Robin was overhyped?

[Silverfox117]

Okay before I start this thread I will like to say a few things.
1. I main Robin and probably will in the future.
2.I think she is still a good character that has room to grow.
3.I have played close to 1000 games with Robin online and with friends, so I like to think I am kind of experienced with Robin.
Okay let us begin.

Honestly, I think Robin is a character that everyone thought in the very beginning as a great character. One that is certainly a top tier contender. However, after playing Robin for a very long time since release in United States I think Robin is a low mid to high C tier character and these are the reasons.

1. She/he is so slow and floaty. This one is obvious as many people see this in the very beginning. Robin has the running speed of a heavy with the weight of a light which is a terrible combination. Often times Robin can't capitalize on a lot of mistakes and it makes edge guarding with Robin very difficult. Sometimes due to the running speed you can't even combo off of Arcthunder and Arcfire.

2.Robin has no way to approach at all. All of Robins moves are laggy besides her f-tilt and d-tilt, but you can't really approach with a tilt very easily. With no approach Robin is limited to a very defensive play style which isn't a bad thing inherently.

3.Robin's defensive play style along with her spacing is so easily countered by anybody. Arcfire is easily punishable as anyone with a brain could realize that all they have to do is run through it before it hits the ground. This makes it very difficult for Robin to get people off of her. You are then relying on thunder/Elthunder to keep people off. Only problem is that thunder is weak, and could get easily super armored by certain characters, and even Elthunder needs to be charged up.

4.Once they figure you out it is over. Robin only really has one kind of play style and that is the runaway game. However, once the opponent figures out to play against it, or is just competant it is all over. They could easily make the game into you having to approach them and if Robin has to approach to compete then you lost simple as that.

5.Robins grab and dash attack sucks and needs to rely on roll cancel grab. This isn't such an issue to me personally as I got it down most of the time, but I could see this really effecting a tight game, and a single mess up will get you punished hard.

6. Finally, to me it seems that Robin is weak to a lot of characters. Characters that are fast like Sonic, Yoshi, ZSS, and Shiek give her hell, and characters that could out range you too like Samus, Link, and Duck Hunt is a nightmare to fight against. I totaled up the characters that have these traits, and it's pretty alarming how many characters have the advantage over Robin. At least 28 characters have these troublesome traits. That doesn't seem top tier too me.


Tell me what you guys think

 

[Mr. Johan]

People were more or less hyped because Robin's a great character, not necessarily a /good/ one. He encapsulated the long-forgotten facet of magic and weapon durability in Fire Emblem, and stands as the exception to the "Blue-haired swordsman" rule Smash had for Fire Emblem up to this point.

Not everything has to be viewed from a competitive lens. Robin served as a breath of fresh air in the grand scheme of Smash Bros. Him being a top tier contender would have just been icing on the scale-tipped cake.

 

[Mac2492]

Based on what I've read I was under the impression that no one expected her to be top tier. She's generally been described as "a character no one can utilize well yet but has potential" but not necessarily a top tier one.

1/2. Robin has excellent projectiles and can force most enemies into approaching her. There's also Uair, Nair, all tilts + jab, Thunder/Elthunder for non-laggy moves. Plus her laggy moves tend to have high power and long hitboxes. I find Robin's edge guarding to be pretty solid. She has two spikes, two projectiles that can KO off stage, and strong aerials in every direction.

3. If people are running through your Arcfire then you're casting it from too close. Abuse that long hitbox. If they stay behind it you can charge Thunder. If they dash through or jump over then you've controlled their movements and can respond accordingly. A missed Arcfire can be just as useful as one that hit. In most matchups you should always be charging Thunder up to Arcthunder/Thoron. Elthunder is the alternative. Thunder is more of a jab than a keepaway.

4. Strongly disagreed. This applies to every character but if your opponent figures you out then you're not adapting well enough. Robin has tools to fight at every range, even if they aren't the best in any department.

5. "Messing up will get you punished" isn't really a valid concern as it applies to everyone. The abysmal grab range was a problem but as you've mentioned Robin has one of the longest-reaching roll cancel grabs to make up for that. Nosferatu allows for aerial grabs. All-in-all this makes Robin pretty decent at grabbing (albeit while having sucky throws aside from a decent Bthrow).

6. Robin isn't weak to a lot of characters. Her main weaknesses are rushdown characters and projectile spammers, but she only has a true disadvantage against the most egregious offenders (such as Greninja and Shiek). There are "trouble characters" but it's more like a handful and not half the roster.

You can't play Robin exclusively like Link and spam projectiles the whole game (they have too much lag) or like play a brutal close-range game like Marth (too much lag). Robin gains the most mileage when you strike a balance between the two. I'd recommend using more Arcthunder and Arcfire with appropriate distancing. They are incredibly dense and can both setup combos and KO. Favor aerials and tilts over her laggy smashes (fire jab is another excellent move). Robin might not be the strongest character in the game but she's more versatile than a lot of people are giving credit for.

 

[MasterOfKnees]

It's people's own fault if they try and gauge how good a character is before the game is even out yet. It's never a moveset that makes a character good, it's the numbers attached to the moveset that makes the difference.

As for how good Robin is, he can be pretty frustrating to play against but that's about it, he's just okay in my eyes.

 

[Mechageo]

Use and abuse Robin' aerial smash attacks. His forward air is great for approaching.

 

[Reila]

I find funny how you call Robin with feminine pronouns but have male Robin listed as your main

Anyways, my hype for Robin wasn't because of her potential as a great character, but because of what she represents. She is the first and only FE character in Smash who isn't a blue haired swordsman/woman lord. Plus, characters that fall in the mage archetype are always cool in books. On top of that, Robin has a great character design and is also one of the best and most memorable characters in a not-so-memorable game (FEA).

 

[False Sense]

Um... I don't recall anyone saying Robin was a top-tier contender. I think most of us agreed he/she looked like a mid, maybe high, tier character. Which you seem to think he/she is as well, so in that sense, this thread is based on a major misconception.

That, and there's also the fact that Robin's popularity did not come from how good he/she appeared competitively. Robin became popular because of how he/she challenged what speculators took for granted and introduced a breath of fresh air to the representation of the Fire Emblem series. Just who he/she is alone is enough to be hyped about. So, no, I don't think Robin was overhyped, in any sense of the word.

 

[Pazzo.]

Robin's popularity came from his/her uniqueness. He's the first FE rep to use magic, along with representing a completely relevant side of the Fire Emblem series... tactics. After all, it is a tactical RPG.

So is Robin top tier? Nah, people will exploit (some) of the weaknesses you listed, but there's a lot of potential. In fact, I just watched a close tournament finals between a Robin and Ness player.

 

[AustarusIV]

I find funny how you call Robin with feminine pronouns but have male Robin listed as your main

Anyways, my hype for Robin wasn't because of her potential as a great character, but because of what she represents. She is the first and only FE character in Smash who isn't a blue haired swordsman/woman lord. Plus, characters that fall in the mage archetype are always cool in books. On top of that, Robin has a great character design and is also one of the best and most memorable characters in a not-so-memorable game (FEA).

From what I've heard, non-premium users can't choose the alts of certain characters as their mains. They're stuck with only the first palette swap. Which is another bonus to getting premium guys

Like everyone else has said, Robin is an exceptionally unique FE character who manages to represent the fundamentals of Fire Emblem game play while being a beloved lord from their main game. It also had something to do with them debunking a certain notorious leak earlier, restoring speculation for at least a little while longer until we were inevitably spoiled by the roster leak.

Also, while Robin can switch between both genders, we also finally got a female, high-priority Fire Emblem character, from a series that has given women major roles to play in their stories (Lucina is just a bonus). That too has hyped a lot of longtime fans, who were previously left with only male lords to play as.

 

[Robertman2]

From what I've heard, non-premium users can't choose the alts of certain characters as their mains. They're stuck with only the first palette swap. Which is another bonus to getting premium guys

Like everyone else has said, Robin is an exceptionally unique FE character who manages to represent the fundamentals of Fire Emblem game play while being a beloved lord from their main game. It also had something to do with them debunking a certain notorious leak earlier, restoring speculation for at least a little while longer until we were inevitably spoiled by the roster leak.

Also, while Robin can switch between both genders, we also finally got a female, high-priority Fire Emblem character, from a series that has given women major roles to play in their stories (Lucina is just a bonus). That too has hyped a lot of longtime fans, who were previously left with only male lords to play as.

counts as a lord?

 

[AustarusIV]

counts as a lord?

Yes, in the archetypical sense. If a main character dies in battle, and causes a game over with their death, then they are considered to be a Lord.

However, they must count if they are playable throughout the entire game (so characters like Elincia don't count, technically).

 

[Robertman2]

Yes, in the archetypical sense. If a main character dies in battle, and causes a game over with their death, then they are considered to be a Lord.

However, they must count if they are playable throughout the entire game (so characters like Elincia don't count, technically).

Huh.

 

[False Sense]

counts as a lord?

Yes, in the archetypical sense. If a main character dies in battle, and causes a game over with their death, then they are considered to be a Lord.

However, they must count if they are playable throughout the entire game (so characters like Elincia don't count, technically).

Except in Smash speculation, because as we all know only characters with the actual Lord class are considered main characters and are the only viable candidates for the roster.

In all seriousness, though, the fact that Robin isn't a typical Lord character is one of the main reasons his/her inclusion was so hype inducing.

 

[Deathcarter]

Not really. My understanding was that from the very beginning the limited use tomes/Levin Sword mechanic, the weak Bronze sword and Robin's mobility problems were already theorized to be big roadblocks for Robin even before the game came out.

 

[Skye Kitsune]

Wherever Robin ends up being In terms of tier lists can rely on many factors outside of move set and mechanics. If she ends up being extremely easy to beat by the top tier characters regardless of how she performs In other circumstances this can greatly affect how well she does in tournaments.

This is just how I'm looking at it, I'll wait until the meta game develops before I declare Robin to be a good/bad character. (I've always looked at it kinda like 10% character 90% player skill anyways)

 

[Delzethin]

I think it's more that the bandwagon has moved on at the moment. Robin got a massive amount of attention after being revealed, with a lot of people interested in his potential, but once the game came out people flocked instead to the characters that looked good right away...basically, the flashiest-seeming ones or the ones that felt Melee-like for some shortsighted reason.

Unfortunately, several of them are characters Robin has trouble against, which has just led to more people abandoning ship.

There's an ebb and flow in play here, and I think we'll get some of the spotlight back again. It might take a master tactician to pull off some major victories to get Robin noticed for good, though...

 

[Kevandre]

I don't at all play Robin as a "runaway character"

I kinda rush down people and it works out pretty well for the most par . The SA-SA-SAArcfire is nothing short of glorious

 

[Thane of Blue Flames]

Robin is honestly the only character I like watching in this game. So definitely not overhyped for me.

Also if that ZSS infinite on Robin isn't banned I will be *pissed*.

 

[Ultimastrike]

Robin got a massive amount of attention after being revealed, with a lot of people interested in his potential, but once the game came out people flocked instead to the characters that looked good right away...basically, the flashiest-seeming ones or the ones that felt Melee-like for some shortsighted reason.

Technically I'd think that those who went to Melee-like is because they've already got a feel for them, and want to stay with who they know. As far as new characters go, I'd think it's just based on what the player likes/knows about a character.

Unfortunately, several of them are characters Robin has trouble against, which has just led to more people abandoning ship.

There's an ebb and flow in play here, and I think we'll get some of the spotlight back again. It might take a master tactician to pull off some major victories to get Robin noticed for good, though...

I think it might need someone who took a class advancement to Grandmaster to give Robin spotlight, not just a master tactician. If at Apex we see Robin show up near the top, he should get some spotlight(provided Sm4sh is going to be at Apex along with Melee).