically Fox's illusion. Opponent flies upward. In the canon Ray Mk can combo after this)
-Trap gun. This move has two modes, like Samus' homing and power missiles. The soft side B will spawn a stationary projectile(s) that waits for a few seconds before flying forward. The strong side B will fire the projectile forward with no delay. Both versions hurt the same.
Up B:
-Air dash from Custom robo Gamecube (two dashes in any direction, essentially a pikachu up-B without hitboxes, Ray should be able to attack out of it). Relatively easy to animate, as the boosters are on his heels, and he just kind of changes body position as he dashes through the air.
Down B:
-fires 2 Pods from Ray's backpack, 1 in each direction. They go back and forth on the platform that they land on until they explode from contact or time. Works kind of like the Bombchu from Smash 4, without the wall climbing.
I think we know it already, but Ray Mk is a character that depends heavily on projectiles. Custom Robo is a game with 3 buttons assigned to projectiles (gun, bomb, pod), and 1 button for the close range dash attack. The name of the game is to run, jump, and dash around while shooting all sorts of projectiles, while dodging your opponent's shots. The main ways to land hits are to read your opponent and shoot where you think they'll be, to chase them down while shooting them, or to send out pods and bombs to force them into a spot where you can projectile spam them. Juggling with projectiles was a thing, as was using the dash attack to lead into projectile juggling. Thus, Ray Mk's game should be to strive for absolute control of the stage using his amazing maneuverability in air and on the ground, combined with his variety of tools. It's similar to P:M's Snake, but Ray plays faster-paced, with less close combat and more aggressive projectile zoning. However, Ray can get hit by his own projectiles, so he needs to be careful with where he places his attacks. Furthermore, acrobatic characters like CF and Sheik can weave through the many projectiles and combo Ray, who should have a pretty decent weight to him. Some of Ray's moves also give him some horrible lag afterward, so that could also be a weakness. I think Ray should be defined by using a bunch of weak projectiles to juggle (perhaps alternating between weak close and long range moves), and finishing with a few hard hitting close-range moves.
As for animation, most of his attacks, even in the Gamecube version, have him doing pretty much the same thing for the gun attacks and the bombs, which is him holding out the gun and having a bit of recoil from firing, pretty easy stuff (actually only the bomb launch had any real recoil. The guns didn't move his arm at all). Dash attack should be easy as well, as he's either standing still, or standing still while shooting a gun. The main pain will probably be the pod launch animation, as well as all the sprites for each gun and their respective projectiles. The fact that he's a robot also means that there's no flowing cape or anything that the animators will have to have constantly moving around along with Ray
I have read a bunch of earlier posts discussing Ray Mk and I tried to incorporate them into this moveset, but I'd always appreciate any help on Ray's possible moves.