Rex Drives into Battle! (...As Pyra's Final Smash!!)

[Dr. Jojo Phantasma]

Yeah, the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 community definitely has a "dedicated" Nia fanbase, but even then I disagree. If I had to pick someone that isn't Rex I would go for Morag.

 

[Deleted member]

For those interested, today is Rex and Pyra's day on Rate Their Chances.

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

For those interested, today is Rex and Pyra's day on Rate Their Chances.

Going to write my scores ASAP

 

[TCT~Phantom]

For those interested, today is Rex and Pyra's day on Rate Their Chances.

Beat me to the punch, rally out there if y’all want.

 

[Strider_Bond00J]

With quite a vocal amount of people decrying Rex & Pyra for designs alone in the RTC, it makes more than a few supporters feel like they're outliers... But then again, Smashboards is a minority crowd amongst the internet - it may or may not reflect what other communities and the development teams may think in the long run. Still, sometimes I'd rather not judge which characters I want in Smash based on just design alone - rather, I'd rather look at questions such as 'What could this character bring to Smash?'

Of course, Rex's design is a lot more anime-esque and over the top compared to Shulk's more simple and realistic design, and Pyra is quite fan-servicey enough; but I will admit - sometimes XC2 does take things a bit far when it comes to fan-service.

Part of me wonders where the future Xenoblade art style will go... Maybe something like the current art engine but more realistic (Aka more zippers jk) like Tetsuya Nomura who designed the Torna group for future games, or stick with Saitou for more anime-esque character designs... Or I'm running low on thinking power for the night...

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

With quite a vocal amount of people decrying Rex & Pyra for designs alone in the RTC, it makes more than a few supporters feel like they're outliers... But then again, Smashboards is a minority crowd amongst the internet - it may or may not reflect what other communities and the development teams may think in the long run. Still, sometimes I'd rather not judge which characters I want in Smash based on just design alone - rather, I'd rather look at questions such as 'What could this character bring to Smash?'

Of course, Rex's design is a lot more anime-esque and over the top compared to Shulk's more simple and realistic design, and Pyra is quite fan-servicey enough; but I will admit - sometimes XC2 does take things a bit far when it comes to fan-service.

Part of me wonders where the future Xenoblade art style will go... Maybe something like the current art engine but more realistic (Aka more zippers jk) like Tetsuya Nomura who designed the Torna group for future games, or stick with Saitou for more anime-esque character designs... Or I'm running low on thinking power for the night...

I'd say it can go either way. Or just be a whole new style altogether for the next game.

And like you, I'd judge a character for what they can bring to Smash or how they play than for the way their design looks. For example, Kass from Breath of the Wild has a great design among the Zelda cast and that still doesn't mean he would make a great fighter. Just an NPC.

 

[Deleted member]

Rex and Pyra
64.69% Chance
46.10% Want

Not bad. The chance rating I feel is reasonable, and I honestly expected the want rating to somewhere be in the thirties. Still, some people just can't look past the character designs.

 

[egaddmario]

Definitely support!! Xenoblade 2 was a masterpiece and Shulk was my most wanted Smash 4 character.

 

[King9999]

I think is guaranteed to be in the game. I think he'll be similar to Ice Climbers except Pyra/Mythra can't die and will just return to the stage if she falls. What they could also do is put Pyra/Mythra in the background, like Pokemon Trainer.

 

[fogbadge]

some of the spoiler areas would make great stages

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

I never realized how much I wanted this to happen in Smash until now.

if Smash Switch has a story mode, imagine reenacting silly scenes like the tea one? I feel that Pyra just seems to fit if she's in it pic.twitter.com/TZH30H9mgI

— Kira (◕ᴥ◕) ✨🩵💙 ⓸ (@kiravera8) March 23, 2018

Please have Pyra drink tea with the other ladies, Sakurai.

 

[Dr. Jojo Phantasma]

I can see her tea drinking in one of her victory animations.

 

[HypnoMaster372]

I can see her tea drinking in one of her victory animations.

Well Ihat is what I call *puts on shades* a sick burn.

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

Well Ihat is what I call *puts on shades* a sick burn.

Yes, this is too good to leave out.

 

[Staarih]

Something just popped in my head, this might've been discussed here already but how do you think they'll go about with Rex/Pyra's emblem and victory theme? I mean, the traditional thing to do is use the same as Shulk, as they're from the same series, but his emblem (a Monado-esque thing) and victory theme are heavily inspired by XC1, so I was just wondering what the general consensus of that would be.

 

[Stalag Yakuishi]

A: Autoattack
Down A: Sweep
Side A: Side Sweep
Up A: Up Sweep

B: Blade Swap (Small Cooldown)
Pyra: Low Attack But High Defence
Mythra: High Attack But Low Defence
Side B: Sword Bash (Charge.)
Down B: Rolling Smash
Up B: Double Spinning Edge (Like Link's Up B.)

Grab: Anchor Shot

Aerial A: Autoattack
Aerial Side A: Side Sweep
Aerial Up A: Up Sweep
Aerial Down A: Sweep
Aerial Back A: Backstab (Like Shulk's Back A)

Aerial B: Blade Swap (Small Cooldown)
Aerial Side B: Sword Bash (Charge.)
Aerial Up B: Rolling Smash
Aerial Down B: Double Spinning Edge (Like Link's Up B.)

Down Smash: Rex Stabs the ground and Fire/Light Emerges
Up Smash: Second Part of the Autoattack
Side Smash: First Part of The Autoattack

Final Smash: Burning Sword, Sacred Arrow, or Infinity Blade (Pneuma's Level 4 Special)

This is what I think should be Rex's Moveset For Smash 5 for Switch

Edit:
(Pyra)
Taunt 1: Pyra Drinking Tea
Taunt 2: Pyra and Rex Talks
Taunt 3: Rex admires his blade (Not Current Blade)
(Mythra)
Taunt 1: Mythra Smacks Rex
Taunt 2: Rex gets Pelted By Mythra
Taunt 3: Rex admires his blade (Not Current Blade)

 

[PSIGuy]

Something just popped in my head, this might've been discussed here already but how do you think they'll go about with Rex/Pyra's emblem and victory theme? I mean, the traditional thing to do is use the same as Shulk, as they're from the same series, but his emblem (a Monado-esque thing) and victory theme are heavily inspired by XC1, so I was just wondering what the general consensus of that would be.

Characters from the same franchise have different victory themes like Bowser/Jr and MetaKnight have shown. Rex/Pyra could have the "defeated a unique monster" theme, Elma could have the "mission complete" theme. As for series icons, the Aegis is just another Monado and in X the Monado appears on Lin's hairbands and all the tanktops (among other cosmetics). And since X is a long line of Lin making Tatsu jokes and obtaining tanktops that means every player will see the Monado in X anyway.

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

Something just popped in my head, this might've been discussed here already but how do you think they'll go about with Rex/Pyra's emblem and victory theme? I mean, the traditional thing to do is use the same as Shulk, as they're from the same series, but his emblem (a Monado-esque thing) and victory theme are heavily inspired by XC1, so I was just wondering what the general consensus of that would be.

Using part of the Battle Theme would work the best IMO.

 

[sman3579]

Rex is gonna make it for sure. Probably with Pyra/Mythra by his side. It would be cool if he had a blade switch feature and could switch between

Spoiler

Pyra, Roc, and Nia

.

 

[fogbadge]

Rex is gonna make it for sure. Probably with Pyra/Mythra by his side. It would be cool if he had a blade switch feature and could switch between

Spoiler

Pyra, Roc, and Nia

.

dude spoilers

 

[King9999]

My attempt at a moveset (specials only + unique mechanics):

Special Mechanic: Blades
Rex comes equipped with three blades, each of them with a different role: attacker(ATK), healer(HLR) and tank(TNK). ATK is Pyra/Mythra, HLR is Dromarch, and TNK is Poppi Alpha. Each blade changes Rex's B attacks, the equipped weapon, and smash attacks, making Rex a complex character to learn. Blades stand in the background, and only act during a smash attack.

Special Mechanic: Affinity Bond
Rex has a bond between himself and the current blade in play. The bond strengthens as Rex scores KOs. Once the bond is maxed out, Rex gains additional effects depending on the Blade that's in play:

ATK: power and speed boost
HLR: healing effects are doubled
TNK: all A attacks gain armor on startup and protect against 1 attack.

Affinity bond levels do not carry over between Blades, which means Rex must switch Blades if he wants to boost affinity with a particular blade. Also, bonds between all blades are reset whenever Rex is KOed.


B Specials

Down B: Blade Change
Rex swaps out the current blade with another one. Blades are summoned in the following order: ATK > HLR > TNK and then back to ATK. Blades can only be summoned while Rex is grounded and not performing any other actions.


Neutral B (ATK): Anchor Shot
Rex shoots his trusty anchor. On hit, the opponent trips. Has no KO potential. Can be used to recover back to the stage.

Neutral B (HLR): Strong Saucer
On hit, grants a 40% chance to spawn a potion. Potions restore 2% damage, and can be picked up by anyone.

Neutral B(TNK): Rigid Shield
Rex goes into a guarding state with drill shield, protecting against 1 attack from the front. Once Rex makes contact with the opponent, he is allowed to perform any action. Essentially gives armor to any move, but Rex is slowed down greatly while it's active and can't be cancelled. Lasts for 3 seconds. Only protects from the front.

Side B(ATK): Double Spinning Edge
Rex lunges forward with a double strike. In air, it moves him forward, making it OK for recovery.

Side B(HLR): Spin of Bravery
Attacks opponents on either side of Rex, giving Rex a "get off me" move similar to Link's spin slash. On hit, Rex is healed for 1% damage for each opponent struck.

Side B(TNK): Spinning Cutter
Like Spin of Bravery, except Rex gains armor during active frames. While active, Rex can move left and right.

Up B(ATK): Rolling Smash
Rex leaps into the air and comes down with a fiery strike. The strike has AOE and hits opponents on either side of Rex.

Up B(HLR): Eightfold Edge
Not the same as in XC2. Multi-hit rising attack with twin rings. Healed 0.5% for each hit landed.

Up B (TNK): Steady Drill
Multi-hit rising attack with armor lasting until the end of the move. Does not rise as high as his other UP B's.

Final Smash: Full Burst Chain Attack
Rex and his Blades attack all opponents while bursting elemental orbs, ending with a Lv 4 attack with the currently equipped Blade.

 

[Dr. Jojo Phantasma]

That is a cool moveset, though I wonder if a certain blade can be the HLR blade, I guess it all depends how spoiler heavy Sakurai is willing to get to.

 

[King9999]

That is a cool moveset, though I wonder if a certain blade can be the HLR blade, I guess it all depends how spoiler heavy Sakurai is willing to get to.

I thought about that too, and I think he's likely to avoid spoilers, especially for a recent game.

 

[DraginHikari]

That is a cool moveset, though I wonder if a certain blade can be the HLR blade, I guess it all depends how spoiler heavy Sakurai is willing to get to.

If past situations remain true. I would image he would keep as much to the early game as possible.

 

[Morbi]

If past situations remain true. I would image he would keep as much to the early game as possible.

While true, it is a bit lame, that we lose a lot of potential for spoiler reasons. I can only imagine a world where Sheik never existed in Smash because of "spoilers."

 

[DraginHikari]

While true, it is a bit lame, that we lose a lot of potential for spoiler reasons. I can only imagine a world where Sheik never existed in Smash because of "spoilers."

I suppose it depends how how long you want to tag something a spoiler since Ocarina of Time was released in 1998 with Melee coming out in 2001 compared to a game that came out last year and how comfortable Sakurai and his team feel like revealing.

 

[Morbi]

I suppose it depends how how long you want to tag something a spoiler since Ocarina of Time was released in 1998 with Melee coming out in 2001 compared to a game that came out last year and how comfortable Sakurai and his team feel like revealing.

It does not really depend, in my opinion. Either you use the potential or you do not. Basically, the way I see it, if you cannot properly represent a character without spoiling the experience within a certain time frame, why even bother adding the character within said time period?

But, again, it is what it is. Rex/Pyra is extremely likely and given that the game only came out a few months ago, I could absolutely see them treading carefully.

 

[King9999]

We also have to remember that they're still making DLC for the game, which could mean potential new players. I think it would be best if they avoided spoilers for a game that's still getting new content.

 

[HypnoMaster372]

I honesty don't see any major lost potential if the Smash Team just limit theirselves of only using the knowledge from the first 4/5 chapters, since I feel it would offer enough variety in content without having to delve too deep into spoiler territory; examples being -

• Granting access to Mythra for Rex moveset
• Opening further XB2 stage optains, such as Mor Ardain. Heck, maybe even a potential travelling stage.
• Just having more options for more Xenoblade 2 trophies
• & of course we can't forget the choices of more jam-packing tunes

Just leaving out Mythra AND Mor Ardain would just be saddening since it would be, respectively, Rex missing moveset potential & basically not including Xenoblade 2 Gaur Plain (like they seriously should not include Torigoth/Gormott Province over Mor Ardain. We don't need another Plain stage, both geography & (my expected) stage complexity.)

 

[King9999]

I think the best stage would be the Leftherian Archipelago. That area is all platforms, and Smash is all about platforms.

 

[DraginHikari]

I think the best stage would be the Leftherian Archipelago. That area is all platforms, and Smash is all about platforms.

I image it's a possibility. Though it's kind of later half of the game.

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

I think the best stage would be the Leftherian Archipelago. That area is all platforms, and Smash is all about platforms.

Just think of being able to swim around in the rising cloud sea too.

The potential with that stage is endless.

 

[Ultrawing]

Something just popped in my head, this might've been discussed here already but how do you think they'll go about with Rex/Pyra's emblem and victory theme? I mean, the traditional thing to do is use the same as Shulk, as they're from the same series, but his emblem (a Monado-esque thing) and victory theme are heavily inspired by XC1, so I was just wondering what the general consensus of that would be.

Emblem will most likely stay the same, for 1, The Monado is a Symbol of Xenoblade, The Name of the Series was going to be "Monado: The Beginning of the World", Plus

Spoiler: Spoiler for a Certain part of Xenoblade 2

One of the Game's Villains, Malos. Has the Monado as his Blade Weapon

.

As for Victory theme, There is one That is Perfect, In Xenoblade 2 there is a Victory Jingle that Plays when you defeat a Unique Monster, and that Jingle is going to be Rex's Victory theme

 

[Megadoomer]

dude spoilers

I just put in a spoiler tag; I haven't played the game yet, and I intend to go in as blind as possible once I do (I'd like to beat Xenoblade 1 first), so I have no idea which part of that would be considered spoilers. Hopefully I guessed right.

 

[Deleted member]

I've clocked over a 100 hours on Xenoblade 2 and I've loved it. Going into the game I didn't know if I'd like Rex, but he actually really impressed me. Not the best character in the game mind you (that would be Nia), but he definitely had a good character arc alongside Pyra imo. I 100% support him for Smash, and I think he has a really good chance at making it in especially with DLC on the table. One thing I've seen a lot of discussion about is how he would work, in Smash, so I'll just add my two cents. It's long so it's more like two dollars though.

Spoiler: Moveset Thing with minor spoilers

Spoiler: Premise & Unique Mechanics

The idea behind this moveset is to focus on Rex and Pyra's bond with each other. That's the main focus of the story, and a huge part of the Blade mechanic in general. It's why a Blade's skill tree is called an affinity chart, power bonuses are provided upon increasing trust, and why there's an affinity link between Driver and Blade in battle that strengthens the closer they are to each other.

With that in mind, Rex would only fight with Pyra. No other Blades. Other Blades would needlessly complicate the moveset, increase development time, dilute the focus away from Pyra, and turn Rex into a transformation character.

As for Mythra, while she seems like the best choice for a Final Smash since she's a stronger version of Pyra, I decided against her inclusion outside of anything more than an alternate color or other easter eggs mainly because there's a better choice for Rex's Final Smash: Burning Sword. This is perfect to showcase their bond because it involves both Rex & Pyra and requires max affinity to activate. It doesn't help that Mythra is a completely different character than Pyra when it really comes down to it, so it'd be odd to have her be Rex & Pyra's super especially when Burning Sword is what they rely on in cutscenes.

The one possibility I've considered to make Mythra playable is to have Pyra transform into her as a reward for reaching max affinity, changing a few moves, namely Blade Specials, and the fire effects to a light effect. The altered moves would be better, of course. This the only way I can foresee (heh) a playable Mythra happening, as other transformation ideas just don't stay true to canon or sacrifice Pyra for the sake of having Mythra. I'll cover both options of Mythra and no Mythra in my moveset, but keep in my mind that my thoughts on Mythra aren't completely fleshed out so they won't be as detailed or set in stone.

A minor point, but there's also no need for Blade Arts, since those lack player control and don't have anything to do with the general theme of friendship.

Now that I got what I didn't include out of the way, here's how the general mechanics outlining how Rex & Pyra are unique fighters:

Spoiler: Affinity

This is the most integral part of their moveset and the main gimmick. Affinity perfectly showcases the theme of friendship and Rex & Pyra's unique bond.

Much like in Xenoblade 2, affinity works on a number scale. To explain, I'll just use 1-100 with a special value of 0 to represent how it would work. At the beginning of each stock, Rex & Pyra have an affinity of 50. This value constantly fluctuates, increasing over time when they're near each other and decreasing over time when they're separated. The rate of change varies with the distance as well, so affinity increases the fastest when they're right next to each other, and decreases the fastest when they're very far away from each other. There are 4 'ranges' of affinity: no affinity, low affinity, normal affinity, and max affinity.

No affinity (the '0' I was talking about earlier) is the lowest value, but can only be triggered if Rex & Pyra are immensely far away from each other. There is a small damage and knockback modifier penalty in this state. When Rex & Pyra have no affinity, there is no affinity line between them. Their affinity goes back to whatever value it was before they got separated (with whatever deductions they accrued over time subtracted from their total) as soon as they're in range of each other again.

Low affinity ranges from the values of 1-20. There is a small damage modifier penalty in this state. Low affinity is represented by a dark blue affinity line that connects Rex & Pyra.

Normal affinity, the default state, ranges from the values of 21-80. There are no bonuses or penalties in this state. Normal affinity is represented by a lighter blue affinity line that connects Rex & Pyra.

Max affinity ranges from the values of 81-100. There is a noticeable movement speed bonus and a small damage and knockback modifier bonus in this state. Max affinity is represented by a golden yellow affinity line that connects Rex & Pyra, and the two gain an aura of the same color. If Pyra was going to transform into Mythra here, the Blade Specials will be altered to fit the change (and be better, of course), while every fire effect is changed to light. Also, Mythra improves Rex's attack speed/frame data on his aerials, jab, tilts, and dash attack instead of granting a damage bonus to fit her light element and recharge boost skills. Rex still gains a movement speed buff though.

This system is much like an inverse of Lucario's Aura, rewarding players for doing well and punishing them for doing poorly. However, it's tied to positioning rather than damage.

Spoiler: Pyra's 'Follow' Feature

In my moveset, Pyra follows Rex around the stage rather than sitting in the background like Pokemon Trainer did back in Brawl. This is more accurate to Xenoblade 2's combat in the game and in cutscenes while playing into the idea that the two fight together. It's also very much apart of how their affinity mechanic works, since Pyra needs to be on stage and moving around to make the system dynamic. Here's how it works:

Pyra defaults to standing a little less than a Battlefield platform's distance behind Rex when given the opportunity. When Rex is inevitably launched away from her, Pyra will walk, run, and jump over to his side to minimize affinity loss, with a last resort being her whole 'flame on' thing from when she escaped her pod on the ancient vessel if her jumps aren't enough.

However, since Pyra cannot defend herself normally like Nana or Luma, she has a defense mechanism: Xenoblade 2's block barrier. When attacked, Pyra creates a barrier to defend herself. It looks cool but it's just a stylized shield. To prevent abuse, this barrier also depletes Rex's shield health, but there would be a minimum value it couldn't drop past to prevent Rex's shield from breaking from an attack he didn't shield to prevent any bugs (like having a shield break in midair).

Spoiler: Blade Specials

The other reason Pyra follows Rex on stage. During Blade Specials, Rex tosses his sword to Pyra, who then performs the attack before tossing the sword back to Rex. These moves are all Smash Attacks (except Burning Sword, which is their Final Smash), befitting of their power and hitbox size.

Since Rex has to toss the sword to Pyra, these moves cannot be performed if he is in hitstun, solving an annoyance many have with the other duo characters. This also balances the attacks, as even though they're very large, somewhat long lasting, and powerful, the tosses do take up a few frames. And when Rex doesn't have a sword, he cannot perform any attacks himself besides moving and shielding.

These attacks make for a different duo character than what we've seen before, as Rex & Pyra share one weapon for attacks and as such only one performs a move at a time.

Spoiler: Differences From Other Swordfighters

Rex puts a lot of effort into his sword swings. He's a very heavy sword character, unlike Shulk, who flings his sword around like it's nothing. And then there's the obvious fire effects on nearly all of his attacks, the affinity mechanic, and Pyra's Blade Specials.

So that about covers the theory behind everything. The moveset itself is in the rest of the tabs.

Spoiler: Specials + Final Smash

Neutral Special, Fire Projectile Slash: From various cutscenes, Rex slashes his sword in front of him, emitting a fireball out of his sword. Can be charged (but not stored) to unleash stronger attacks, a faster and stronger fiery blade blame or a spinning fire vortex flamethrower thing. It's almost like a cross between Water Shuriken and Robin's Neutral Special, but with fire. The fire vortex is a multihit that stays attached to Rex's sword until it dissipates, kind of like a long range flamethrower. Mythra's aesthetic changes are as follows: a single light arrow from the Fusion Combos, a blade beam made of light, and a multihitting light ray.

Side Special, Anchor Shot: Rex shoots his anchor a short distance in front of him, tripping opponents and spawning an HP Potion on hit, which can only be collected by Rex. He then performs a sword slash regardless of whether the anchor hit.

Down Special, Rolling Smash: Rex does a little rolling hop before slamming the Aegis Sword parallel to the ground in front of him. There's a fire effect at the end of the sword, which expands forward a bit to leave a lasting fire effect to damage opponents (think PK Fire and Arcfire). Mythra's version uses light effects instead, but the change is only aesthetic.

Up Special, Fire Pillar Sword Jump Thing: Rex creates a thin flame pillar (think Entei's pokeball attack) and leaps upwards, with an explosion/strong hit at the apex. From that one cutscene when he escapes the inside of the ship Pyra was sealed on to fight Torna. Mythra creates a multihitting light ray instead.

Final Smash, Burning Sword: Rex calls Pyra to him, and they perform Burning Sword together, raising a giant flame pillar out of the ground. Mythra performs Sacred Arrow instead, a stronger attack that hits the entire topmost part of the stage.

Spoiler: Smash Attacks (Blade Specials)

Forward Smash, Blazing End: Pyra performs a few set up sword slashes before making the floating Aegis Sword spin in a fiery circle in front of her. As it's a Blade Special, it's strong because it's a long lasting big multihit but Rex doesn't have access to any attacks himself. Mythra uses Photon Edge here.

Down Smash, Prominence Revolt: Pyra floats in the air with the Aegis Sword before she crashes down, thrusting it into the ground. Two flame pillars erupt on each side of her, slightly offset to create a bigger hitbox. There's a lingering scorched earth effect directly beneath Pyra. Again, even though it's strong, Rex can't do much of anything without his sword. Mythra uses Lightning Buster here.

Up Smash, Flame Nova: The Aegis Sword spins around Pyra on the ground, protecting her while she creates an ether flame ball above her. Has a big hitbox, especially when taking the sword into account. Mythra uses Ray of Punishment here, but she leaps backwards instead of straight up so the beam is created where she was standing.

Note: All of Mythra's Blade Specials are better.

Spoiler: Jab, Dash Attack, and Tilts

Jab, Auto Attack: Sped up version of the Aegis Sword's 3 hit auto attack combo (horizontal slash, overhead strike, forward stab).

Dash Attack: Rex skids to a stop as he slashes his sword in a big horizontal arc flat in front of him.

Forward Tilt, Double Spinning Edge: Just steal DSE's animation. Has two strong hits with a decent amount of lag. You might be thinking, "Isn't this more suited for a smash attack", and you'd be right. But Rex has a very heavy sword style which can't be reflected in smash attacks since Pyra performs those. There are weirder tilts out there anyway, namely Ganon's Up Tilt.

Down Tilt: Rex slashes his sword through the ground before lifting it out, stopping his slash right after it's fully extended in front of him. Leaves scorch marks/fire effects on the ground he sliced through. Fastest tilt.

Up Tilt: Rex crouches low to the ground and heaves his now grounded sword in a big arc above his head and behind him until it's in the position opposite of where it started. Similar to Ike's Up Smash.

Spoiler: Aerials

Neutral Air: Rex spins his sword in a circle around his chest, creating flames with it. Fastest aerial.

Forward Air: Rex performs a powerful overhead strike, similar to Cloud's Forward Air. Meteor smash.

Back Air: Powerfully thrusts the Aegis Sword straight behind him. Looks similar to Shulk's Back Air, but with more power behind it since Shulk kind of carries the Monado up his side before thrusting it, while Rex would put all his energy into the stab with a windup (like a backwards aerial Sword Bash).

Down Air: As you can already tell, the aerials aren't really gonna be that unique on the whole (I mean, look at how weird they made Shulk's Nair look to make it different...), so just differentiate this from the other two heavy swordsman, Ike and Cloud (although Cloud doesn't really count since he swings his brick effortlessly), by having Rex swing his sword in an arc a la Marth's Down Air. It also helps that Shulk's Down Air is a more vertical hitbox like Ike's and Cloud's too, so Rex is different from him too. Meteor smash.

Up Air: Again, differentiate him from the other heavy swordsmen and Shulk by having him swing his sword in a big arc like Marth does.

Spoiler: Grab Game

Grab: Rex grabs with his hands, not the anchor.

Pummel: Rex knees his opponent.

Forward Throw: Rex tosses his opponent forward lightly.

Back Throw: Rex does a no-look fire slash behind him, sending his foe flying.

Down Throw: Rex engulfs his sword in flames before bringing it down on his grounded foe. Kill throw.

Up Throw: Rex kicks his opponent upwards with those big salvager boots.

Spoiler: Taunts, Idle Animation, and Victory Pose ideas

1. Pyra sips tea. Rex is taken aback at how carefree Pyra is.
2. Pyra transforms into Mythra, who proceeds to slap Rex into the screen.
3. Pyra snaps her fingers, creating a small flame. Rex looks at it in awe.
4. Pyra stretches, and Rex yawns while leaning on his sword.
5. Gramps makes fun of Rex from inside his helmet.

Spoiler: Alternate Colors (Minor Spoilers)

1. Default
2. Rex (Pyra colors), Pyra (Rex colors), Mythra (inverted Rex colors)
   
3. Rex (Nia colors), Pyra (Dromarch colors), Mythra (inverted Dromarch colors)
4. Rex (Tora colors), Pyra (Poppi alpha colors), Mythra (inverted Poppi alpha colors)
5. Rex (Vandham colors), Pyra (Roc colors), Mythra (inverted Roc colors)
6. Rex (Morag colors), Pyra (Brighid colors), Mythra (inverted Brighid colors)
7. Rex (Zeke colors), Pyra (Pandoria colors), Mythra (inverted Pandoria colors)
8. Rex (Jin colors), Pyra (Mythra colors), Mythra (Pyra colors)
9. Rex (Mythra colors), Pyra (Major story spoiler colors), Mythra (inverted Major story spoiler colors)
10. Rex (Major story spoiler colors), Pyra (Gormotti Disguise alternate), Mythra (Gormotti Disguise alternate)

If you finished the game hopefully you can piece together the two "story spoiler colors", but here they are:

Spoiler: Major Story Spoiler Colors

9. Rex (Master Driver colors/alternate), Pyra (Pneuma colors), Mythra (inverted Pneuma colors)
10. Rex (Nia [Blade form] colors), Pyra (Gormotti Disguise alternate), Mythra (Gormotti Disguise alternate)

Edit: Gonna give my favorite stage ideas and music tracks. Leftheria or Uraya are my favorite potential stages. They both have a nice aesthetic to them that isn't really in Smash yet. As for music, Zeke's theme and the vs. Driver battle theme are some of my favorites that I hope make it in.

Super late patch notes edit: Finished the rest of his moves, tweaked/rearranged some of his moves to compensate for making all of the Smash Attacks Blade Specials, balanced out the follow mechanic and Pyra's block to better work with a more accurate and thematically fitting version of an affinity link, added potential Mythra transform, added alternate colors, improved the formatting, and left the changes here in case I link back to it. Also, I'm now nearing 250 hours in XC2! Pretty satisfied with the moveset overall, but the game is even better. On to New Game Plus!

 

[ImaClubYou]

Hello everyone. Long time Smash player and member of this forum. Haven't posted here in many many years but I'm coming back just for this specific thread.

A little backstory. When it came to J/RPG's I always played games like the Tales of series. Symphonia being my first as well as me being a avid supporter or Lloyd Irving. I've played many Tales games after that even going as far as buying an Xbox 360 solely to play Vesperia. I was never really interested in the Final Fantasy series, most western RPG's, etc. Why? I don't know why... but the point stands that I believed the Tales series to be the best of the best(I'm quite aware of their many flaws though).

That is until I played this game here. Xenoblade 2. Mind you I have played Xenoblade X as well and it was great, IMO. It just didnt have much story too tell and I quickly put it away after the main story was beaten. I also haven't played the first Xenoblade but I have watched all cinematic cutscenes and dialogue on Youtube.

Anyway, Xenoblade 2 is now my favorite JRPG of all time and I now support Rex being in Smash. Though Lloyd or any other Tales character WOULD still be AWESOME.

Move set time.

PSA: As of this moment we don't know how this game will be balanced. If something seems terribly OP in my descriptions we don't know for sure how broken it would be compared to a brand new Mario. Makes sense right?

Looking at Rex in his main game. So we are all quite aware that Rex is mainly the only one that attacks during actual gameplay aside from specials. One of the things I feel limits us is that we try to make character move sets TOO canon. Allowing Pyra/Mythra to attack in some of the moves would be an amazing idea for Rex because sadly, unless we add all the other rare blades movesets(which pretty much turns him into some form of Pokemon trainer), he won't have much aside from very generic sword swings and thrust like the rest of the cast.

However some things that are canon should indeed be in the game. One thing in particular I like is being able to switch to Pyra/Mythra at will at any time EVEN BETWEEN combos and attacks. For example Charging a forward smash and while doing so, pressing down b, while holding the charged smash. It creates a mind game for opponents that is not easily scouted out.

But, why even switch. As an idea. I wanted Pyra's attacks to have more up and away type knock back and Mythras attacks to have a down and away type knock back. With that available to Rex it would make for some interesting comboes.

So, how will Rex/Pythra work in game? Different from the Ice Climbers. Rex will have an active hurtbox while Pythra will be more of a background character that will pop in to become and extended hurtbox and hitbox when she is used for an attack. There are no drawbacks to using her specific attacks because like in the game, if Rex gets hurt, Pythra gets hurt and vice versa. In that sense they will receive the same knockback always keeping them together. Another thing is the Affinity system introduced in XB2. You know it by the blue line that connects Driver and Blade that eventually turn gold. In Smash, the goal for Rex would do get as many comboes and hits in as possible to get to that gold level. In doing so, his, stats rise drastically making him faster(like in game) and just a ted stronger in the knockback department.

Aesthetic changes to existing inputs.
Shield is the same color and texture of the barriers used in XB2
Shield will have a special sound effect.

One idea i had that would make Rex even more unique is the ability to powershield a physical attack and causing the enemies to bounce off the attack leading to a combo opening. Is this an actual tactic in the game? No. But it still sounds interesting and requires some form of skill to get a perfect shield. To make it not incredibly OP however, it would have to be powershield levels of Melee rather than Brawl/Smash4 to work. Give me opinions on that please.

Now when switching to Pyra or Mythra most attacks animations remain the same with mostly color changes and size. However some will change completely to match what it actually does.

I wont go through the entire moveset. Just ones I want to highlight the most.

Jab: Rex's jabs will be performed like his 3 attack auto combo in the main game. However it would be fast to match a basic jab combo and holding down A on the third hit would allow the blade to burst into flame causing continuous damage until you let go. The Sword snaps shut and the opponent flies up and away. No combo potential there unless the opponent DI's towards you. With Mythra it would be the same but the attack will send you down and sets up for a tech chase.

Forward Smash:
Pyra: Rex and Pyra hold the sword towards the sky similar to Marths Up smash and chant Burning sword. This is a very slow attack but is very powerful. In a second a pillar of flame engulf the enemy and they are sent flying to their doom.

Mythra: Mythras form causes a pillar of light to rain down and sets up for a tech chase. Mythra's is special as the delay is quite long and you are able to act before it ends. If done by the ledge it will spike the enemy.

Down air:
Pyra: Pyra throws down multiple fire balls that cause slight damage and small knock back. similar to a Falco laser but downwards.

Mythra: Mythra summons light from above to spike the enemy down.

Dash attack:
Pyra: Rex lunges forward similar to Marths dash attack, and swings the sword upwards while doing a short hop.

Mythra: Rex lunges forward similar to Marths dash attack and hammers the sword downwards setting up for tech chase.

Neutral air:
Pyra: Pyra creates a flame orb(like the attacks from combo trees i.e. Second Sun) and shields her and Rex behind it. Virtually no lag on landing and pops opponents up with very little knock back and knock back growth.

Mythra: Mythra creates a light orb that shields her and Rex behind it. No lag as well, is a multi hit move that sends opponents to the side.

Down B: Blade switch

Up B: Rex uses his hook shot thing to grab on the the ledge. Hit box on the tip of the attack if used in the air. Command grab if used on the ground. Rex Simply slams the opponent down leading into a tech chase.

Neutral B: Special attack
In the main game, doing attacks charges up your arts which in turn charges your blade special moves. By simply attacking in Smash, Your Neutral B changes to 3 different attacks. However, just because there are levels does not mean the final one is the best to use. Each will have its on purpose and I am willing to let anyone who reads this decide on what that is.

Side B: Flame/Light beam.
Simple beam of fire or light. No change besides aesthetically.

Down Smash:
Pyra: Engulfed in flames, anyone caught inside will be put to mercy by an explosion.

Mythra: Spears of light pierce the ground around her. A vertical kill move.

Grab: Obviously Rex grabs with his hookshot thing.
Pummel: Punch from Rex and a slap from Pyra/Mythra just to give homage to Mythra slapping Rex in a couple scenes.
Forward throw: A forceful slap from Pyra/Mythra. Like Peach
Back throw: Rex swings like Mario/Luigis backthrow but attached to a hook shot.
Up throw: Sword uppercut. No change between Mythra/Pyra

Back air:
Pyra: Pyra faces back wielding herself and swinging the sword downwards.

Mythra: Mythra turns and creates a ball of light in her hands exploding in front of her.

Break, Topple, Launch, Smash combo.

Attacking many times will eventually create a break. During this moment Toppling is top priority. You can get topples from most of Mythra's attacks since they force tech chases but some of Pyra's moves work too. This creates options for you and your opponent. Once you achieve Topple, attacks like Pyra's dash attack or Mythra's light attacks will cause Launch. Lastly a Smash in XB2 is just a Smash attack in Smash. Do any Smash and knock your opponent off the screen!

Thats my list for now. Please critique, add or take away from it as you see fit.

 

[DustyPumpkin]

As much as I hate both of their designs, I fully expect them

 

[Deleted member]

As much as I hate both of their designs, I fully expect them

What's so unwatchable about their designs anyway?

 

[DustyPumpkin]

What's so unwatchable about their designs anyway?

Pyra’s is bad cause any instance of boob socks in a design is already a -10/10
But other than that it doesn’t really fit her personality either, its a design that tries so hard to be sexy that it wraps around to be very not, what with the booty shorts and the backless shirt and the socks that go up to her thoghs and again, the stupid boobs socks.
Her Scarf is cool though.

Rex is on the other end though, his design is bland and generic looking with nothing really going for him, colour wise its like they tried to do like an anti-Shulk with a focus on blue, but theres too much similar blue used and not enough to break it up.
I like his eyes but his face is forgetable.

Like, Shulk's outfit has red but its also got brownish red bits like his shoes and the patterns on his shorts and whatever the braces are under those.
His shirt is also black to pronuonce that red on his jacket more.

But Rex has joined a cult for blue loving enthusists, his armour is blue, his shirt and shorts are blue with only the golden edges on his armour to standing out, sure he’s got like a BIT of brown somewhere but it does nothing to dull the overwhelming blue on him.

 

[GolisoPower]

DustyPumpkin

Spoiler

Well, what about that mainly-white-and-green Gundam suit he gets in Chapter 7 as an alt? Maybe he’ll be more bearable for you then?