Robin Community AMA Thread.

[LIQUID12A]

Thoughts on Roy/Ryu, Raz? Might you play as them for fun?

 

[False Sense]

While Robin him/herself seems unchanged in the latest update, the world around him/her has. How do you think the new DLC characters and stages, as well as various balance updates, will impact Robin on a competitive level?

 

[Zantetsugun]

The most important question of all Raz ...............................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................................................................................

Spoiler

Is Roy your boy?

 

[Elezir]

Geez, almost all the interesting questions are taken already.

-Well, what do you like to see in characters? It doesn't need to be especifically Smash-related. Stuff like a character's personality and design, for example.
-After playing around with the content from this new patch (1.0.8) what do you think of it? More especifically, the new characters (Lucas, Ryu and Roy) and Stages (Miiverse, Dream Land 64 and Suzaku Castle)?
-Your thoughts on the competitive Smash community at the moment? Things you think are pertinent or silly about the most common complaints? You can rage if you want to. I want a honest opnion. Send me a PM if you don't feel ok about sharing it in public. No need to answer, too, though.
-What other fighting games you enjoy, casually or competitively? How you would compare them to Smash when it comes to mechanism and community?
-What do you think of Nintendo's ability to patch the game whenever they feel the need? And about their choices of character balancing?
-Thoughts on customs?


Sorry if anything is too personal or weird to you. Thinking up questions is hard.

 

[Chapter Serf]

What are some other Nintendo games (either individual titles or series) that you favor?
What are some non-Nintendo (not necessarily console either, it can be PC) games (again, individual titles or series) you favor?
A Song of Ice and Fire, Game of Thrones, both or neither?
If the answer to the above question is not neither, who do you think and hope (can be two separate people) will end up on the Iron Throne when all is said and done?
If the answer to the question above the previous question is not neither, R+L=J. True or False? (In your opinion)
If you had the power to add one character to Super Smash Bros who would it be and why?
If you had the power to add one Nintendo character to Super Smash Bros who would it be and why?
If you were given the option to live in any fictional universe, and be able to choose how you lived in that universe, where would you end up? (For Example: being an adventurer in your favorite MMO, or being the Dovahkiin in Skyrim) (Doesn't have to be video games)
What is your favorite color?
What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
Do you like Warhammer 40,000? If so, what are some of your thoughts and opinions on it?

As for who we interview after @ Raziek , I vote for @Nairo.

Also, when are we doing this? And will there be a transcript posted?

 

[LIQUID12A]

Also, when are we doing this? And will there be a transcript posted?

Raziek will be making a mega post to answer all questions tomorrow. When that happens, another voting period will commence.

Your vote will be taken into account for when it begins.

 

[Raziek]

(It will probably actually be Tuesday that I do the big write-up. While I usually get Monday off, I did not this week. I will start it Monday night though.)

 

[The Merc]

@ Raziek

Another bunch of question

1. If you could add anything to FE:If, what would it be and why?

2. What are your opinion of me as a person?

3. If Smash 5 is to be a thing, what to would you like to be included into it?

4. Do you think Young Link and Wolf have a chance to return with Roy returning to Smash?

 

[LIQUID12A]

Tuesday it is, then.

In that case...

Starting now and until some time after Raziek makes his mega post on Tuesday, voting period #2 begins. Please vote to determine who the next interviewee will be.

You may still submit questions tomorrow, but ensure that they are sent in early.

Yes, Raziek, you vote too.

Voting tally:

Nairo: 2
False Sense: 7

 

[Elezir]

@ False Sense .

 

[Meneil]

@ False Sense

 

[Meta651]

I vote for @Nairo

And some questions for Raz

- If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
- Top ten favorite games?
- Your top 5 smash moments?
- Top ten FE characters?
- Top ten waifus?
- What do you do in your freetime that is not smash or game related? (draw? play guitar? Make plans to kill someone?)

A more serious one

- What to do against Fox as Robin?
- The same but against Rosaluma?

 

[Pacack]

Vote: @ False Sense

 

[Chapter Serf]

I have a few more questions I thought up:

Callie or Marie?
Bread or Rice?
Cats or Dogs?
Pop or Rock?
If you were to go out on a date with one video game character of your choice who would it be and why?

 

[LIQUID12A]

Tallying in my vote for False Sense as well.

Favorite cartoon of all time, Raz?

 

[~ Valkyrie ~]

@ False Sense

 

[Janno]

1 change on Robin and she would be op
What would it be?

 

[Deleted member]

My vote is going to @ False Sense .

 

[LIQUID12A]

Thoughts about the Digital Event, Raz? Did you, like hordes of others, believe it to be lackluster?

 

[Célja]

I'm going to vote for @ False Sense

 

[False Sense]

Last minute question for Raziek:

Where does the name Raziek come from?

 

[Raziek]

Alright, so I'm starting hella late in the day, but I am writing answers now.

 

[Raziek]

I.... knew I should have started earlier, lol. Once a procrastinator, always a procrastinator.

I'm about halfway done (we're at almost 3k words already), but I need to get a reasonable amount of sleep before work tomorrow.

I will finish writing my answers immediately after work, haha.

 

[LIQUID12A]

Raz be late.

But we'll be patient, I'm sure the clusterbomb of text will be worth reading.

 

[Raziek]

God, please kill me. 6700 words.

Nearly there. I WILL FINISH THIS TONIGHT. I HAVE THE XENOBLADE SOUNDTRACK PLAYING.

I CAN DO THIS.

 

[The Merc]

God, please kill me. 6700 words.

Nearly there. I WILL FINISH THIS TONIGHT. I HAVE THE XENOBLADE SOUNDTRACK PLAYING.

I CAN DO THIS.

Oh, do push yourself to much Raziek.

 

[Raziek]

Sweet jesus, 9000 words.

I can't finish it tonight, it'll be 5 AM before I have it done, and I have to be up at 8:30 for a doctor's appointment.

I swear, I'll rush out the final batch tomorrow. I'm up to Drakonis' post.

Not even the Xenoblade soundtrack can brute-force me through this. I am but a mere mortal.

 

[Drakonis]

God, please kill me. 6700 words.

Nearly there. I WILL FINISH THIS TONIGHT. I HAVE THE XENOBLADE SOUNDTRACK PLAYING.

I CAN DO THIS.

Let's go on and on and on and on!

Sweet jesus, 9000 words.

I can't finish it tonight, it'll be 5 AM before I have it done, and I have to be up at 8:30 for a doctor's appointment.

I swear, I'll rush out the final batch tomorrow. I'm up to Drakonis' post.

Not even the Xenoblade soundtrack can brute-force me through this. I am but a mere mortal.

But we mustn't be careless!

 

[False Sense]

This thread right now:

 

[LIQUID12A]

This thread right now:

Don't you mean, ProcRAZtination?

Lol that sucked.

 

[Raziek]

Will be up within the hour. There was a slight crisis on my local Smash Facebook that ate like an hour and a half while I was in the middle of wrapping it up.

 

[Chapter Serf]

How many posts is this going to take?

 

[Raziek]

It'll all be one post. I'm on the last set of questions (Meta's).

 

[Raziek]

Text body is done. 11600 words. Formatting it now so it doesn't look jank when I post it.

 

[Raziek]

Dear god. I don't know what got it so mangled, but I've been wrestling with formatting and indents for like an hour. THis is good enough.

Okay, so I loosely categorized things, but it still might be a bit messy. Categories are: "Me", "Games", "Smash", "Robin", "Misc."

About Me

Last minute question for Raziek:

Where does the name Raziek come from?

It is entirely of my own creation. When I started playing World of Warcraft sometime in.... 2005, I think, I needed to name my Undead Rogue. So it did it the only logical way I could think of. I strung together letters that I liked to make something I thought sounded cool. Here's a picture of the FigurePrint I had done of the old boy.

So... who made you that avatar, and how long ago?

EDIT: Wait a minute, I was supposed to ask there, but eh.

I made me this avatar, actually. I don't recall exactly why, but at some point around when I first discovered Fire Emblem, I started dabbling in sprite splicing. I believe I came across it on Serenes and decided to try my hand at it, since I wasn't particularly artistically inclined otherwise.

That would've been before I switched off my Desktop computer, which places it at somewhere between 6 and 10 years ago, if I had to guess. I have been using it as my avatar since then, basically. The sprites involved: Klein (FE6)'s Face, Joshua (FE8)'s Hair/Torso, Colm (FE8)'s Earring + Ponytail. Colors lifted from someone else, but I can't recall who.

He's essentially a human version of the Undead Rogue you see above.

Where did you graduate from? What's your degree exactly?

Have you ever had a pet before? If so, which?

Can you fly if you want to?

I graduated from Dalhousie University, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. My degree is a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science.

Pets.... well, my family has the 2 dogs that show up elsewhere in this interview. I personally owned 2 budgies when I was in middle school. Their names were Vyse (a blue one) and Fina (White). The names being references to Skies of Arcadia, one of my favourite RPGs.

I cannot fly if I want to. I can glide, I guess. Elwind sort of counts.

How was graduation?

Graduation was actually really interesting. I was expecting it to be kind of boring, but was pleasantly surprised. My convocation didn't have a CRAP ton of people graduating, so there wasn't that much actual time sitting around doing nothing. The speech by the President was actually pretty moving, and felt almost tailored to my experience on a personal level. He talked a lot about how people are shaped by their failures, and even the greatest minds and athletes face failure. Given that I had some trouble getting all the way to the end of things, it felt particularly meaningful to me.

I also got a great batch of pictures. Most of my immediate family was able to attend, and not only did I get great photos with them, but I was able to get one with my favorite professor, as well.

What do you hope to do with your computer science degree?

Other:

Again, Gratulations to your degree! Hope your applications are going well. Do you already have a job in particular you're aiming for or are you still looking at a broader spectrum of possibilities?

Still looking at the broader spectrum.... somewhat. I am putting out applications for a LOT of stuff.

The grand goal is to follow my dream and get involved in Game Design. I want to make the sort of experiences that have brought me so many hours of enjoyment as a player, and bring that to other people.

My degree ALSO happens to enable me to do nearly any IT job, so it just happens to also be very practical, even outside of the more specialized field of game design.

About to attend a graduation soon so this question just popped into my head:

Now that you have graduated and are embarking on a new, crucial phase in your life, how are you feeling? Excited? Scared? Anxious? etc.

Before I graduated, I felt nothing outside of sheer terror for my future. I was grappling with the stress of it on a near daily basis. Once I graduated, I realized that all that fear was tied to the fear that I wouldn't be ABLE to graduate. Once I did, so much stress lifted from my shoulders.

I've recently started seeing a counsellor who is helping me move forward with some of the issues I have with motivating myself. I am looking forward to the future, as I've begun to set more clear goals for self-improvement.

Some questions for Raz:


What's your favorite Pokemon? Hoshido or Nohr? Cats or dogs?

In order:

Absol.

Nohr in the long-run, most likely. Not so much because of the characters, but because it sounds like it will be more like traditional FE. I will of course be playing both.

Dogs. I have known only dogs since I can remember. My Dad is severely allergic to cats, and I am mildly so. I don't mind cats, mind you. I just like dogs better. Especially with these two in my life.

Do you watch Anime? If yes, what are your favorites?

I'm not really much of an anime watcher. I don't actively keep up with any current anime, and if the anime's name is fully in Japanese “blablahblah monogatari blah” then there's a 99% chance I do not watch it. That said, I have enjoyed a number of anime.

The big ones that come to mind: Death Note, FMA:Brotherhood, Gurren Lagann, Soul Eater.

I just generally don't have time to keep up with them otherwise, I'd rather be playing video games.

If you could live in a fictional world which would it be?

Oh man, this is also a tough question. **** it, gotta be honest with myself. Pokemon. That **** would be AMAZING. (Completely ignoring all the actual flaws in how that lifestyle is in reality 100% impractical.)

Anything to criticise about your country?

Unfortunately, yes. There's very little that I dislike about Canada, but we've been saddled with just about the WORST possible government we could have for the last 8 years. http://www.shd.ca/

Boiling it down to a simple summary, the Conservative government of Canada (Known as the 'Harper' government, because that's how big an ego this jackass has) has taken SIGNIFICANT steps backwards in a large number of fields. Science, Human Rights, Privacy/Security you name it. They have been flagrantly going against the wishes out millions of Canadians because they SOMEHOW managed to obtain a majority government last election despite only getting 40% of the vote. First-past-the-post sucks **** when you have the liberal-minded vote being split among multiple parties, when Conservatives all funnel into one pile. Imagine if the Democrats were two parties and the Republicans were the equivalent of the Conservatives.

We just passed into law Bill C-51, which enables dangerous sweeping power for the security agencies of our country. They've essentially got a blank cheque to do what the NSA does if they can construct even the FLIMSIEST suspicion you might be a threat to national security. All I can do is pray the Harper nightmare ends in the next election.

Favorite comic book series if you have one?

I don't read comics.

Favorite food?

Chicken. Specifically, Pinty's Crispy Chicken Breasts. I eat those at least once a week, dipping them in VH Cherry sauce. Simply divine.

What's your favorite place to go out to eat? What do you typically order there?

Swiss Chalet, which is a fairly high-quality restaurant that specializes in Rotisserie Chicken. I typically order a Double Leg dinner w/ fries. Shirley Temple to drink. (Orange Pop + Grenadine) If I'm feeling particularly voracious, I'll instead get a Quarter Chicken Leg + Half-rack Ribs combo. If I somehow have room for dessert (I usually don't), I top it off with a piece of New York style cheesecake.

Hobbies?

What do you do in your freetime that is not smash or game related? (draw? play guitar? Make plans to kill someone?)

Honestly I'm kinda boring. Video Games are my primary passion and passtime. I don't really have anything I'd qualify as a hobby that isn't related to them very closely.

Locations you would love to go to in the world?

I honestly have not really been one to be stricken by the urge to travel, even despite my ability to do so thanks to a pretty stable income. I'll probably try to visit Europe and Japan at least once before I die, I guess.

Favorite animal?

I've always been partial to birds of varying sorts. Wolves get the runner-up as an objectively cooler version of dogs.

Time travel or enternal youth?

Time travel, this isn't even a question. Eternal youth is ridiculously overrated. You'd have to watch everyone you know and love die. Who wants that? The world would eventually leave you behind, and you'd be living in an empty shell of yourself, dead on the inside, but trapped in a body that will never pass of its own doing. I'd sooner commit suicide than have eternal youth.

What is your favorite color?

Red. I am a man of passion!

I vote for @Nairo

And some questions for Raz

- If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

- Top ten favorite games?

- Your top 5 smash moments?

- Top ten FE characters?

- Top ten waifus?

I think I already covered the travel bit.

Top 10 games is hard, but I cover a big list of my favorites below.

Top 5 Smash moments?
No, It Can't be true.
....

Nothing

Else

Matters.

Top 10 FE characters? This list is not in order: Joshua, Heath, Zihark, Jill, Florina, Inigo, Nah, Ilyana, Mia, Astrid.

Top 10 Waifus?

(Also not in order)

Fumi (Devil Survivor 2)
RobinF (Smash Robin, specifically.)
Ilyana (Path of Radiance)
Yomi (Senran Kagura)
Murakumo (Senran Kagura)
Malon (Zelda)
Rita (Tales of Vesperia)
Alisa (Gods Eater)
Jenna (Golden Sun)
Lune Zoldark (Super Robot Wars)

I don't watch very many anime, so my waifu-pool is not crazy deep like some people's.


About Games

You play on other consoles besides the Wii U/3DS, Raziek?

OOOOOh yes. I own....basically everything current except Xbox One. http://backloggery.com/Raziek

I would say my most played are Gcube, PS3, 360, Vita, Wii U, 3DS. I am primarily an RPG/SRPG/JRPG gamer, so those consoles are great for me.

Who's your favourite Fire Emblem lord? Robin doesn't count

Robin wouldn't be my favourite even if he/she did.

It's a close call between Ephraim and Ike. I would say Ephraim, though. Lance Lord was too cool. If only he had better promoted stat caps.

What are some other Nintendo games (either individual titles or series) that you favor?

What are some non-Nintendo (not necessarily console either, it can be PC) games (again, individual titles or series) you favor?

Any favorite games you'd like to mention?

Hoo boy, this would be a long list if I went through all my favorites. I might as well be thorough.

Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Ages. Pokemon Trading Card Game. Donkey Kong Land. Chrono Trigger. DKC1. Disney's Aladdin. Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow. Banjo-Kazooie/Tooie. DK64. OoT & Majora's Mask. Paper Mario. (And Thousand Year Door) Perfect Dark. Pokemon Puzzle League. Morrowind. Halo 2. Ninja Gaiden Black. The Ace Attorney Series. The Metroid-style Castlevania games. Golden Sun (And TLA). Phantasy Star Online and all the MMORPG style PSO games. Radiant Historia. Devil Survivor 1 & 2. The World Ends With You. 999 & VLR. Custom Robo. Every Fire Emblem except Shadow Dragon. Skies of Arcadia. Sonic Adventure 2. Mario Sunshine. Every 'Tales of' game. Blazblue. Super Robot Wars. Monster Hunter. Smash. (obviously) Senran Kagura. Persona. Almost* anything Atlus touches. Gods Eater. Xenoblade. Mass Effect. Bioshock. Dragon Age. Assassin's Creed (up to Black Flag, minus 3.) Burnout. Catherine. Devil May Cry. Oblivion & Skyrim. Gears of War. I could go on and on, but you should probably just look at my Backloggery if you want to know what games I've played.

How did you first find out about Fire Emblem?

I think one of my friends in Middle school had it. It looked neat, so I found out where I could buy it, and I bought FE7 and was instantly hooked. I still remember seeing Sacred Stones announced in Nintendo Power and losing my goddamn mind with excitement. It was certainly a different time.

-Favorite/least favorite Nintendo franchise?

If we're talking like, super-flagship first-party stuff? Zelda, hands down. However, moreso the older ones. The Oracle games up to and including Wind Waker made my childhood a remarkable adventure. I have a deep and profound love and appreciation for Majora's Mask, in particular.

Least favorite? Honestly, Mario. I was never really huge on the Mario wagon as a kid. I played Super Mario World and liked it, but I never had Super Mario 64. I loved Sunshine, but never got the Galaxy games and never really played any of the 2D platformers beyond like.... Super Mario Bros. (NES) It just wasn't that interest to me. Now, I don't hate the series, it's just the one I like the least.

Upon talking about this with Ryker, I realized I had completely overlooked both Metroid and Starfox. I am completely indifferent to both series and have no interest in playing either.

3 quick questions:

1. What do you like to play besides Smash and Fire Emblem?

2. Who is your favorite video game character? If it's Robin, then who is your second favorite?

Who do you want to see as DLC?

I think I covered most of this elsewhere in the interview, or I will. (This isn't necessarily the best sorted in terms of answering stuff chronologically.)

My favorite video game character? Man..... this one actually got me thinking. I think my favourite is the one I most closely identify on a moral level with. Which is weird, because it's not one that ANY of you will see coming.

Snow Villiers, from Final Fantasy XIII. Snow embodies a part of me that I am very proud of. Loyalty. Willingness to sacrifice everything to protect those he cares about. People like to knock on that game, but part of why I loved it so much is because I really empathized with Snow's struggle to save Serah.

“An irrepressible, fiery young man, Snow dives headfirst into danger using nothing but his powerful physique as a weapon. Easily swayed by emotion, he is prone to rash words and actions. Nonetheless, many are won over by his outgoing and optimistic nature.”

Snow is a side of me that I usually keep under control, but hold tightly within my heart. If push came to shove, I would not hesitate to protect those I care for.

What's your favorite game? If it's Smash, tell us which one, then tell us what your favorite non-smash game is.

Overall? Fire Emblem. Introduced me to the strategy genre and remains my most played game series (outside of Smash) to this day.

If you've played Animal Crossing, who's your favorite Animal Crossing villager? Who's your favorite non-villager NPC?

God, it has been an eternity since I played AC. I don't remember any of the villagers well enough to give a name. NPC-wise, I'd say the quiet one between Mabel/Sabel. I forget which one was the quiet one, haha.

Is there anything in particular that you're looking forward to at E3 this year?

Well, this is kind of a post-answer, but the main thing I was looking for was news on SMTxFE and FE:Fates. I didn't really get a TON of new stuff, but I admittedly haven't taken the time to sit down and watch all the treehouse gameplay, just the trailers and junk. Still need to do that.

You were hyping yourself up for this game forever, but when you bought it, you were disappointed. What game did I just describe for you?

Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. Game is ****ing garbage and ruined one of my favourite series.

If you were given the option to live in any fictional universe, and be able to choose how you lived in that universe, where would you end up? (For Example: being an adventurer in your favorite MMO, or being the Dovahkiin in Skyrim) (Doesn't have to be video games)

If you could live/had to live in any: Pokemon Region Peaceful video game universe (discounting the above) Non-peaceful video game universe What would they be and why?

Pokemon: Hoenn. I love the maritime climate, so all that water is no bother to me at all. Peaceful game universe that's not Pokemon? Xenoblade when **** ISN'T hitting the fan. That would be an utterly magnificent environment to live in. Alternatively, Golden Sun. Using Psynergy in daily life would be really cool.

Non-peaceful game universe? Monster Hunter, assuming I had the physical prowess to be a successful hunter. That'd certainly be a thrilling lifestyle, without being like.... completely ****ed, like <insert JRPG here>

Who are your favorite video game characters that fit the following criteria?

All-Time – Snow Villiers. (FFXIII)
Female – Rita (Tales of Vesperia) or Jill (FE: PoR/RD)
Non-Humanoid – God, this one was really hard. Not a lot of games I can think of where non-humanoid things actually get significant character development. Teepo from Tales of Xillia, I would say. Or Ezlo (Link's hat in Minish Cap)
Nintendo – Waluigi.
Silent – Isaac (Golden Sun)Antagonistic – This one was also really hard. Most of the 'antagonist' characters I like are only antagonists SOME of the time. Prime examples would be Yamato (Devil Survivor 2) and Kratos (Tales of Symphonia)
Also Ryker reminded me that I'm a dumbass and my more 'pure' answer is actually Yuuki Terumi in Blazblue.

Fire Emblem:
Thoughts on the gameplay changes in FE: If? Not talking 'bout the facerubbing, but the removal of Weapon Durability and the expansion of the barracks into MyCastle and the like.
Hoshido or Nohr?When you play a new Fire Emblem, do you try to immerse yourself within or do you try to break it asap?If you had to choose: Chrom, Soren or Lyndis?

I like virtually everything I have seen so far of Fates. Even the facerubbing. I was initially skeptical of the removal of weapon durability, but they've diversified weapons to a good degree instead of just making some obsolete once you have stronger ones. It also means Armsthrift is gone, which is great. That skill was so useful I felt like I HAD to have it.
Answered Hoshido vs. Nohr already.
My first run through a Fire Emblem game, I do not try to break it. I just play. I don't min-max, don't stress out too much about it. Second run, I break the **** out of it.
Lyn. #****Chrom

What's your thoughts on the current state of Splatoon, and what do you think it needs to maintain (or gain) momentum?

To be honest it's been like 2 weeks since I've played it, so I don't really have anything crazy insightful to offer. I'm not even max-level yet. Splatoon's big issue, however, is that it currently does not have infrastructure that supports a competitive scene. As long as it does not have that, it will remain casual.

And lastly, one I'd like to cop unabashedly from Ryker in the prior interview. It's a Fire Emblem related social. You knew this day would come.
Congrats, you and I just finished working on Fire Emblem 15: The Robin Social. Who is the Lord? Now fill out the classes for as many characters as you want. Who is the Jeigan, the most busted unit, and which unit fails miserably.

The Lord is False sense.Hong is the Jeigan, and is a Paladin.Elezir is the Cleric.NSG is a Cavalier.You're the night crew, so naturally you're a Thief.I'm the Wyvern Rider.Moydow is a mage.Syrek is the Archer, and can't stop flirting with Elezir.Delzethin is a Dark Mage.Weeman is a generic footsoldier.Opossum is Chrom, who appears for a single chapter, only to be brutally murdered.Ryker cameos as a DLC crossover Roy.Nairo is the final boss.
I apologize for anyone that wasn't included here, it's downright impossible for me to give everyone a shoutout in this one.

[EDIT]: You know, I know I'm both copping and reusing this from elsewhere, but I'm just too curious not to ask.
Imagine if you will a desert, far as your eyes can see. Within this desert is a cube. Please describe this cube. What does it look like? How large is the cube? What’s it made of? And where in the desert is it?
I also bolded all the questions to separate them from the commentary flowing from my ever-running mouth.

This is a really weird question.
The cube is about as large as a human is. It is covered in ornate rectangular patterns, and is colored in alternating red and crimson. It is made of a seemingly otherwordly metal, and is found at the bottom of natural valley, carved in the sand by the wind.

@ Raziek Another bunch of question
1. If you could add anything to FE:If, what would it be and why?2. What are your opinion of me as a person?3. If Smash 5 is to be a thing, what to would you like to be included into it?4. Do you think Young Link and Wolf have a chance to return with Roy returning to Smash?

One, I would add third tier classes, ala Radiant Dawn. I thought that was a really cool mechanic that made leveling characters feel like they'd become truly powerful as you did so. I would also probably move back to RD's ability system, rather than Awakenings. I think RD's was super interesting and strategic, where Awakening's became really grindy because there were just objectively better choices and overpowered classes/skills.
Two: Don't take this the wrong way at all, but I don't really have an opinion of you. We haven't really had any direct interactions. I really only know you as the guy who has a somewhat strange obsession with Young Link, haha.
Three: I want more of the same. Smash 4, with tighter balance. That's what I wanted from Brawl to Smash 4, and I want to see that from Smash 4 to Smash 5. Ideally, I'd also like to see more of a competitive focus, particularly in getting more stages designed specifically for competitive play. I hate having to roll the dice on how many worthwhile stages there actually are in the game.
Four: Wolf, yes. Absolutely. Young Link.... sorry, I don't think he's coming back. Why would he, with Toon Link already here? Three Links would just be weird. If he did come back, I'd like to see him re-designed. Ideally with a Mask-focused moveset. Transforming using the 3 primary masks from Majora's Mask would be really cool.
About Smash

What is your competitive Smash origin story?
What were your initial impressions and wishes for Smash 4 when it was officially announced at E3 2013?
What would you consider your greatest achievement in Smash, and with Robin?
You talk about Yomi from time to time. Are there other competitive avenues that you partake in?

I started playing Smash competitively back in March 2009. I had played it (Brawl) a TON with my friends from school. However, they didn't take it as seriously as I did. They lacked the thirst for competition. As such, I quickly surpassed them and got to the point where some of them didn't even want to play anymore, because I was too much better.
Then, one fateful day, I decided to google 'Super Smash Bros Halifax' to see if I could find anything near me. I found the Smash Boards thread for our region, which then led me to the Facebook group for it. I found out the date of the next upcoming tournament, and made plans to go, and I brought as many of my friends as I could.
My first tournament was an incredible experience. I was, of course, a 100% unknown random at the time, so I got seeded with one of the pros. The legendary Zhao Guang, a Luigi main. I had fought Luigi before, what was the worst that could happen?
That day I knew the true meaning of terror. He crushed me. Double 3-Stock. Made me look like I didn't even know how to play. To some, that would be the end of their road. “I'll never be that good”, they tell themselves. “Luigi is cheap.” Something like that. But not me. As soon as the set finished, I turned to him with a fire in my eyes and said, “You need to teach me how to beat people like that.” And that was where it all took off.
I went on a tear through Loser's Bracket to finish at 4th place of some 40ish, if memory serves. I was incredibly proud of my performance. After that, I began my training, with Zhao as my sensei. He and I played hours and hours and hours of Brawl Marth dittos on wifi until I had my fundamentals sharpened like a knife. I knew when to swing, how to capitalize. I had it beaten into me.
After that, I swiftly became more and more involved in my community. I wanted to see it grow, so I started helping the TO(s) run the tournaments. Eventually, they were reaching their mid-late twenties and starting to move onto other things, and I was given the opportunity to take up the reins myself. Since then, myself and @ Croi have been running Smash Nova Scotia's tournaments as a partnership. I couldn't have gotten where I am today without him.
As for what I wanted from Smash 4? Being 100% honest, I wanted exactly 2 things:
I did not want Melee 2. I was not interested in playing a game like that. I wanted another Brawl.
I wanted a balanced game. I LOVED Brawl, but Meta Knight's dominance really tested my love for the game in the long run. I just wanted to see a world where there wasn't a character as ridiculously dominant as he was.
Other than that, I just wanted more of the same with a character that I liked to play as, and I would be happy.
My greatest achievement in Smash? Hard question. I wouldn't exactly call 'No, It Can't be True' an 'achievement', so that doesn't work. (Though I AM proud of it, haha) Admittedly, I have not yet seen crazy success on a national level. I've never made it out of pools at a national, though I've gotten close. The two wins I'm most proud of are both at Apex. One year, I beat Fuwa, one of the Japanese players in attendance, in a Marth ditto. The most recent year, I knocked DLA into Loser's in our pool, and put up a strong fight against Shadow, a fairly notable MK player.
I plan to top that at EVO this year, though. I'm going to take some big names.
My biggest achievement with Robin? I guess that would be the reputation I have built myself at this point. Though I am not yet tested with her in the fires of a large tournament (outside my region), I would say I am pretty well known as a strong player of the character. But I want to be more than that.
Finally, to answer Part 3:
Yomi is my primary other competitive avenue. For those unaware: http://www.fantasystrike.com/guide/index.php/Yomi
Yomi can be boiled down to weighted RPS designed to simulate a fighting game. It's much deeper than that, mind you, but that's the basic idea. Throws > Blocks/Dodges > Attacks > Throws.
I am considered one of the strongest players in the Yomi competitive community. I have won several large tournaments, won International Yomi League Season 1, and had an amazing performance in Season 2. Though I did not repeat the victory, I went undefeated in Season play (11-0) before losing in Semi-finals of the 16-man Single Elim bracket to tie for 3rd place. I am the leading player of my character (Zane) in common opinion, and have brought forth most of the results that have led Zane to #1 (of 20) on the Yomi Tier List.

What sport activities do you do?

Other than that, I used to swim competitively during the summers, but I haven't done that since First Year of university, haha. You can only do it (in the Summer) until you're 18, then you have to switch to Winter Indoor competitions, and I didn't have the time for both that and my education, and my Smash involvement, so that was the one that got dropped.

Which character do you want most to be DLC for Smash Bros?

Isaac from Golden Sun. All day. I imagine him being a more melee oriented version of Robin. Would play the **** out of that.

What's the funniest thing that's ever happened to you at a tourney?

Well, 'No, it can't be true' was more amazing than funny, though it's funny in retrospect. IDK, honestly. Not often funny stuff happens in tourney. Sometimes I style on people, but that's less funny and more enjoyable.

It is the year 20

. Everyone now spams Kong Cyclone with frame-perfect accuracy, to the point that it is now the only viable strategy for winning tournaments, and the rock-paper-scissors metagame has expanded greatly, as it is now the only factor used to decide the winner of matches.
Do you continue to main Robin anyway, or opt for the method most likely to expand your bank balance?
(disclaimer: I don't think Kong Cyclone is that broken, it was just the first complained-about thing I could think of)

Yes. At the end of the day, due to my geographical location, I have no real future as a TOP level player, winning Apex or anything like that. So I'm going to play what I enjoy, because no matter what I will still continue to see success with it within my local area, which is 99% of the matches I'll be playing in the long run.

What was the hardest roadblock you overcame during your competitive Smash career and how did you overcome it?

God, this is kind of a hard one. I wouldn't say there's a really huge example of this. I've never been 100% roadblocked by a PLAYER around here, so to speak.
I guess the best example would be my mental block with fighting Meta Knight in Brawl. I had such a hard time dealing with his bull**** because I KNEW that **** was broken unbalanced, but goddamnit he was still legal anyway. How did I get over it? I never really did, so to speak. Eventually my level of care about Brawl just dropped enough that I stopped getting mad about it and instead just played. Incidentally, that was what led to me doing so well against Shadow when I played him, because I didn't let it get to me as much.

Okay, here are y questions for @ Raziek Do you think Robin deserves more buffs and if so, what?
How did you start your Smash career?

]#3 was already answered above.
As for #1, I do not think Robin deserves more buffs. The only characters that DESERVE buffs are characters so bad they literally feel BAD to play as. Robin is nowhere near that level of struggle, and I would honestly not complain if she remained as she is for the entirety of the foreseeable future.
If she was to get some small touch-ups, it would be really minor stuff I would suggest. Nos not going into helpless, Elwind guaranteed to not get a half-slash, maybe a SLIGHTLY better standing grab.... small stuff.
I get annoyed when people ask for buffs that are clearly over the top. Robin does not need to be faster. She is designed specifically AROUND being slow. That's why her aerials are as strong and as versatile as they are. Compare them to someone like Marth, who HAS the speed. It's a trade-off. Weaknesses in one area are compensated by strengths in others.
Similarly, anyone who thinks Arcfire needs to have less end-lag simply does not grasp how to balance video games. That's the SOLE draw-back of the move, and is the entire reason it encourages intelligent play. If you take away that weakness, not only does the move become entirely brainless, but it also becomes CRAZY oppressive to a ton of characters. It'd be really really stupid and you should feel bad if you want to live in that world.

The most important question of all Raz

Spoiler

Is Roy

your boy?

Thoughts on Roy/Ryu, Raz? Might you play as them for fun?

I actually intend to seriously pick up Roy as a secondary. He's significantly better than I expected he would be, and he's got some seriously threatening frame data.
However, that is probably going to wait until after EVO. He's not legal there, so it really doesn't make sense to split my effort between two characters right now, when I cannot use one of them at EVO.

Since we can ask a ton of questions:
Smash:
Characters such as Robin and Duck Hunt are typically seen as campy characters, and are also thought to be relatively low on the tier list. However, we also have characters such as R.O.B. and Villager who are campy and interpreted to be major competitive threats. Do you think that there's something specific that the perceived lower tier characters lack that the higher ones have, or do you think that people are underestimating the former, or do you think that there's some combination of the above going on?

There are two main types of characters that are top tier in Smash games. Those with high mobility, and those who have the tools to deal with those who have high mobility. The former category is obvious. The latter has two main examples I want to highlight. Snake (Brawl) and Rosalina. Those characters possess extremely powerful disjoints and projectiles that let them compete with characters who outclass them in terms of mobility.
ROB's big edge is in his much more stable and strong ground game. His F-tilt is still a fantastic poke, his D-tilt is amazing, and he has a very functional anti-air in his U-tilt. Gyro is also hands down one of the best projectiles in the game, as it lingers as an active hitbox, but can be fired again basically the instant it disappears. It's really really good.
Villager I actually don't think is THAT amazing in Singles (without customs), but his main edge is in his ridiculously good off-stage game. He's nigh-ungimpable and his Nair is one of the best edge-guarding tools in the game, bar none.
Robin could very easily find herself high tier if her tilts were better. That's the main sort of thing she's lacking. Their problem is they're all very short range and don't lead to anything, so she has to mainly rely on Jab to do almost ALL her heavy lifting in the close-range boxing scenario.

I've heard people say that Robin is the second most technical character game, second only to Pac-Man. Unlike Pac-Man, however, there isn't someone really pushing Robin's limits from a tech standpoint like Abadango or Kool-Aid. Do you think that there's anyone out there who could potentially pioneer some of Robin's more advanced tech? For that matter, do you even agree that Robin is such a technical character?

Hmmm. Well, first, I think that's probably an incorrect assessment. There are lot of characters I think are more technical. Rosalina, Shulk, Bowser Jr., Mewtwo, Dunk Hunt, Pac, Ryu, Lucas, Mega Man, Palutena, Peach, Yoshi, ZSS..... most of those take either more manual dexterity or more 'management', depending on how you interpret the word 'technical'.
Robin really isn't that difficult from a technical standpoint. Once you learn to manage item durability and handle items, that's really all the hard stuff. Everything else is maximizing fundamentals. Spacing properly, understanding how to control space with Robin's various projectile tools, making the most of limited mobility.
I think there are definitely advancements to be made in those aspects of management. (Tome setups, deliberate ejects, timing tools, etc) But I don't think it's crazy likely you'll see someone who just starts applying stuff nobody else would ever think of.

Who do you think are the best Robin players in the world? Do you know anything of Japanese Robin players, specifically?

Currently, Nairo is the only Robin who matters on the world stage. And even that... doesn't really matter all that much, because she's not his primary waifu. (ZSS) He's still almost certainly the best. The only Japanese Robin I know of is Mr. E, who for some reason posts a ton of Robin tech on his Vine account. https://vine.co/u/1182621048638722048
I have appropriated a lot of stuff he demonstrated into my own gameplay. Mainly some of his kill setups and applications of Sour spots on Uair/Bair.

ZeRo has been the dominant player in Smash 4, and he hasn't dropped a set in months. Who do you think is most likely to take him out?

This is a lame answer, but I don't follow tournaments enough these days to know or care who's most likely to beat him.

Who do you think is the most entertaining character to watch? Who's your favorite player in each Smash game?

Here's another sort of lame answer. Robin (Sm4sh) and Marth (Brawl). Much of the thrill I take from watching people play is seeing how they apply the tools of characters that I personally use. Seeing new applications is like opening a Christmas present. One of my favourite things to say is “Ooh, I never thought of using it like THAT!”
Favorite players in each game: Dr.PP (Melee), Mikeneko (Brawl). I haven't watched high level Smash 4 enough to really say I have a favorite.

How much experience do you have playing 64 and Melee?

64? None competitively. My 64 experience is 100% casual. Played it growing up, never went back to it as a competitive game, so it remains a childhood wonder to me.Melee is slightly more complex. I didn't discover tournaments until Brawl, so Melee was very casual for me. By the time I did, I already knew that I wasn't really interested in playing Melee, just Brawl. But I gave it a try for fun. However, unlike some, I'm not Stockholm Syndrome'd into believing that Melee is a balanced game. Fox completely and utterly crushed any desire I had to play that game competitively. That character is outright ridiculous. But I will stow my disdain for Melee at that. I don't intend to bash the game, I just don't think the meta-game is fun or interesting. I enjoy watching it, but I will never ever play it competitively with any degree of seriousness.

Do you think that people harm themselves by playing too many characters? ie: Having 3 "mains"?

Yes. Yes. 100% yes.I have to be brutally honest here. If you play any more than 2 characters, you're crippling your ability to actually be good at the game. You will never reach anywhere near the same potential playing 10 characters as you could if you just poured all your focus into one, or at MOST two.
“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” - Bruce Lee
Anyone who thinks they have 4 or more 'mains' is a casual. Like, completely serious here. If you think you have that many, you're either very bad, very very GOOD at the game. The number of players that can play that many characters WELL in ANY fighting game is incredibly small. It typically only happens at the absolute highest level, when the player's fundamentals are so honed that they can play characters better than most just by virtue of their sheer understanding of the game. (See: Infiltration in Street Fighter, as an example)

Is there any MU you will consider having a secondary for as Robin?

Currently? No. I have yet to find a character that makes me feel like I am completely unable to win. That said, the top 3 players in my region play Lucario/Duck Hunt, Robin (me), and ROB. So I'm not exactly having to face down a Sheik of my skill level on a consistent basis. I don't know if that would be bad enough to make me seriously consider it.

Most slept on and characters with underdeveloped metas to you in smash 4?

Honest answer? Almost everybody who's not considered top 10. The game is still incredibly young, there's tons of time for the characters who HAVEN'T been immediately flocked to to continue to develop. Top tiers always benefit from accelerated meta development.

What characters do you think needs buffs and nerfs?

NEEDS?
Nerfs: Sheik. I'd probably also nerf Diddy, Luigi and Rosalina some more, but I wouldn't necessarily say they NEED it.Buffs: Doc, Zard, Ike, Marth/Lucina, Gunner/Swordfighter, Zelda. Wii Fit probably needs buffs but I ****ing hate that character, so **** her.

You ever think about putting serious time into Marcina or Ike in smash 4? Also FE Roy as DLC yay or nay?

No. Marth at his current powerlevel isn't worth me investing my time in. Nor is Ike, though Ike is more about him not fitting me stylistically. He doesn't zone in the manner that I play Marth/Robin.
Originally I would have said no to Roy, but seeing how they've overhauled him, I am totally on board with his revamp. I just didn't want to see a port keeping him the same as Marcina.

PM smash 4 edition yay, no or meh to you?

How would this even work? If you mean adding Smash 4 characters to PM, maybe? If you mean making Smash 4 into another 'Melee Engine' game, no, **** that. I don't want another Melee.

What you think of the meta right now and Zero hosting everyone?

I'm relatively indifferent on the characters being used in the meta. I just want to see the game progress further and further towards a balanced game. Each patch so far has been a step in the right direction, so I have a lot of faith in Sakurai at this point. (For once in my life)
The main thing I want to see happen is widespread acceptance of customs, but I'll get to that later, as I believe Elezir asked me a specific question about them.

Favorite players looking up to starting out?

I actually never really idolized 'top players', honestly. I was never a fanboy. I use them as examples, but I always considered them as more of a resource than something to idolize. I guess the answer would have to be Zhao, my sensei. I respected him a ****load in the beginning of my career, and I still do.

Favorite FG outside of smash that you would go hard in?

Yomi isn't a fighting game, so that's a toss-up between Street Fighter and Blazblue. That said, I don't think I really have the capacity currently to focus on multiple games competitively without being dissatisfied in my performance in some capacity. I put a lot of effort into Smash, so playing another one to my standards of play would be very difficult.

Ok, lesse, I think I can think of some good questions... without having too many repeats that where already asked!Smash:Do you still play this game casually with friends?

Sort of? I'm always using Smash to improve. When I got to a friend's place and play, we treat it more like training than 'just playing'. I almost never play with items anymore. Only if it's like 8 hours into a Smashfest and we feel like screwing around.

What Stages would you like to see return from 64/Melee/Brawl/3DS?

Brinstar (Brawl variant)Fountain of Dreams (Melee)Jungle Japes (Brawl)Pokemon Stadium 1 (Brawl)Yoshi's Story (Melee)Frigate Orpheon (Brawl)Pirate Ship (Brawl)Arena Ferox (3DS)Prism Tower (3DS)Yoshi's Island (Brawl/3DS)
I would also like to see the following PM Stages:Drac's CastleMetal CavernWario Ware (no minigames)Green Hill ZoneSkyworldSkyloftRe-vamped Distant Planet.

Are there any far-out (either due to chance or obscurity) characters you would like to see in Smash?

Not really. My main picks are pretty vanilla. Isaac, Waluigi, K. Rool. I guess a 'Tales of' character would be cool.

Any game mode you'd like to see added via DLC?

I want to say a half-decent tournament mode, but running a tournament on one console is impossible and getting multiple consoles to communicate with each other would be a logistical nightmare.
I guess the pipe dream would be the 'Tournament Set Simulator', which would automate an actual tournament set and could be fully customizable with rules. Would automate the counterpicking process, stage striking, and everything else that we currently do manually.

Scenario: Sakurai has decided to rework most of the cast, focusing on making the clones more unique first and later on tweaking other characters a bit, too. Nothing is out of the question, anything can change!

(As long as it is character related).Is there anything you'd like to see happen? (I.E.: Toon Link with an original moveset, Wario closer to Wario Land games, Nairplane hitbox quadroupled etc.)

Hrm. I'd like to see Brawl Marth. Brawl Lucario. A de-cloned Lucina. (Declone the other clones as well) Balance Sheik. Brawl Sonic.That about covers it. I have no desire for crazy redesigns for most characters, I am generally pretty happy with the game.

I'll keep it simpler, Other than Robin, who do you think you play the most as?

Prior to the Roy release, the answer to this question would be Marth, Little Mac, and KazeKong, Lord of the Winds. (In that order)Now that I've tried Roy, the answer will almost certainly become Roy.

I need to get better at coming up with awesome questions, but I have the following to start:What is your short list of things you wish everyone who plays Smash knew about playing Smash? Keep it to five or less items.

1. Understand how strong defensive options are, and how to properly utilize them.2. Movement is absolutely critical to master.3. Understand how important the invisible battle over space on the stage is. Both how to take it, and when to give it up.
Those 3 things I would say are by far the most critical.

If you could see one feature return from a previous Smash game to either the Wii U or 3DS version (or both), what would you choose and why?

Break the Targets (64 style) or Smash Run. They're both incredibly fun and unique. Also Adventure mode. As cheesy as Subspace Emissary was at times, it was admittedly really cool.

If you had the power to add one character to Super Smash Bros who would it be and why?If you had the power to add one Nintendo character to Super Smash Bros who would it be and why?

Answer to both of these questions is Isaac. I've wanted him in Smash for a long time. Both because I think he has incredible moveset potential, and because I think it would increase the chances Golden Sun gets another game after the tragedy that was Dark Dawn.

Geez, almost all the interesting questions are taken already.Well, what do you like to see in characters? It doesn't need to be especifically Smash-related. Stuff like a character's personality and design, for example.

Majorly important things for me....
Intelligence. I generally have little interest in characters who are just dumb.Morally Complex. Seeing how characters interact with different situations and controversial decisions is incredibly illuminating and adds a lot of dimensions to their personality.I would say those two are the most important.

After playing around with the content from this new patch (1.0.8) what do you think of it? More especifically, the new characters (Lucas, Ryu and Roy) and Stages (Miiverse, Dream Land 64 and Suzaku Castle)?

The new characters all seem really interesting, and I don't think any of them are bad. I think people are probably over-hyping Ryu at the moment, but we'll see how he pans out.
Miiverse is kinda neat? I really thought they'd have policed the stage better than some of the things I've seen, though. Competitively, I'm just treating it as a Battlefield alt, similar to how Omegas are currently treated.
Dreamland is completely cool and is different enough from BF to warrant its own slot.I love Suzaku castle stylistically, but it isn't fit for competitive play. Permanent walk-off is an immediate nail in the coffin. It will definitely by one of my most frequently-used Omegas, though.

Your thoughts on the competitive Smash community at the moment? Things you think are pertinent or silly about the most common complaints? You can rage if you want to. I want a honest opnion. Send me a PM if you don't feel ok about sharing it in public. No need to answer, too, thoughThoughts on customs?

Answering these two together.
Right now, the top-level meta-game is not interesting to me, so I generally do not follow the community opinion thatmuch. However, I will rant a bit here.
For people who are willing to put up with Brawl Meta Knight and pre-nerf Diddy Kong, people need to shut their goddamn mouths and stop complaining about Custom Moves. Like. Just SHUT UP. Nobody cares how OP you think Tripping Tree is. Custom moves are the greatest gift to this game in a LONG time. They add SO much incredible depth to the game, and the fact that people legitimately want to ban them is absolute sacrilege. I have the utmost respect for Amazing Ampharos and the team that headed the Customs project to get things organized for EVO.
I have made my opinion clear that I 100% support customs. They will always be legal in my region. I have no intent to travel to any tournaments that ban them, and I will probably just NOT play this game if Customs are ever banned on a widespread level.

What other fighting games you enjoy, casually or competitively? How you would compare them to Smash when it comes to mechanism and community?

I think this was mostly covered already? Comparing them to Smash is.... somewhat pointless. It's very much the same thing, just with slightly varying age ranges. Things are very similar no matter what fighter you go to.

What do you think of Nintendo's ability to patch the game whenever they feel the need? And about their choices of character balancing?Sorry if anything is too personal or weird to you. Thinking up questions is hard.

Fantastic on both counts. I had always hoped they would be able to patch Brawl, but of course they couldn't. However, every single patch for Smash 4..... I have 100% agreed with. There have been no nerfs to characters that I think were unwarranted, and no buffs to characters I think were Unwarranted. At this point, given his track record so far, I have 100% faith in Sakurai's team continuing to move towards a more balanced game.
About Robin

Oh Oohh Ooh I've got a question even though it's probably been asked of him at one point anyway;o @ Raziek what made you want to main Robin and why did you stick with them?

Ok, so some backstory on my history of characters in fighting games is required here.
The way my playstyle has developed, I have WITHOUT FAIL gravitated towards Zoning characters. 99% of the time, this is a character with a sword, or sword-like disjoints. I didn't really play Melee competitively, but when I did, I played Link and Marth. In Brawl, I played Marth. Street Fighter? Bison. (Dem St.H sword-legs) Blazblue? Hazama and Terumi. (Chains and Knives) The closest thing to me NOT playing a sword character was Project M. I didn't mesh well with Marth in that game, so instead I played Sheik and played her LIKE I was playing Brawl Marth. (SH Fair, liberal Bair usage, Needle camping, etc)
So, when Smash 4 rolled around and I got to try Marth in the Best Buy Demo Build, I was..... disappointed, to say the least. A lot of Marth's old stuff was heavily gutted. No SH Double Fair, Nair was awful, just felt way worse in general. I was worried.

What was July 14th, 2014 like for you?

This also gets answered in my next part here, so I'll inject it.
I had not really had Robin on my radar for being in Smash at all. I was hoping for a Lucina alt. Costume for Marth, and was just hoping that Ike stayed in over Chrom. I did not want to see Chrom at all, over Lucina or Ike. I didn't think we'd get more than 2 reps, honestly.
So that morning, I woke up early for the direct. It was the fabled #monadoMonday, as the tweet from the Xenoblade team (or whatever it was) had sent people into a speculation frenzy. I hopped into Skype with my good buddy Ryker to watch it together. The trailer starts..... IMMEDIATELY LUCINA?! I'm obviously surprised, but I had hoped to see her, so I'm pumped. Falcon reconfirmed. Cool. Everybody knew that was coming, so no surprise there. Was really impressed by how powerful they made his strikes feel though. Gave em real impact.
THEN THE WIND SLASHES HIT.
Not gonna lie, my immediate first thought was “DID THEY PUT IN SOREN?!??!?” and then he floated down, and as soon as I saw the Levin Sword and the hood, I knew. Sudden rush of euphoria, as I realized just how much I wanted this, but never realized it. ALL THE SPELLS. IT ALL MADE SO MUCH SENSE. And that LEVIN sword! HNNNNNGHHHHH.
Then I got to laugh at Chrom being relegated to a Final Smash. #****Chrom.
Now, to answer Delta's other part of the original question: Why did I stick with Robin?
Simple. Everything meshed too well with my playstyle. It's like..... when you find the perfect pair of pants. Every seam, every movement.... binds perfectly with your body. As if they were made JUST for you. That's how I felt with Robin. Everything about the character was completely what I wanted. The aerials, Arcfire, the versatile zoning options with Thunder variants.... it was all perfect.
And when I looked back at Marth and saw the hollow shell of the character I once knew, I knew I was never going to be looking back.
I have stuck with Robin because I believe in the character. I know that Robin has weaknesses, yes. But nothing completely unmanageable. I chose to throw myself fully into this character's mastery. There is far more to be accomplished playing a character you love, than forcing yourself to play one you just don't mesh with, just because they're top tier.

@ Raziek What do you say to the people who say Robin is campy and keeps the meta from evolving in tournament play? There are also those who say that Robin has no other relative strategies other than baiting and camping. What is your opinion on that?

I feel like some of these statements are in conflict.
Robin is a campy character, there's no doubt about that. But camping is only Plan A. If the opponent can't beat Plan A, there's no need to put yourself at risk by NOT camping.
But the character is much more than that. Robin's room to grow is in pushing her advantage time. Once she FINDS that initial hit, she has very strong potential for explosive strings due to the power of the Levin Sword and her variety of powerful and versatile kill moves.
http://gfycat.com/AmusedScentedGerbil
*coughs *
The other thing that holds Robin back is a lack of representation. But at the same time, that's the life of a mid tier character. They will only get a small handful of heroes to represent them, while those interested in making money off the game will play the best characters they can, to maximize their chances of winning. Is there anything wrong with that? No, not really. That's how competitive games have always and will always work.

Oh, an interview thread. Reminds me of the old brawl days, heh.
Anyway, What is your favourite MU as Robin?

Hmmm. Tough call, there's a lot of them that I haven't played. Probably Marth or Roy. I've always loved battles between Sword characters, and Robin brings another interesting dimension to how those work.
My alternative answer is: Any match-up where I get to get Nair gimps.

Where do you see Robin in the future tier list?

I think Robin is solidly mid-tier, and unless she suddenly acquires some major representation or major buffs, is unlikely to get any higher than that. I think she's at home among the likes of Duck Hunt, Peach, Shulk, the Pits, etc. General ballpark reference points: Worse than Greninja, but better than Bowser Jr.

What is the most important thing you have to keep in mind as a Robin player?

God, this is also a hard one. Most important? PRESS THE JAB BUTTON. JUST DO IT. Most of the time, it's the right answer. Other than that, there's a ton of different ****. Mastering and making the most of Robin's limited movement options is probably the next most critical thing. It may be a bit of an Achilles' Heel, but that doesn't mean you can't wear armored boots.

And finally, what do you think of the Ike/Robin MU?

I actually have not much to say on this one. Since Nysyarc, our former Brawl Ike, switched to Ganondorf, I have almost no experience with this matchup with a player of any skill. My initial theorycrafting is that Ike has a really hard time with Arcfire and we generally beat him by following much the same gameplan as we do versus Shulk. Chuck plasma, Jab a lot, beat him with our fast aerials in a mid-range fight, rather than trying to outspace his ridiculous fair.

I remember you saying a while back that you didn't think Robin was higher than mid tier. And yet, you've solo mained Robin ever since Smash 4 came out.There seems to be a bit of a contrast there. Could you explain why you've invested so much time in a character that you aren't sure is competitively viable?

Hmmm. Couple of things to address here.
First, I think that Robin is a high-tier quality character, made mid-tier as a result of relative strength in the meta. If the characters that beat her were not as strong, she would be stronger relative to the rest of the cast. I think she can hold her own very solidly with the other strong 'high-tier' characters like Villager, Mega Man, ROB, etc. It's just that specific archetype gives her some trouble, and that archetype is COMMON, so it hurts her overall meta relevance. I think she is a high-tier character in a vacuum.
To answer the second part, it's because enjoyment is priority one, winning is priority two. I mentioned this already, but I would rather play Robin and see some success (especially locally), than try to force myself to play Sheik or ZSS to try to maximize my chance of winning. Even if I did, I doubt I'd ever be able to be as comfortable playing them as I am playing Robin. (None of them have swords, damnit!)

What sold you on Robin, despite knowing his limitations? Judging by your sig, you played high tier characters in the other Smash games. Is character loyalty worth the struggle?

I covered most of this already, so I'll just hit the last part.
Character loyalty can be worth the struggle, but that depends on how important winning is to you.
However, Robin is 100% not 'the struggle'. Mid-tier is not 'the struggle' and never has been. The struggle is if you're trying to play like.... Wii Fit Trainer, or Zelda, or Brawl Ganondorf. It's not even comparable to Robin.
I played high tier in other games not so much because they were high tier, but because I tend to be drawn to attributes that ARE high tier. (Zoning characters with swords are usually pretty good) It helps that the kind of characters I like to play are not often low tier characters.

How do you approach bad matchups against characters like Falcon and Sheik? Are you looking for particular options you can punish? Or do you rely on learning your opponent's habits and exploiting them?

Bit of both. If I get the impression that my opponent does not know much about Robin, I will do things I know are unsafe but high payoff, but don't SEEM unsafe at first glance. Things like Down-Smashing a shield because the player doesn't know about the spark hitboxes, or catching them off-guard with tome/sword tosses or deliberate item eject setups. Things that you wouldn't know if you don't have much knowledge of the character. I usually scout this by asking them if I need to explain my customs. If they need me to explain, chances are their experience level is low. If I'm feeling cheeky, I might even directly ask them if they've fought a Robin before.
Option coverage is also definitely a big part of it. In bad matchups, the losing character will usually struggle because their overall option strength is worse than their opponent's character's. If you can get a bead on habits, then you don't have to PLAY the option coverage as hard, and can instead get stronger punishes that allow you to compensate.
I also ensure that I know THEIR character well. If I know what I can and cannot punish, I have an edge over them in most cases. Being well-prepared is important to every Tactician.
Finally, press the Jab button. You have to crutch Jab HARD in those match-ups. It's too good not to. It is frame 4 and has great range. Make them respect the button. Especially Falcon and Sheik, they have a hard time getting out of Wind jab. Abuse it.

Anything Robin players should lab and practice? Spacing, stage setplay, techniques?

Covered most of this already, but the short answer is all of it.
You must be one with your character. If you ever have an instant where you did something you did not intend to, or something worked in a way you did not expect, you have not practiced enough. You should know them as you know yourself. Every movement should be crisp and wasteless. Every action deliberate, calculated. You should feel as though your character is an extension of your own body.
This all sounds very cheesy, I'm sure, but I mean it. Practice everything. Trump set-ups, spacing, movement. It all has to be immaculate.

While Robin him/herself seems unchanged in the latest update, the world around him/her has. How do you think the new DLC characters and stages, as well as various balance updates, will impact Robin on a competitive level?

Shouldn't change too too much? Diddy getting further nerfs helps us out, of course, as he falls further out of favor. Other
than that, most of what happened in this patch has been buffs to low tier characters. Dreamland being added gives us essentially a similar Battlefield, which is not bad for us. The blast zones are very conductive to us getting early horizontal kills with Fair/Bair. Uair's potency is somewhat reduced, but that also aids our survivability overall. Dreamland is also great for edge-guarding with Elwind because of the stage shape.
As for Roy, Ryu and Lucas and how they affect her... too early to tell. Roy I have the most experience with so far, and he's definitely not going to ruin her life. Macth-up is very close. Too early to say on the other two.

1 change on Robin and she would be opWhat would it be?

Give her Roy's Runspeed and Grab range.
Miscellaneous

Thoughts about the Digital Event, Raz? Did you, like hordes of others, believe it to be lackluster?

Honestly, yeah. Nothing earth-shattering for me in this one. Trailers for stuff I already knew about. Release date for Xenoblade X. I don't particularly care for Starfox, so that didn't mean much to me. Triforce Heroes was neat I guess. Paper Jam is probably the thing I'm most interested in. I just went in hoping to have my socks knocked off, and got essentially a plate of very safe, expected things. Meanwhile, Sony knocked it out of the ****ing park.

Tallying in my vote for False Sense as well.Favorite cartoon of all time, Raz?

Cartoon? Hmmm. I guess that depends on how broadly you apply that word. I'll have to go with Spongebob, though. ****ing LOVE that show.
Nevermind, Ryker corrected me again. Darkwing Duck.

A Song of Ice and Fire, Game of Thrones, both or neither?If the answer to the above question is not neither, who do you think and hope (can be two separate people) will end up on the Iron Throne when all is said and done?If the answer to the question above the previous question is not neither, R+L=J. True or False? (In your opinion)

Sorry to be a buzzkill, but I don't follow it AT ALL. I haven't watched TV in over 6 years, and I don't read the books.

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

I don't actually remember the scene well enough to recant the actual answer back to you, but I do recognize that it's Monty Python.

Do you like Warhammer 40,000? If so, what are some of your thoughts and opinions on it?

Indifferent on it. I've never been one for painting models, and it seems like a really expensive hobby, so I never really examined it in any detail.

I have a few more questions I thought up:
Callie or Marie?Bread or Rice?Cats or Dogs?Pop or Rock?
If you were to go out on a date with one video game character of your choice who would it be and why?

Marie.Rice.Dogs.Rock.
Dating a video game character? Tough call. It'd have to be someone who could match me intellectually. I'm gonna have to say Rita from Tales of Vesperia. She's smart, without being TOO overthetop crazy eccentric or annoying.

What to do against Fox as Robin? The same but against Rosaluma?

Fox is pretty simple, actually. Jab the crap out of him. His aerial approaches aren't great because his horizontal airspeed is bad. Harass him off-stage with Elwind because his recovery isn't that great. Once he's high enough, hit him with Ledge-trump Bair for early kill because he's light as hell. 3111 for customs here. Abuse speed Elthunder every time he dashes, and pepper him with Thunder to annoy them and force them to make mistakes. If they try to jump in on you, just Fair/Uair. Arcfire is really good, again, because of his bad horizontal airspeed. He also falls quickly, so has a harder time escaping it. (And Wind Jab)
Rosaluma, your goal is 100% to kill Luma. And it's really easy with customs. Speed Thoron/Arcthunder DUMMIES Luma, as do Arcfire and Fire Wall. 3111 or 3311 are both fine depending on your preference.
Once Luma's dead, the goal is juggle game. She's huge, light and floaty. Get her off the ground, don't let her down, kill her early. As long as you're careful in neutral and avoiding getting hit by her terrifying U-Smash/Uair/Dair, I have honestly not had THAT much trouble with this match-up.

 

[Croi]

Since then, myself and @ Croi have been running Smash Nova Scotia's tournaments as a partnership. I couldn't have gotten where I am today without him.

ayyy lmao

Hrm. I'd like to see... Brawl Lucario.

Of course you would

 

[redfeatherraven]

Red. I am a man of passion!

****.

If you ever become a man of science, I'll be out of a job.

 

[Célja]

Your love for Rita (Tales of Vesperia) makes me happy Raz.

 

[LIQUID12A]

Now that Raziek has finished his wall o text...

INTERVIEW PERIOD #2 - @ False Sense - of [word]

Begin asking questions to False Sense.

Will you make a mega post or answer as they come along?

Either way, this interview period ends on June 26th.

Happy asking.

-------

What was your OTHER favorite Smash reveal(because the question is too obvious otherwise)?

Own any non-Nintendo consoles?

 

[False Sense]

Well, now that Raziek is out of the way...

Hi, everybody! As you probably know by now, I'm False Sense, devoted Robin supporter and main. I'm excited to be a part of this, so feel free to ask me anything.

Will you make a mega post or answer as they come along?

What was your OTHER favorite Smash reveal(because the question is too obvious otherwise)?

I intend to answer questions as they come along. I'll do my best to get back to your questions as soon as possible.


Now, to answer your question, I'd have to go with Mewtwo (assuming DLC counts; otherwise I'd go with Rosalina). For a long time, Mewtwo was my absolute favorite character in the Smash series, and I was terribly sad to see that he was cut from Brawl. Naturally, he was one of my most wanted characters for Smash 4, and I thought that he had every reason to come back. Seeing him return that day of the Extravaganza, after all hope seemed to be lost, was simply incredible.

Own any non-Nintendo consoles?

I own a PS3. Don't play it too much nowadays.