Introduction
Pre-Section 1: Background
Greetings, In melee Roy currently ranks in the B tier at the 20th spot. He is under Zelda and over Mewtwo. This guide will not try to argue for this tier and explain why or why not he should be ranked lower or higher than it. This guide is for those who wish to learn the basic tactics of using the sealed swordsman. Also note that most of the advice in this guide is for melee only. Roy is a different fighter in Project M than he is in Melee. Please remember that I am not the best Roy fighter in the entire game and much of my strategies involved here will only benefit a Beginner to Intermediate player of Roy. It is not mean't for pro level players as they know much more about playing him than I do. With that out of the way, let us begin the guide.Pre-Section 1: Background
Who is Roy?
Why should I play Roy?
Roy is a balanced fighter and can be quite deadly in low to mid tier tournaments. The reason why I play Roy is because of my general comfort in playing him,as I have played him ever since I picked up the game in 2005. He is also the first Fire Emblem Lord I have gotten the pleasure of playing as. Also if you wish to be one of the few players who want the challenge of playing an inferior character to many in the roster, then Roy would probably be someone for you. But if you wish to learn the basics of the game or just picked the game up, I would suggest playing someone else, as he is really really hard to master due to the need of technical skill to even be considered a good Roy player. Trust me, there is a good reason why he is 20th on the tier list and it isn't because Sakurai programmed the game in Marth's favor.Q: Now that I have finally decided that I wanted to become a Roy Main what is next?
Section 1: Basics (You can skip this if you have played Roy before)
Now that you have decided to become a dedicated Roy main, it is time to learn the basics of playing as Roy. We will start with his pros and cons.
Pros
Amazing Grab Game (On par with Marth's in my opinion)
Really Ground Game (Roy has the potential to beat high tier characters as long as the match stays on the ground
Short Hop Game is Surprisingly Exceptional
Preferred Counter Game (Just my opinion)
His attacks have a fire effect (yes i'm pulling that card right now)
Cons
Sub-par aerial game
Below average Combo Ability (although he does have TONS of Combo's)
Vunerability to almost every characters combos (Falco is especially hard to play against)
Disjointed Sweetspot
Low Jumping Ability
Tied for the Second Worst Match Spread in the Game (He only counters 3 characters)
Lack of a good recovery
Lack of a good way to KO someone
YOU MUST FIGHT UNCONVENTIONALLY TO WIN AS ROY*
The need to fight a close quarters game ALL THE TIME*
Did I mention that his sweet spot actually TAKES AWAY power from his attacks if he is not RIGHT next to his opponent?
*This is point is very important to note as many of the people looking to play Roy will want to try to fight conventionally with Roy, even as far as trying to break out fancy techniques when they are not needed. The key to understanding Roy is to be thankful for his current (REALLY SHORT LIST) of advantages. And above all else do not even think about playing Roy like Marth, you will just be in for a very rude awakening.
*While this may seem like it isn't very big of a disadvantage, take note that range and spacing is key in this game. If you must be in a particular distance every time you fight opponents, then you will lack versatility in your game plan. However, Roy can be quite good in closer quarters and contributes to in my opinion, his good ground game.
Judging his pros and cons, a sane person would wonder why someone will even bother playing as our boy Roy. Well, this guide is not for that, I am just here to show people what they need to know if they wish to play as Roy. If you play Roy and the experience of getting wrecked a lot (by CPUs and Players alike) is too traumatizing to bear, then Roy is not for you. You will lose a lot, even to some non 'competitive players' who have just picked up the game. I know, because I have played Roy in melee for literally 10 years (since I was 8) and sometimes still lose to level 9 computers (Mostly of Peach) if I am not paying attention to detail. Although this may seem like a try to scare people off, It is not mean't to be. All I ask is for people to take serious care in approaching Roy, as mentioned in the introduction, he is extremely hard to play as.
The Basics (His Attacks)(Reference Material)
Neutral A: Slash (5-6%)
A basic slash in the same fashion as Marth, but much slower. I usually use this to prevent opponents recoveries if they are right in front of me. Unlike Marth however, Roy slashes once and ONLY ONCE.
Dash A: Raid Chop (12%)Roy dashes in front of the opponent and delivers a chop, which sends his opponents either behind, front or above him. I only use this if the opponent is helpless due to a spike and then immediately F-air if he lands in front. I would refrain from depending on this move as it is very unpredictable where the opponent will land. It also has a very high end lag.
Forward A tilt: Sharp Edge (10%)Slashes in front of him in a similar fashion to his neutral attack, but it is slightly slower. I sometimes refer to it as his mini-forward smash as it can KO at high percentages.
Up A tilt: Anti-Air Slash (9-10%)Roy slashes above him and is very similar in appearance to his neutral A, except that he looks up. It is very similar to Marth's except it has slightly lower combo potential. I only use it if the opponent is helpless in the air and cannot follow up with an attack. I would generally recommend against it in favor of a Short hop to the Forward Air and then L-cancelling downwards.
Down A tilt: Low stab (10% or 12% iff(if and only if)right next to the opponent)Roy crouches and delivers a small stab. This is the best in his arsenal of tilts in my opinion. It is his go to combo starter and my favorite out of the bunch. However due to it's really good ability, I tend to over rely on it. It is dependable against recoveries, especially against space animals when they make the mistake of trying to recover against me when they are right in front of me.
The Smash Attacks of Roy
Roy has many great smash attacks and all four of his smash attacks are essential to learn Roy. Roy does not have many of the creative options Marth does, but that doesn't necessarily make him without any. Roy can use clever spacing techniques to try to land his devastating smash attacks. However, due to his poor sweet-spot, his smash attacks are much less durable than say if Roy had a tip sweet-spot.Forward Smash: Dragon-killer (20%-27% Depending on Charge and Sweet-spot)
Roy swings his sword in an arched one handed slash. It looks acts essentially like a flare blade except it cannot be used in mid-air. It is one of Roy's fastest attacks, and is his main KOing ability. I use it a lot with edge guarding and other techniques, but only generally as a follow up. Do not get into the habit of blindly using this or you WILL get KO'd frequently. Also sometimes a simple fast smash will do rather than going for the fully charged one.
Up Smash: Flame Sword (17%-22% Depending on Charge and Sweet-spot)Roy reaches the sealed sword up to the heavens. The uses for this move are numerous. It has a spike property which can send enemies down into oblivion. However, it has many cons which prevent it from being a move that can be relied on in every situation.
Down Smash: Whirlwind Blade (16-28% Depending on Sweet-spot and Charge)Two average speed slashes to the ground. Can be used for great aerial knock outs, but is only useful if the whirlwind blade is timed correctly. Again do not get into the habit of spamming Roy's smash attacks. This one especially,because of it's great combo starting ability. It is also important not to stay below the opponent, as many characters can punish Roy with a down aerial. Very high ending lag.
Roy as mentioned before has a very good grab game. It stems from his absurd reach and combo potential within it. However, Roy's poor aerial game may counteract this during certain match ups. I would prefer that most matches stay on the ground as a Roy, but that is sometimes close to impossible. Therefore, it is also very important to read the combo section and aerial game section to truly appreciate Roy.Grab Game
Grab A (Pummel)
Roy knees foe for up to three times. Sometimes I like to sneak in pummels if I edge-guard, if the opponent is grabbed, so that if he grab breaks I can use a Down A or even a quick Forward Smash.
Forward Throw: Bounce(5%)A neat throw to learn as it can use the ULTIMATE ROY CHAIN GRAB. This can chain grab can be used against Heavies like Bowser, Donkey Kong, and sometimes even Gannon.
Back Throw: Back Eject(5%)One of my favorite ground throws as it can be followed up with a quick forward smash if it is at low percentages. It can also be used to start a chain starting with a Down A tilt, which will be explained later.
Up Throw: Fire Emblem Toss (5%)Out of all his grabs this one is my favorite. It can be rid of space animals and lightweights with a catch and grab chain grab.
Down Throw: Slam (6%)A choke-slam performed by Roy that can be used to chain grab everyone at very low percentages. The heavyweights are especially to chain grab even at 50%-65%. Do not try with space animals at this percentages or any other lightweight for that matter. Remember you can also follow with a Charged or Quick forward Smash.
Roy and Combos with Roy: Chapter 2
The Double Edge DanceThe double edge dance is one of Roy's deadliest moves. Be sure you actually know what you are doing or you WILL get ringed out using this.
Forward/Forward/Forward/Up
This attack is quite good in close quarters, however you are likely not to land the last attack. If by some miracle you do end up landing the last attack, well...you might want to try your luck at the lottery, because that is impressive. The two forward attacks are quite good if used in mid-air.
Forward/Forward/Up/Up
(This guide is not finished yet...Please Stand by for the full length guide, probably up in a few in days)
(Please excuse some of the poor grammar used in this guide, I will edit it as soon as possible)
