- Game Versions
- Smash 3DS, Smash Wii U
So, you wanna tame the Young Lion eh? Well you've come to the right guide to help you do so! I'm Shuko, and I'm going to give you a basic rundown on our boy's new playstyle.
is a much different fighter in Smash 4 than he was in Melee and Project M. He now has a huge increase in running speed, damage and knockback output, however it seems his damage defense has decreased. With his new buffed play style, Roy is like a velociraptor; He attacks fast and strong, but when singled out, he's quite vulnerable.
If you didn't already know, Roy has a sweet spot when he hits with his sword's base while his sword's tip does less damage. So basically, reverse Marth. But with that out of the way, let's get some percentages shown for his moves:
===============>
JAB n' TILTS
===============>
Jab: 7% BASE, 4% TIP
Dash Attack: 13% BASE, 9% TIP
Ftilt: 12% BASE, 8~9% TIP
Dtilt: 11% BASE, 6% TIP
===============>
or or + AERIALS
===============>
Nair: ~14% BASE, ~11% MID, ~9% TIP
Fair: 11% BASE, 7% TIP
Dair: 15% BASE, ~10% TIP
Uair: 9% BASE, ~6% TIP
==============>
SMASH ATTACKS
===============>
Foward Smash: 20-28% BASE, 12-16% TIP
Down Smash: 15-21% BASE, 10-14% TIP
Up Smash: 17-25% BASE, 13% TIP (Thanks HoodsxX!)
===============>
SPECIALS
===============>
Neutral Special: 6-50% BASE, 6-36% TIP
This move is BOSS. It can be an instant KO on MOST characters, especially if you can fully charge it and hit your foe with the base from almost any point on the stage! That's our boy!
(With recent patches, this move has been nerfed and can no longer IKO every character when fully charged)
(Thanks Zwölfy!)
Side Special:
Up Special (Total): 16% BASE, 13% TIP
Down Special: 1.35 x % of countered move (Thanks KinkyTheSlinky!)
<===============>
Those percentages may not be 100% correct, and If I'm wrong about one, comment below the correction.
===============>
STRATEGIES
===============>
Roy is strong. Like REALLY strong. Maybe more so than even Ike is. Besides Roy's speed, this is his biggest asset. When your opponent happens to make a mistake or leaves themselves open, Roy's punishments are fatal. A simple fully charged Fsmash can easily kill at low percents or at least turn the tide of battle. With Roy's intense speed and power, use this to your advantage and constantly be on top of your opponent, and give them little room to breathe. However, this strategy will be difficult against long range fighters which are Roy's weaknesses as opponents.
Long range fighters can be a handful if you plan on mastering Roy. With him being so close range, he can be overpowered by most long range fighters and some mid range fighters. Though fret not, for I have a solution. If it's possible, try jumping over the projectiles that the fighters throw at you. If you continue to move, they wont be able to punish you as easily like if you were to shield or counter the move. So if you can maneuver through the projectiles and throw out a quick Nair of Fair, you should be in good shape. But don't let your guard down, for most long range fighters can fight close range pretty well (Fox, Falco, Dedede, Ness, ZSS). However, characters that can only fight really well in long range (Robin, Villager) could be easily overpowered by Roy's moves.
(UPDATE 11-17-15) If you're reading this guide, than you're probably trying to better your skills... And if you're doing that, than I'm sure you practice a good amount on For Glory mode.
Oh gods, here we go...
For Glory mode has some really annoying players (I think I speak for all of us on that one) that like to spam attacks or hide behind frequent shields or rolls. Well, unfortunately for them, we can COUNTER (Haha, get it?) that.
Because Roy is an absolute punisher beast, take full advantage of reckless players online and ruin them after they make a mistake. Roy can quickly and easily break shields, so use his flare blade to shatter the shields of the shield spammers. If it doesn't break right away, follow up with a fast dash attack or Nair.
When you catch your opponent rolling a bunch, set a trap and Fsmash them. If they're at the edge of the stage, try pivot grabbing them and pushing them back offstage. Roy's Nair to Fair aerials can be quite unforgiving.
My last advice for strategy is to not be afraid of taking lots of damage. Roy may seem to be a bit of a glass cannon, however he can miraculously survive to astonishing percentages. Adding extreme rage into Roy's already beastly moves can create monstrous attacks that can kill at around 30-40%!! Though this may be true, do not get careless. Roy's recovery move isn't fantastic on height, though it's good on attack power and horizontal movement. Just try not to get bullied offstage, and you'll more than likely succeed.
And that's all I have for strategy. If you guys have any suggestions on this bit, comment below, and I'll include anything I've missed.
===============>
COMBOS
===============>
With Roy's wicked speed and damage output, combos can be an absolute joy to execute. So let's get to it:
Jab--Ftilt I'll just say it now. Roy's jab is without a doubt his most useful move. I could see why you'd think I'm wrong, but hear me out. This move is really quick and has almost no end lag at all, and it's a beast for interrupting your opponents moves. This is a quick combo and great for when your oppenent gets in your face.
Jab--Fsmash Hell yes. This combo is a punisher, boys. This move can give you an easy 20+% with good knockback. Though this is slower than the Jab--Ftilt mentioned before. Use this when you're close range with the enemy.
Dtilt--Dash Attack A good combo to use to push your opponent away from you or lead them into the sky.
From this point forward, I will be explaining certain moves and what I found hooks up with them nicely instead of a common Combo list. Without further ado, let's do it!
Dthrow is a great move. It can set up some great aerials, or ground charges against your foe. This move seems to hook up well with Up Special and Utilt.
Utilt can set up some good aerials, but I prefer a good Utilt into Fsmash if it allows. This combo gives you a smoother transition into Fsmash than any other combo listed. It covers a good amount of distance, and it can do some good damage too.
Dtilt is a really nice move for interrupting attacks and creating distance. If you're fast enough, you can land the previously mentioned dash attack combo or maybe a low Fair. It can also be used to stop a dash attack reliant player too, as this move has solid speed and distance.
And finally, for my last point of this guide, Counter is a great move, but use it sparingly. Use it only when you see the opportunity for an early or easy KO, or to get some pressure off you. Too many players tend to overuse counter and it results in fatal punishment.
<==============>
And that's the end of my guide! I am truly sorry it took me so long to complete this, and I am very appreciative of the kind reviews given by users. If it's requested, I may include a video later on, but I'm not sure if that would help too much more. But anyway, thank you!
is a much different fighter in Smash 4 than he was in Melee and Project M. He now has a huge increase in running speed, damage and knockback output, however it seems his damage defense has decreased. With his new buffed play style, Roy is like a velociraptor; He attacks fast and strong, but when singled out, he's quite vulnerable.
If you didn't already know, Roy has a sweet spot when he hits with his sword's base while his sword's tip does less damage. So basically, reverse Marth. But with that out of the way, let's get some percentages shown for his moves:
===============>
JAB n' TILTS
===============>
Jab: 7% BASE, 4% TIP
Dash Attack: 13% BASE, 9% TIP
Ftilt: 12% BASE, 8~9% TIP
Dtilt: 11% BASE, 6% TIP
===============>
or or + AERIALS
===============>
Nair: ~14% BASE, ~11% MID, ~9% TIP
Fair: 11% BASE, 7% TIP
Dair: 15% BASE, ~10% TIP
Uair: 9% BASE, ~6% TIP
==============>
SMASH ATTACKS
===============>
Foward Smash: 20-28% BASE, 12-16% TIP
Down Smash: 15-21% BASE, 10-14% TIP
Up Smash: 17-25% BASE, 13% TIP (Thanks HoodsxX!)
===============>
SPECIALS
===============>
Neutral Special: 6-50% BASE, 6-36% TIP
This move is BOSS. It can be an instant KO on MOST characters, especially if you can fully charge it and hit your foe with the base from almost any point on the stage! That's our boy!
(With recent patches, this move has been nerfed and can no longer IKO every character when fully charged)
(Thanks Zwölfy!)
Side Special:
- 1st Hit: 3% BASE, 2% TIP
- 2nd Hit: 3% BASE, 2% TIP
- 3rd Hit: 3% BASE, 2% TIP
- 4th Hit: ~6% BASE, ~4% TIP
Up Special (Total): 16% BASE, 13% TIP
Down Special: 1.35 x % of countered move (Thanks KinkyTheSlinky!)
<===============>
Those percentages may not be 100% correct, and If I'm wrong about one, comment below the correction.
===============>
STRATEGIES
===============>
Roy is strong. Like REALLY strong. Maybe more so than even Ike is. Besides Roy's speed, this is his biggest asset. When your opponent happens to make a mistake or leaves themselves open, Roy's punishments are fatal. A simple fully charged Fsmash can easily kill at low percents or at least turn the tide of battle. With Roy's intense speed and power, use this to your advantage and constantly be on top of your opponent, and give them little room to breathe. However, this strategy will be difficult against long range fighters which are Roy's weaknesses as opponents.
Long range fighters can be a handful if you plan on mastering Roy. With him being so close range, he can be overpowered by most long range fighters and some mid range fighters. Though fret not, for I have a solution. If it's possible, try jumping over the projectiles that the fighters throw at you. If you continue to move, they wont be able to punish you as easily like if you were to shield or counter the move. So if you can maneuver through the projectiles and throw out a quick Nair of Fair, you should be in good shape. But don't let your guard down, for most long range fighters can fight close range pretty well (Fox, Falco, Dedede, Ness, ZSS). However, characters that can only fight really well in long range (Robin, Villager) could be easily overpowered by Roy's moves.
(UPDATE 11-17-15) If you're reading this guide, than you're probably trying to better your skills... And if you're doing that, than I'm sure you practice a good amount on For Glory mode.
Oh gods, here we go...
For Glory mode has some really annoying players (I think I speak for all of us on that one) that like to spam attacks or hide behind frequent shields or rolls. Well, unfortunately for them, we can COUNTER (Haha, get it?) that.
Because Roy is an absolute punisher beast, take full advantage of reckless players online and ruin them after they make a mistake. Roy can quickly and easily break shields, so use his flare blade to shatter the shields of the shield spammers. If it doesn't break right away, follow up with a fast dash attack or Nair.
When you catch your opponent rolling a bunch, set a trap and Fsmash them. If they're at the edge of the stage, try pivot grabbing them and pushing them back offstage. Roy's Nair to Fair aerials can be quite unforgiving.
My last advice for strategy is to not be afraid of taking lots of damage. Roy may seem to be a bit of a glass cannon, however he can miraculously survive to astonishing percentages. Adding extreme rage into Roy's already beastly moves can create monstrous attacks that can kill at around 30-40%!! Though this may be true, do not get careless. Roy's recovery move isn't fantastic on height, though it's good on attack power and horizontal movement. Just try not to get bullied offstage, and you'll more than likely succeed.
And that's all I have for strategy. If you guys have any suggestions on this bit, comment below, and I'll include anything I've missed.
===============>
COMBOS
===============>
With Roy's wicked speed and damage output, combos can be an absolute joy to execute. So let's get to it:
Jab--Ftilt I'll just say it now. Roy's jab is without a doubt his most useful move. I could see why you'd think I'm wrong, but hear me out. This move is really quick and has almost no end lag at all, and it's a beast for interrupting your opponents moves. This is a quick combo and great for when your oppenent gets in your face.
Jab--Fsmash Hell yes. This combo is a punisher, boys. This move can give you an easy 20+% with good knockback. Though this is slower than the Jab--Ftilt mentioned before. Use this when you're close range with the enemy.
Dtilt--Dash Attack A good combo to use to push your opponent away from you or lead them into the sky.
From this point forward, I will be explaining certain moves and what I found hooks up with them nicely instead of a common Combo list. Without further ado, let's do it!
Dthrow is a great move. It can set up some great aerials, or ground charges against your foe. This move seems to hook up well with Up Special and Utilt.
Utilt can set up some good aerials, but I prefer a good Utilt into Fsmash if it allows. This combo gives you a smoother transition into Fsmash than any other combo listed. It covers a good amount of distance, and it can do some good damage too.
Dtilt is a really nice move for interrupting attacks and creating distance. If you're fast enough, you can land the previously mentioned dash attack combo or maybe a low Fair. It can also be used to stop a dash attack reliant player too, as this move has solid speed and distance.
And finally, for my last point of this guide, Counter is a great move, but use it sparingly. Use it only when you see the opportunity for an early or easy KO, or to get some pressure off you. Too many players tend to overuse counter and it results in fatal punishment.
<==============>
And that's the end of my guide! I am truly sorry it took me so long to complete this, and I am very appreciative of the kind reviews given by users. If it's requested, I may include a video later on, but I'm not sure if that would help too much more. But anyway, thank you!