What Specials are you using?

[Clocked]

Now that the game has been out for a little bit, I think some discussion about specials is in order. What are you using? Why? Do you have any matchup specific loadouts?

Currently I'm running:

Speed Thunder
Stock Arcfire
Gliding Elwind
Stock Nosferatu

For teams sometimes I'll switch out Speed Thunder for Thunder+, though I'm not sure how great an idea that is. What about you all?

 

[Deviddo]

Thunder+
Arcfire+
Gliding/Soaring Elwind
Goetia

Always my moveset, has perks for majority of speed and slight defense. Attack is at the same stat.

 

[Raziek]

Quotey-quote:

My combination 90% of the time is:

Thunder+
Fire Wall
Default Elwind
Default Nosferatu

In match-ups where we get zoned out by the other's projectiles (like, DHD for example):

Thunder+ (Sometimes Speed Thunder in specific cases)
Arcfire+ (The long-range Fireball)
Default Elwind
Default Nosferatu (Sometimes Long-range Nosferatu)

In general, I think Fire Wall is extremely powerful when it comes to zoning out opponents (especially fast characters), and is immensely valuable in helping Robin get back down to the ground safely. Shoot it at the ledge as you fall towards it, shoot it inbetween you and your opponent to claim space.... it has so many uses.

I take Thunder+ almost all of the time because I believe that Thoron++ (hold the button) is probably Robin's single most important killing tool.

That special changes how your opponents have to handle Robin.

It makes them feel pressured to approach you, because they don't want to let you charge it for free.
It makes you extremely threatening on stages where you can run away to charge it (Ferox, Prism Tower at times, Reset Bomb Forest).
ANY laggy move or reckless approach can be punished by Thoron++ for 33 damage, which often outright kills once they're at 60% or so.
It traps landings AMAZINGLY well because of how long the beam stays out. If your opponent burns their double-jump and you fire it into their path with correct timing, they have to up-B away from it or die.
It traps TECHS, too! If your opponent is in tumble, you can shoot it as they land (whether they neutral tech, hard land, or tech-roll), and it will meaty them and catch ALL of their options.

It's too good. Way way too good.

 

[Smallgenie549]

No matter how many Classic/Smash Run/All Star rounds I play, I still don't have any specials for Robin, so default right now. I'm most excited to see his specials and Kirby's specials.

 

[$GMoney$]

I really feel that both arcfire+ and thunder+ are great improvements! Standard arcfire is nice and all, but has mediocre range and a small area of effect. Arcfire+, on the other hand, has a great area of effect. It can even hit characters in the air if they are relatively close to the ground. I also use it to edge guard by hitting the edge of the map right when they try to latch on to it. It takes a lot of timing practice but it works surprisingly well!

Thunder+ is more personal preference pick. I feel that the lower amount of uses do not really hinder me much. It also means that there is no noticeable downside such as longer charge time. A fully charged thunder+ is also a potent ranged finisher.

Other then that, I prefer the standard elwind and nosferatu.

 

[Zareidriel]

A lot of people prefer Thunder+ but I think the charging time and single tome are too restrictive, even for the kind of power that it provides. And speed Thunder is kinda crap IMHO.

Gliding Elwind is great as an attack move but terrible recovery, with its 2 spikes. Soaring is very interesting to send behind you at an angle and its fast speed can catch people easily off-guard when B-Reversed. Also its recovery is insane, and allows Robin to use more risky tactics off the edge.

All the Fires are good...I think which one you want to use depends on the character. I love them all, but Fire+ gets the gold medal because of its massive devastation and range, where Wall is an equally insane zoning tool, and obviously the standard is in between.

Goetia and Distant Nosferatu are as hard to use as regular Nosferatu and learning to use each one effectively is almost like learning an entirely separate character. For me, it's impossible to say which one is best, though I'd be tempted to say regular Nos because it has the highest amount of healing.

Honestly all in all, I'd say:

Thunder
Arcfire+
Soaring Elwind
Nosferatu

 

[Raziek]

Arcfire+ and Soaring Elwind are both awful.

Have you actually played with them? Arcfire+'s angle makes it completely useless. Too steep to use at mid-range or closer, and at long range it's trivial to react to.

Soaring is bad because you have no horizontal control over the recovery, so it completely telegraphs your recovery.

 

[Zareidriel]

I'm inclined to disagree, and it would be silly of me to have preferential opinions without ever having used them before. Arcfire+ covers a very long diagonal vector, and the travel speed of its projectile is considerably faster than that of normal Arcfire.This creates a larger threatened area. It also leaves you very open on cast, so you can't use it spammingly like you can with Fire Wall, and somewhat with normal Arcfire. It's more of a battlefield control move than a direct attack move. And when it does hit, Arcfire+ is devastating. It's a higher-risk-higher-reward technique, and though you prefer the low-risk close-range zone control of Fire Wall, its total opposite isn't as worthless as you might think without using it more extensively. But the most important reason is that Arcfire+ looks fing awesome.

I like the degree of horizontal movement Soaring gives you, as well as the offensive capability. It can save you from situations and bad gimp angles where regular El Wind is a sure death. Perhaps my opinion would be revised if I were to get meteor smashed out of it over and over, but as long as you have the second jump, which is most of the time, the recovery can be mixed up enough that I don't see it being a chronic problem.

Honestly, I dislike custom moves, so in any tournament scenario I stick with the defaults, but if I were to practice with them, I'd pick those. And don't get me wrong, Fire Wall is fun too. Maybe try Gliding for the two-spikes thing.