Emblem Lord
The Legendary Lord
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2005
- Messages
- 9,720
- Location
- Scotch Plains, NJ
- NNID
- ShinEmblemLord
- 3DS FC
- 3926-6895-0574
- Switch FC
- SW-0793-4091-6136
Introduction
Greetings to all. This is Emblem Lord and this guide is for all Roy players looking to take their game to the next level. A special shout-out to @
Novaseer
for his Marth version of this guide of which my guide is based on.
I feel Roy’s trap game is one of, if not the deadliest trap games out of the entire cast. Roy’s running speed, weight, fall speed, sweetspot/sourspot mechanics and plethora of options make him deadly in creating situations where his opponent has a split second to make the correct choice or Roy will just reset the situation or clench the stock with a KO. With the Sword of Seals in hand it can be tough for opponents to challenge Roy’s traps which is another reason his trap game is so solid. I will go into all of Roy’s traps as well as his options to respond to his opponents actions. But first off, I really should explain...
What is a trap?
A trap is a situation in which the aggressor has put the defender in a situation such that they have extremely limited options. Usually there are only one or two safe responses and everything else is a risk. Traps are also characterized by the fact that once initiated, the aggressor can often choose a very safe, virtually risk free option to FORCE a response from the defender. Even if the defender chooses the correct response, the aggressor didn’t risk much at all and is in a position where they often still have advantage. Roy actually has many traps and most of them are simply to initiate and very integral to his gameplay. In fact Roy creates many natural traps through his gameplay so you may even be trapping your opponent and you hadn’t realized it. That is just how much trapping is part of his game. Traps are also great as they will lead into many mix-up situations once you condition your opponent or you know how they respond to certain traps. This in turn leads to more damage and KO opportunities.
D-throw Trap
This is Roy’s most common trap and a move that many Roy players use to trap. It is second nature as this trap is off Roy’s best throw. Roy can true combo off this throw, but at higher percents where he can no longer combo, is when this throw becomes the perfect trap creator. From this throw he has several options. SHFF or full jump FF Nair, walk forward d-tilt, Jab or shield are his go to options after this trap has been initiated. Shield is a bit of an oddman out since it’s the only defensive option but its actually very strong.
If the opponent attacks his shield.
Free grab and you can trap reset, You can also just OoS Blazer which is great if it will kill or you want raw damage.
If the opponent jumps
You lost nothing. Simply drop your shield and reposition yourself for a landing trap.
The other options are aggressive but still strong. The goal with any of the attacks is to force the airdodge. You WILL recover before your opponent and then you can punish their recovery frames. D-throw trap is in reality a landing trap, started from a throw.
If you force an airdodge
Free punish for you. F-smash, U-smash, DED, grab, or Blazer should be the ones you go for generally.
If any of these options hit
Reposition yourself. D-tilt is a strong option because it can lead to damage or a D-tilt trap if they manage to block.
F-throw Trap
A simple but effective trap. After a f-throw dash forward with Roy and perform a SHFF Nair. This trap works fairly well since it’s hard for the opponent to challenge Roy’s sword and speed.
If the opponent jumps
Reposition yourself and prepare for a landing trap.
If the opponent airdodges
You will land just before they do. Free punish. Go for a kill with Blazer or Usmash. Otherwise trap reset with another throw or DED for damage and stale move negation.
If they land before you do and manage to block
Don’t panic. You should be safe as long as your spacing was on point. Depending on how close you are to your opponent, you should be able to roll away and avoid retaliation.
If the opponent gets hit
More positional advantage. Set up spacing to transition into another trap or mix-up situation.
D-tilt Trap
Roy’s d-tilt is quite the poke. Hits on frame 7. 21 total frames. Safer when sweetspotted but still damn safe when tipped. His d-tilt is actually one of the safest pokes in the game. Safer even then Marth or Lucina’s d-tilt mainly due to Roy’s unique hitlag modifiers on his buttons which are different from Marth’s modifiers and the fact that his d-tilt has 2 frames less recovery then Marth’s. To mitigate this it does less damage, but as a trap creator when combined with Roy’s speed and options, it is one of the best moves in the game. D-tilt on block when the opponent drops shield is -2/+1 on block for tip hit and sweetspot respectively. For any OoS option like a grab or a jump cancel action it's -9/-6. But that isn't relevant because you should be spacing this move properly so those close OoS options wouldn't hit such as a shield grab. It takes 7 frames to drop a shield FYI. So this is why spacing pokes is so important. To start this trap simply d-tilt an opponents shield then wait. Here are the actions the opponent can take and Roy’s responses.
Roll Away
Roy lost nothing. Close the gap and reposition yourself. At worst you are back to neutral.
Roll Towards or spotdodge
Free punish. Grab or Blazer being the easiest and most consistent. DED is also solid
Holding shield
Simply d-tilt again or SHFF Nair for the trap
If it hits
Reset spacing. SHFF Nair is a good go to option thats fairly safe and of course strong on block.
D-tilt is strong because its his best poke and sees a lot of use in his footsies and poke game. If your reactions are good enough it is possible to even respond to actions while Roy is recovering from his d-tilt animation. If you d-tilt and the opponent SH’s over it, you can Blazer to shut down an aerial counter poke. You could also dash back and rely on your mobility to make something whiff then punish. If your opponent spot dodges/rolls the d-tilt on anticipation, Roy can respond and punish depending on how early they avoided the attack and who he is fighting. Even if he doesnt get the punish he can apply pressure and stay in control. For example if the opponent rolls at Roy and his d-tilt whiffs, Roy can SHFF Nair to apply pressure. Or you can choose to be defensive and shield or roll away to avoid danger. Mastering D-tilt is pivotal to being an expert Roy player . It really pulls his whole game together.
SHFF Nair Trap
This is fundamentally similar to the d-tilt trap but with a SH aerial. This can be great for avoiding low pokes during footsies and setting up an offense at the same time. This move is very safe on block. In fact when hitting with the sweetspot of the Sword of Seals and hitting as late as possible on the attack before landing Roy gets REAL FRAME ADVANTAGE. He will be at +2 on block. This is not huge obviously, but it means he is able to move before his opponent and thus makes his trap that much tighter. If nair hits sweetspotted on the second hit he will be at -5 vs shield grabs and OoS options which is still REALLY good. And again, if you space properly then OoS options aren't a huge threat. The responses to the Nair trap are the same as the d-tilt trap, but this trap gives you a few more frames to work with when done perfectly and SHFF Nair is a strong counter poke option and zoning tool. It is also a good move to throw out as a follow-up to other traps. If I hits, then great. If its blocked or forced an airdodge you can transition to another trap seamlessly.
Landing Trap
This is the most common and universal trap shared by the entire cast. It is a trap designed to draw out an airdodge and then punish. Works best with an aerial with low recovery. Roys Nair is great here, but Uair works well too especially since if Uair hits Roy can get a combo or transition to another trap. To do this trap, position Roy underneath an airborne opponent. As they come down, have Roy perform a SH Uair. If you want SH Nair then position him slightly behind his opponent. This trap is strong with Roy due to him having a disjoint and getting follow-ups on hit.
If the opponent airdodges
Great. Grab for a throw trap. Blazer or U-smash for a kill. DED for damage.
If the opponent jumps
Still great. More positional advantage. Reposition for another landing trap
If the opponent gets hit by Uair
If it sweetspotted go for another Uair. If it didn’t then you can go for the grab or attempt another trap scenario with D-tilt or SHFF Nair.
If the opponent gets hit by Nair
Transition to ledge trap or another landing trap.
Ledge Trap
Another strong universal trap. When your opponent is on the ledge position yourself so that you are just outside of their ledge get up attack. You have now effectively covered most of their options.
If the opponent rolls
Throw them back out or go for a kill if it applies
If the opponent ledge get up attacks
Throw them back out or any damaging punish
If the opponent ledge jumps
Position yourself for a landing trap.
If the opponent does a normal ledge get up
Safest option so be prepared. Walk-up d-tilt for the trap or SHFF Nair are both good responses. You can also just wait a split second and observe. Do not simply rush in blindly unless you know exactly what they will do. Do not roll away or dash back as you would be giving up stage presence.
Wake-up Trap
Thanks to Roy’s great running speed he can create wake-up traps when an opponent is lying on the ground usually due to a missed tech. To start this trap, walk up to a downed opponent and shield.
If the opponent rolls in either direction
Shield drop dash grab or DED. If you are not confident in your ability to punish this on reaction then you can opt for the SHFF Nair for pressure.
If the opponent does a wake-up attack or normal wake-up
Shield grab, JCed U-smash or JCed Blazer
Tips and Advice
Flare Blade is a strong option in any landing trap situation. The timing can throw an opponent off and the recovery is good. Still it has long start-up so be mindful of that.
Roy’s trap game ties in with his mix-up game really well. Although traps are a very low risk way to stay in control, the reward tends to be low unless the opponent makes an error. Vs stronger opponents traps set the stage for mix-ups and conditioning your opponent. Once you see their patterns then you can start landing KO options because Roys traps also double as mix-up opportunities.
Go for traps when you want the low risk damage or you want to stay in control. However if you KNOW your opponent will take a certain course of action and you have a strong option to beat theirs then by all means GO FOR IT. If you know your opponent will try to hit a button in a certain situation, well yes you could Nair them which is safe, or you could just bust out an U-smash which will eat through their attack and blow them away for a KO if their percent is high enough.
CPU’s at level 9 are great for testing your traps. They have frame perfect reaction so they dodge and roll perfectly. When you force the dodge/roll and still get the punish that’s not luck, it’s math. It all comes back to the frame data. Practicing vs CPU’s is really great for seeing how consistent you are with your traps.
Some characters can negate traps to a certain extent. ZSS, Sheik, Diddy and anyone with a strong burst option are characters that can get out of disadvantage state fairly easily. Don’t feel bad or get discouraged if you cannot trap characters like this consistently.
Captain Falcon and Ganondorf are good trap practice dummies due to poor disadvantage state and reliance on universal options such as fast falling and airdodging.
When using Double Edge Dance (DED) as a punish response in your traps, try to end in the upward version. This way Roy can transition to a landing trap and you gain positional advantage. Unless you are near the ledge in which case it doesn’t matter how you end it.
Traps are truly the final frontier for a character’s metagame. They take extremely good reaction time and understanding of spacing as well as your opponent’s options. Do not feel bad if you mess these up a lot at first. You WILL improve. Keep training. DON’T GIVE UP!!
This is it for now guys, but I will update with more as I lab with the Young Lion. If anyone has anything to add feel free to say so. I hope it was a good read and I hope I helped people take their game to the next level.
See you on the battlefield.
Update on June 20th 2016 - Long overdue for a slight update because Roy's frame data changed several patches ago. His hitlag modifiers were adjusted so his on block and on hit data is slightly different.
Check this link if you want to see his data.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...WFwy_dg04Rrq4a-YF9-VDOhZI/edit#gid=1944325963
Greetings to all. This is Emblem Lord and this guide is for all Roy players looking to take their game to the next level. A special shout-out to @
Novaseer
for his Marth version of this guide of which my guide is based on.I feel Roy’s trap game is one of, if not the deadliest trap games out of the entire cast. Roy’s running speed, weight, fall speed, sweetspot/sourspot mechanics and plethora of options make him deadly in creating situations where his opponent has a split second to make the correct choice or Roy will just reset the situation or clench the stock with a KO. With the Sword of Seals in hand it can be tough for opponents to challenge Roy’s traps which is another reason his trap game is so solid. I will go into all of Roy’s traps as well as his options to respond to his opponents actions. But first off, I really should explain...
What is a trap?
A trap is a situation in which the aggressor has put the defender in a situation such that they have extremely limited options. Usually there are only one or two safe responses and everything else is a risk. Traps are also characterized by the fact that once initiated, the aggressor can often choose a very safe, virtually risk free option to FORCE a response from the defender. Even if the defender chooses the correct response, the aggressor didn’t risk much at all and is in a position where they often still have advantage. Roy actually has many traps and most of them are simply to initiate and very integral to his gameplay. In fact Roy creates many natural traps through his gameplay so you may even be trapping your opponent and you hadn’t realized it. That is just how much trapping is part of his game. Traps are also great as they will lead into many mix-up situations once you condition your opponent or you know how they respond to certain traps. This in turn leads to more damage and KO opportunities.
D-throw Trap
This is Roy’s most common trap and a move that many Roy players use to trap. It is second nature as this trap is off Roy’s best throw. Roy can true combo off this throw, but at higher percents where he can no longer combo, is when this throw becomes the perfect trap creator. From this throw he has several options. SHFF or full jump FF Nair, walk forward d-tilt, Jab or shield are his go to options after this trap has been initiated. Shield is a bit of an oddman out since it’s the only defensive option but its actually very strong.
If the opponent attacks his shield.
Free grab and you can trap reset, You can also just OoS Blazer which is great if it will kill or you want raw damage.
If the opponent jumps
You lost nothing. Simply drop your shield and reposition yourself for a landing trap.
The other options are aggressive but still strong. The goal with any of the attacks is to force the airdodge. You WILL recover before your opponent and then you can punish their recovery frames. D-throw trap is in reality a landing trap, started from a throw.
If you force an airdodge
Free punish for you. F-smash, U-smash, DED, grab, or Blazer should be the ones you go for generally.
If any of these options hit
Reposition yourself. D-tilt is a strong option because it can lead to damage or a D-tilt trap if they manage to block.
F-throw Trap
A simple but effective trap. After a f-throw dash forward with Roy and perform a SHFF Nair. This trap works fairly well since it’s hard for the opponent to challenge Roy’s sword and speed.
If the opponent jumps
Reposition yourself and prepare for a landing trap.
If the opponent airdodges
You will land just before they do. Free punish. Go for a kill with Blazer or Usmash. Otherwise trap reset with another throw or DED for damage and stale move negation.
If they land before you do and manage to block
Don’t panic. You should be safe as long as your spacing was on point. Depending on how close you are to your opponent, you should be able to roll away and avoid retaliation.
If the opponent gets hit
More positional advantage. Set up spacing to transition into another trap or mix-up situation.
D-tilt Trap
Roy’s d-tilt is quite the poke. Hits on frame 7. 21 total frames. Safer when sweetspotted but still damn safe when tipped. His d-tilt is actually one of the safest pokes in the game. Safer even then Marth or Lucina’s d-tilt mainly due to Roy’s unique hitlag modifiers on his buttons which are different from Marth’s modifiers and the fact that his d-tilt has 2 frames less recovery then Marth’s. To mitigate this it does less damage, but as a trap creator when combined with Roy’s speed and options, it is one of the best moves in the game. D-tilt on block when the opponent drops shield is -2/+1 on block for tip hit and sweetspot respectively. For any OoS option like a grab or a jump cancel action it's -9/-6. But that isn't relevant because you should be spacing this move properly so those close OoS options wouldn't hit such as a shield grab. It takes 7 frames to drop a shield FYI. So this is why spacing pokes is so important. To start this trap simply d-tilt an opponents shield then wait. Here are the actions the opponent can take and Roy’s responses.
Roll Away
Roy lost nothing. Close the gap and reposition yourself. At worst you are back to neutral.
Roll Towards or spotdodge
Free punish. Grab or Blazer being the easiest and most consistent. DED is also solid
Holding shield
Simply d-tilt again or SHFF Nair for the trap
If it hits
Reset spacing. SHFF Nair is a good go to option thats fairly safe and of course strong on block.
D-tilt is strong because its his best poke and sees a lot of use in his footsies and poke game. If your reactions are good enough it is possible to even respond to actions while Roy is recovering from his d-tilt animation. If you d-tilt and the opponent SH’s over it, you can Blazer to shut down an aerial counter poke. You could also dash back and rely on your mobility to make something whiff then punish. If your opponent spot dodges/rolls the d-tilt on anticipation, Roy can respond and punish depending on how early they avoided the attack and who he is fighting. Even if he doesnt get the punish he can apply pressure and stay in control. For example if the opponent rolls at Roy and his d-tilt whiffs, Roy can SHFF Nair to apply pressure. Or you can choose to be defensive and shield or roll away to avoid danger. Mastering D-tilt is pivotal to being an expert Roy player . It really pulls his whole game together.
SHFF Nair Trap
This is fundamentally similar to the d-tilt trap but with a SH aerial. This can be great for avoiding low pokes during footsies and setting up an offense at the same time. This move is very safe on block. In fact when hitting with the sweetspot of the Sword of Seals and hitting as late as possible on the attack before landing Roy gets REAL FRAME ADVANTAGE. He will be at +2 on block. This is not huge obviously, but it means he is able to move before his opponent and thus makes his trap that much tighter. If nair hits sweetspotted on the second hit he will be at -5 vs shield grabs and OoS options which is still REALLY good. And again, if you space properly then OoS options aren't a huge threat. The responses to the Nair trap are the same as the d-tilt trap, but this trap gives you a few more frames to work with when done perfectly and SHFF Nair is a strong counter poke option and zoning tool. It is also a good move to throw out as a follow-up to other traps. If I hits, then great. If its blocked or forced an airdodge you can transition to another trap seamlessly.
Landing Trap
This is the most common and universal trap shared by the entire cast. It is a trap designed to draw out an airdodge and then punish. Works best with an aerial with low recovery. Roys Nair is great here, but Uair works well too especially since if Uair hits Roy can get a combo or transition to another trap. To do this trap, position Roy underneath an airborne opponent. As they come down, have Roy perform a SH Uair. If you want SH Nair then position him slightly behind his opponent. This trap is strong with Roy due to him having a disjoint and getting follow-ups on hit.
If the opponent airdodges
Great. Grab for a throw trap. Blazer or U-smash for a kill. DED for damage.
If the opponent jumps
Still great. More positional advantage. Reposition for another landing trap
If the opponent gets hit by Uair
If it sweetspotted go for another Uair. If it didn’t then you can go for the grab or attempt another trap scenario with D-tilt or SHFF Nair.
If the opponent gets hit by Nair
Transition to ledge trap or another landing trap.
Ledge Trap
Another strong universal trap. When your opponent is on the ledge position yourself so that you are just outside of their ledge get up attack. You have now effectively covered most of their options.
If the opponent rolls
Throw them back out or go for a kill if it applies
If the opponent ledge get up attacks
Throw them back out or any damaging punish
If the opponent ledge jumps
Position yourself for a landing trap.
If the opponent does a normal ledge get up
Safest option so be prepared. Walk-up d-tilt for the trap or SHFF Nair are both good responses. You can also just wait a split second and observe. Do not simply rush in blindly unless you know exactly what they will do. Do not roll away or dash back as you would be giving up stage presence.
Wake-up Trap
Thanks to Roy’s great running speed he can create wake-up traps when an opponent is lying on the ground usually due to a missed tech. To start this trap, walk up to a downed opponent and shield.
If the opponent rolls in either direction
Shield drop dash grab or DED. If you are not confident in your ability to punish this on reaction then you can opt for the SHFF Nair for pressure.
If the opponent does a wake-up attack or normal wake-up
Shield grab, JCed U-smash or JCed Blazer
Tips and Advice
Flare Blade is a strong option in any landing trap situation. The timing can throw an opponent off and the recovery is good. Still it has long start-up so be mindful of that.
Roy’s trap game ties in with his mix-up game really well. Although traps are a very low risk way to stay in control, the reward tends to be low unless the opponent makes an error. Vs stronger opponents traps set the stage for mix-ups and conditioning your opponent. Once you see their patterns then you can start landing KO options because Roys traps also double as mix-up opportunities.
Go for traps when you want the low risk damage or you want to stay in control. However if you KNOW your opponent will take a certain course of action and you have a strong option to beat theirs then by all means GO FOR IT. If you know your opponent will try to hit a button in a certain situation, well yes you could Nair them which is safe, or you could just bust out an U-smash which will eat through their attack and blow them away for a KO if their percent is high enough.
CPU’s at level 9 are great for testing your traps. They have frame perfect reaction so they dodge and roll perfectly. When you force the dodge/roll and still get the punish that’s not luck, it’s math. It all comes back to the frame data. Practicing vs CPU’s is really great for seeing how consistent you are with your traps.
Some characters can negate traps to a certain extent. ZSS, Sheik, Diddy and anyone with a strong burst option are characters that can get out of disadvantage state fairly easily. Don’t feel bad or get discouraged if you cannot trap characters like this consistently.
Captain Falcon and Ganondorf are good trap practice dummies due to poor disadvantage state and reliance on universal options such as fast falling and airdodging.
When using Double Edge Dance (DED) as a punish response in your traps, try to end in the upward version. This way Roy can transition to a landing trap and you gain positional advantage. Unless you are near the ledge in which case it doesn’t matter how you end it.
Traps are truly the final frontier for a character’s metagame. They take extremely good reaction time and understanding of spacing as well as your opponent’s options. Do not feel bad if you mess these up a lot at first. You WILL improve. Keep training. DON’T GIVE UP!!
This is it for now guys, but I will update with more as I lab with the Young Lion. If anyone has anything to add feel free to say so. I hope it was a good read and I hope I helped people take their game to the next level.
See you on the battlefield.
Update on June 20th 2016 - Long overdue for a slight update because Roy's frame data changed several patches ago. His hitlag modifiers were adjusted so his on block and on hit data is slightly different.
Check this link if you want to see his data.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...WFwy_dg04Rrq4a-YF9-VDOhZI/edit#gid=1944325963
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