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This new Tactician needs Strats

Deviljho

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Nov 11, 2013
Messages
208
Alright, I JUST got my copy of smash 4, and Robin is proving to be very difficult. What appears to be lackluster movement and Dash attack, slow attacks, and just all around difficult to use. At least at first if anything. I'm getting bodied by characters like Rosalina and Little Mac, and others. What do I need to do? What strategies do I need to tip the scales? Everybody I talk to says Robin is not good, like pretty bad. But I refuse to give him up. Robins in my mains list to stay, but what can I use to tip the scales heavily in my favor?
 

TeaTwoTime

Smash Ace
Joined
Jun 24, 2014
Messages
732
I made a post about strategies in another thread, so I'll quote it to save time:

I've been playing pretty much nothing but Robin since getting the game. Hopefully I can help a little. :)

Nosferatu is fantastic against people who have a habit of rolling behind you to go for a grab or attack. Just turn around and smack them in the face with your dark magicks. Outside of that, you can also use it to punish airdodge landings effectively. It's not especially worth using unless you're at high enough percent for it to scale up and your opponent is high enough for it to not be easy to mash out of, though.

Charge up your Thunder tome at any time where it won't put you into a disadvantaged position. Having a fully charged Thoron to punish airdodge landing is really powerful. Remember to hold down B for the extra kill power. :)

I find that Arcfire is really effective as a retreating aerial move if you can time it just right for it to still hit the ground. You need to use it just before landing back down for that to work. It's definitely possible to combo into FSair, but it also requires the move to connect properly and for you to follow up quickly. In many cases it's worth using FSair on the space just above where Arcfire has them trapped - if you aren't quick enough to FSair them while they're trapped, by the time you get there, that's probably where they'll be. :)
As has been said, using Arcfire to prevent advances also gives you a lot of time to charge up your Thunder tome. This can totally screw over characters Little Mac if you use Arcfire's limited uses wisely.

The spike on Elwind is risky, but also really good if you learn to position it properly. Use it on people who like to recover low and right next to the stage for quick KOs. :) The spike on DSair is better on opponents that recover higher, though.

Comboing out of Arcthunder is difficult as the move has rather long recovery, but it's definitely possible if the opponent is up close. Personally, I've been using Elthunder and Thoron the most - the former for edgeguarding and the latter for both edgeguarding and landing lag punishes - but Arcthunder is definitely strong. Others probably know its use cases better than I do. :)

Popping people off of the ledge quickly enough will put them in a good position for you to follow up with a BSair. Definitely a viable way to kill if they're at high percent. It's also rather safe for Robin to chase people off the stage with FSair; it's got a really nice hitbox and plenty of power and Robin can easily make it back to the stage with Elwind.

I prefer Robin's fire jab in pretty much every situation - the first jab comes out quickly and it's a great way to get people off of you - but it also means that Arcfire uses will be even more limited. It's probably true that the wind jab is better at low percentages, but I'm not too sure here as I don't use it much. :p

Robin's down-tilt comes out and recovers really quickly. Because of this, it's rather safe on shield and good at pushing enemies into Arcfire territory.

I could probably go on, but for now that's probably the bulk of what I've picked up so far. All the best. :)
My impression of Robin is that she requires patience and very solid fundamentals to be really good - but also that, when given those two things, she is extremely potent. I expect her to be a character with a very high skill ceiling that will shine once people start unlocking her potential. :)
 
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LIQUID12A

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Understand that Robin has a high skill ceiling and you're not going to master him immediately. He's geared for many situations, but proper use of the tools you have is key. That guide ^ there says some nice things.
 

Deviljho

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Nov 11, 2013
Messages
208
Understand that Robin has a high skill ceiling and you're not going to master him immediately. He's geared for many situations, but proper use of the tools you have is key. That guide ^ there says some nice things.
Well, I ain't givin up on Robin, so I'll have plenty of time to master the art. :)

I made a post about strategies in another thread, so I'll quote it to save time:


My impression of Robin is that she requires patience and very solid fundamentals to be really good - but also that, when given those two things, she is extremely potent. I expect her to be a character with a very high skill ceiling that will shine once people start unlocking her potential. :)
Those strategies are VERY good, I'm going to have to start to practice them ASAP. Thanks! :D I'll unlock his(or her) potential soon!
.
.
.
Hopefully. :laugh:
 
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Kyuuki

Smash Rookie
Joined
Nov 13, 2011
Messages
8
Location
Gardner, MA
I mostly just have issues with fast characters who can practically teleport across the field with their dash attacks or forward B's (Little Mac...) It's hard to do much with Robin when some fast character is constantly in your face. I also can't seem to land safely with Robin.
 

TeaTwoTime

Smash Ace
Joined
Jun 24, 2014
Messages
732
I mostly just have issues with fast characters who can practically teleport across the field with their dash attacks or forward B's (Little Mac...) It's hard to do much with Robin when some fast character is constantly in your face. I also can't seem to land safely with Robin.
Robin has a very hard time landing safely, unfortunately. Saving my second jump (if I've got it), baiting out their juggle attempt before jumping up and then hitting them with Elwind is an option I find useful. :)

As for Mac's dash attack/side-B, they're really painful if you're not prepared for them, but I've had success with just shielding them, punishing their ending lag with a grab, FSmash or DSmash and proceeding to charge up Thunder/set up my zone with Arcfire. :)
 
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Remzi

formerly VaBengal
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Whats this about extra kill power with thoron by "holding down b"? Can someone explain?

Also, what have you guys found to be your best OoS options? I think thats one of Robins biggest weaknesses.
 
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LIQUID12A

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Whats this about extra kill power with thoron by "holding down b"? Can someone explain?
Sort of like how mashing buttons during a Super in UMVC3 boosts the number of hits, holding B when casting Thoron does the same thing.
 

Remzi

formerly VaBengal
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Sort of like how mashing buttons during a Super in UMVC3 boosts the number of hits, holding B when casting Thoron does the same thing.
Thanks, I really hope I haven't already been subconsciously doing this anyways, lol.
 

Kevandre

Ivy WAS Saurly missed
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At first I was total ass with Robin.. But now she's definitely one of my favorites. Probably 1) Greninja, 2) Jr/Koopalings 3) Robin.

She took a lot of getting used to though. Don't underestimate that dash attack at all. Arcfire is great if you can freaking hit with it. Also, don't be afraid to use your stuff. The thing is that people are often like "Gotta conserve!" but I'm just the opposite. The sooner they're gone... the sooner they're back at full stock. Elwind is surprisingly useful as an attack, but it's probably the one I'd use a bit more sparingly.

Nosferatu seems kind of meh at first but it's an awesome punish if you need the HP.

Those Smash attacks are great, and honestly not too terrible even with the bronze sword. FAir is glorious.
 

lunarum

Smash Cadet
Joined
Sep 6, 2014
Messages
37
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I only got the game yesterday, but after playing with Robin for a while, I believe I can give some helpful advice on using Robin.
Arcfire is not only useful for spacing, but it's also quite easy to land an extra hit with your sword on people who get caught in it. It's easy even for beginners to do a dash attack into people caught in their arcfire.
Thunder spells should be switched around to keep your enemy guessing. Elthunder is pretty handy with its distance and speed, while Arcthunder is slower, but also catches enemies if you can get it to connect, allowing for a second hit with your sword. Thoron, though, I like to reserve for KO's from a distance.
With the Levin sword, Robin has a good aerial game as well. Upair, Sideair, and Backair have good hitboxes, and can be used instead of a dash for people caught in your spells. Downair has a smaller hitbox directly below though.

Against Little Mac, you might need a more specific strategy though. It's best to get them in the air, through any method you can, then going after them with Levin sword aerials if you can. I've managed to grab one, backthrow him, then spike with Elwind.

I've had trouble against Rosalina as well, but remember that it's sometimes important to go after the Luma, especially if she's sent it far away from her. Knocking it off the stage makes it alot safer to go after Rosalina, even if it's only for just a little while.
 

Kevandre

Ivy WAS Saurly missed
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I only got the game yesterday, but after playing with Robin for a while, I believe I can give some helpful advice on using Robin.
Arcfire is not only useful for spacing, but it's also quite easy to land an extra hit with your sword on people who get caught in it. It's easy even for beginners to do a dash attack into people caught in their arcfire.
Thunder spells should be switched around to keep your enemy guessing. Elthunder is pretty handy with its distance and speed, while Arcthunder is slower, but also catches enemies if you can get it to connect, allowing for a second hit with your sword. Thoron, though, I like to reserve for KO's from a distance.
With the Levin sword, Robin has a good aerial game as well. Upair, Sideair, and Backair have good hitboxes, and can be used instead of a dash for people caught in your spells. Downair has a smaller hitbox directly below though.

Against Little Mac, you might need a more specific strategy though. It's best to get them in the air, through any method you can, then going after them with Levin sword aerials if you can. I've managed to grab one, backthrow him, then spike with Elwind.

I've had trouble against Rosalina as well, but remember that it's sometimes important to go after the Luma, especially if she's sent it far away from her. Knocking it off the stage makes it alot safer to go after Rosalina, even if it's only for just a little while.
It's interesting- I had noticed that my game against Rosalina is terrible with Greninja. But I played a game tonight against her with Robin and absolutely wrecked her, it was astounding. Maybe the Rosalina I was playing wasn't great with the character, I dunno. But two matches before they had beat the crap out of me with Zelda so Ionno
 
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