- Game Versions
- Smash 3DS, Smash Wii U
So Thursday 5/30/15 I finally passed the 1000 victory mark with Robin (1001 victories to 411 losses at the time, a rough 70% win rate, isn't too shabby but could use improvement) and since I was a bit celebratory and nerdy, I figured I minus well share the most I’ve learned about playing Robin over the past several months.
Starting with with the very start of a battle, you have about 3 options that I would recommend. Your first is to begin a thunder charge, but while this is predictable, the second option I can somewhat vouch for is immediately throwing out an Arcfire, as I've seen a few people run straight into it upon their initial assault. The last option (although preferably done after a charge) is and up-smash (or any move that secures the Levin sword is equipped) to prepare the Levin sword for aerials. Choose your first option wisely as scoring first blood can sometimes set the stage heavily in your favor. Go for an arcfire if you're fighting a melee-heavy character like Captain Falcon or Fox, but go for a charge if you know they won't be an immediate flinch threat, as flinching mid-charge (with any charging character) forces the player to restart.
The Levin sword reverts to the bronze sword after about 8 seconds (its refresh time too) and can come out in the air if the analog stick is flicked like a smash attack, but since it's a bit tricky in the heat of battle, use it often by performing smash attacks to prevent its reversion if you have space (if you manage to flick the button every time, go for it.) While the slower than Ganondorf, Robin is a middleweight with decent aerial agility, and this tactic is important for getting the most out of your sword.
The sword based moves that never involve the Levin sword are Jabs, tilts and N-airs; thus causing bronze-sword reversions as well. While the bronze sword is possible to start combos [an odd (but not necessarily reliable) combo I got on an Alph player was Arcfire ->bronze F-air -> Levin U-air] the Levin sword is significantly more powerful; as I would recommend using it over the bronze. Robin's N-air and D/F tilt have a horizontal trajectory and I had once been able to launch a Captain Falcon into an existing arcfire, but after the Mootoo patch, Robin now arguably has the best jabs in the game.
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Both final hits (arcfire and elwind) of Robin's Jab are kill moves at high percents. While at the time Smash and Grab's 3ds Robin guide (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwDLkKGcjec) was released, Robin's looping jab was less reliable but now it combos very reliably, although the last hit now deals %2 instead of 3%. At low percentages, it sometimes helps to do a dash-around but it comes out much faster than smash attacks, and is a great move all around. To get it going, jam the button and hold the vortex until the victim reaches the outer rim of it. Lightweights and middleweights can get up to around 15-20% from 0% [for some reason, Fox, of all fighters, seems to take it really hard, often getting up to 23%-ish from 0] but large-hurtbox heavyweights, such as Charizard, take it the worst, as they can get up to around 26% from 0. At kill percentages (usually the high 140's), the opponent typically starts moving towards the top of the vortex, and the last hit launches them really well upwards. It is important to watch how often you use this move. Each second held is the equivalent of one elwind shot (the tome has eighteen, and each time it's used for recovery, 2 shot are usually used unless Robin lands on a platform after the first; generally giving it 9 uses) as it's bad to run out prematurely while trying to recover. Do remember to release at the right time, however. It’s a punishable move if escaped, but a Luigi at death percent (on For Glory) once ran into it, while expecting me to have stopped by then and I won the match. There may be a possible sweet-spot at the very forward tip of the vortex with more kill potential, but I still need to test this.
The arcfire final jab hit, however is also really good. For this one, just hold down the button and the string of hits deals 11% (final does 5.) it has much more launching power than most jabs, likely only rivaled by Ike's. At the edge of the stage, it usually kills around the 120% mark, but unlike Ike's the first two hits have slightly more knockback, making it possible for lightweights like Mootoo to escape around the 111% mark. Given Robin's Jabs generally have the same trajectory and starting speed as tilts, feel free to use them often.
As for thunder tomes, learn to treat each of the four spells as their own moves. Measly thunder is low knockback with short range and deals about 3 percent, but given its speed, it's been most useful for just making opponents in range finch. Fortunatey it charges quick into Elthunder, which is likely my most used spell. It deals a base damage of 9% and people often don't expect it. The thunder tome can be used for 20 thunders, but elthunder consumes 3 thunder units, Arthunder, 5; and Thoron, 8; giving it a maximum of 7 consecutive uses. It kills at sudden death and others who view thunder as a standard charging projectile get hit unexpectedly while expecting me to continue the charge.
In the undesirable case of losing a stock, my best suggestion is to charge up a fresh elthunder and fire it right at the opponent once they're in range to gain the upper hand of both morale and the stage, as like I said, it's typically unexpected. Since all fighters generally seem to face right upon respawn, attempt a B-reversal to change your direction so you face your enemy. To do this, activate a thunder charge and immediately flick the opposite direction, just as if you were performing a reverse Falcon/Warlock punch. Doing this in midair can switch your momentum and can be used as a weird mind-game tactic to work on unpredictability, but it is noteworthy that the timing is strict between doing a side-B, a B-reversal, and a standard charge.
Arcthunder is slower and the charge transition from Elthunder to Arcthunder is much slower than that of thunder to elthunder (you'll see a red glow) but it's an excellent combo starter (to F.air is the most reliable) and can kill around 126% edge of stage.
Although I haven't experimented much with Arcthunder, (I plan to do more) Thoron is relatively interesting.
It's important to think of Thoron as a beam with each segment dealing minor damage (yet same launching power all around) versus the standard orb (like Samus' charge shot) but it is even more important to hold down the button to extend the beam [a friend of mine really hates the Thoron tail.] Minimum damage with a direct Thoron blast deals only 10% but I've seen it do a maximum of 19% if the button is sustained. Another vexing thing is that by default, maximum Thoron seems to deal 15 or 18% with a standard direct hit. I haven't quite figured this out yet but it seems the last bit of the tail is separated from the initial beam (in scenarios where 15% is landed, a combo of 6 is shown on the training overhead but 7 if 18% is dealt; there is a chance the final hits are likelier to land if an opponent is in ending-lag, but this requires more research.) In addition, the very last part of the tail has bested Link’s Hylian shield occasionally, which can work at his death percents. In the air, Thoron moves with Robin’s fall until it leaves her/his hand, which is an odd technique for expanding aerial range. A trick I carried over from learning Lucina is distract the opponent with a F.air or two and pull back, transitioning directly into shield-breaker or a thunder tome, but since thunder tomes have much better range this tactic is surprisingly very reliable. As a kill move, it surprisingly doesn’t work until the 140% mark on middleweights, but there’s a slight chance I occasionally stale it. A final odd and miscellaneous thing I’ve discovered is taunt-trapping/baiting works very well with Thoron. It sounds odd but simply perform an up-taunt followed directly by Thoron.
Upon startup, Robin performs a turn-around animation which a good player can use to know when to shield, but up-taunting (“Time to tip the scales” is Robin’s classic critical hit line from FE, so it makes relative sense) can often distract them and disguise the animation before they realize what hit them (up-taunts are generally the quickest so they work the best in this scenario.) This tactic occasionally works on For-Glory over-taunters who will taunt if you do, so it occasionally works as disrespect while they’re in mid-taunt. The second and equally important part of this technique is bringing out the opponent’s aggression. A Sonic and Captain Falcon (at death percent) immediately tried to run and attack me from afar as I was performing a taunt but got hit before they could reach me and I won the match. It is crucial however, to make sure you’re out of their range or else you may easily be punished. Irrelevant to competitive play and lag (as it doesn't seem to affect it) is that if on Training, speed is set to 1/4, Thoron will only deal about 5-7%. This is likely due to its intense speed and perhaps the machine being unable to register it as it still goes extremely fast even in slow motion, but I only know this for sure about the 3DS version.
Regarding Robin’s taunts, up-taunt critical hit line just works well for taunt-trapping while side taunting (“Prepare yourself”) is better for insulting/salting the opponent with a sassy pose and possibly to bring out more aggression. I haven’t had much luck with down-taunt (“Here I go”/ “You’re not ready”), however.
F.throw to Thoron isn’t a guaranteed combo but perhaps expanding range with a jump/short-hop can better its odds. Robin’s U/F-throw deal a base 8%, D.throw, 6%; and B.Throw, 11%. B.throw is an excellent tool for spacing given it’s one of the farthest throws at low percentages, which works very well with the fact that Robin is very projectile heavy. Like I mentioned before, F.throw combos well with projectiles but I need to do more experimenting with D, U, and F.throws. I generally recommend using U-throw over D-throw given it deals more damage and D-throw to U-air isn’t reliable, but a potential mind, game setup to attack them after the air dodge. Robin’s Levin U-Air can kill well around the 96% mark if they’re high enough, but comboing with U-air requires some prediction. Robin’s pummels, however, are simply rather bad. People can often escape two pummels (each deal 3% and are very slow) even around 126%. My advice on pummels is only use 1, and after the opponent hits 70-80%.
Onto Arcfire, it is very important to know your range and trajectory. Arcfire travels ¼ the length of an omega stage and it is very good for ledge-guarding if nailed right at the tip of the stage. The very last hit of Arcfire has a wider range and those clinging to the edge without knowing this will get burned. It’s important to know the enemy has a safe-spot roughly between the middle of Arcfire’s range; characters with low hitboxes when running can often simply duck under it and hit you with a dash attack if you’re not careful. In the air, however, Arcfire is very useful if you learn its range. It won’t explode if it doesn’t hit anything, but the flame starts above Robin, making it possible to hit enemies above you to get hit. Regarding the semi-reliable but difficult combo of Arcfire+Arcfire+U-air, it’s important to do it quick (just like any of Robin’s arc-based tomes.) Jam the next buttons for the sequence as fast as you can to make it work.
Regarding Arcfire and Robin’s ledge game, it is very useful. Opponent’s will occasionally expect a roll-dodge from the ledge and prepare a smash attack but in this case, Robin can just jump back and burn them, which I can certainly vouch for. It takes practice but learn to aim it well and do it quick. If the enemy isn’t shielding and is right next to the ledge you’re clinging to, jump back and do an F-air instead given it’s much safer with good range. A possible strategy in this case is condition them to shield by performing the above tactics, but then surprise them by moving back and jumping onto the stage and perform a Nosferatu. It is imperative that you are above the stage, as successful aerial Nosferatu leaves you completely helpless and unable to grab the ledge.
While it is true Nosferatu has a semi-meh start-up. The best part about it is that it can be prepared in the air unlike typical grabs. Most players instinctively shield if you come at them diagonally downwards but in this case, you can merely trick them and use one on the way down to best their shield. It’s good to perform some aerials in front of them and move back to check their behavior though to make sure this works. Nosferatu is arguably makes Robin the most complex character mechanic-wise given it restores more damage from behind and the amount healed is based on how much more damage you have compared to the victim. It has limited uses and a late refresh-time and can be used as a physical throwing item afterwards, along with functioning like a grab that damages possible other opponents who touch the victim while being drained. Even more odd, I tested it on training CPU’s set to ‘run’ and in some cases were able to escape after sustaining less damage if hit from behind. I’m still considering possibilities on what to do after Nosferatu is landed however, given it releases them at an upwards angle.
Aside from that, a full Nosferatu is usually inescapable around 118% and a minimum of 4 or 5% is dealt with an opponent at 0%, so it’s useful to keep in mind the spectrum of its usefulness. Given marginally more damage is restored if Nosferatu is done from behind, (and this can be used as a defensive strategy too) is a reverse Nosferatu can be done if tilting downwards slightly left or right upon startup. It’s good to learn this but also important to make sure you don’t accidentally Nosferatu the wrong way. It’s certainly true comboing with it is difficult, even in training, but all I can suggest is practice a lot if you wish to work on this move. My final advice on Nosferatu is don’t hesitate to use it just because of its bad refresh time and few uses, as it’s arguably worse to waste it by not using it at all. Robin has a wide variety of moves to compensate for being the slowest character in the roster, and it’s always possible to switch up tactics by using other moves.
Another strategy I haven’t been utilizing as often is intentionally expending my weapons for various reasons. A common one is get the item as a weapon if its uses are running low (like the Levin Sword) and also to get it refreshed sooner. If a weapon is needed for an eventual combo you want to pull off but your uses are running low, you can expend it in order to get it refreshed later so you’ll have a fresh start and pool of uses. I still do this often with the Levin Sword but while it’s not imperative to watch every single time you use your moves (with the possible exception of using your looping jab, as each second pools from your crucial recovery move) it’s good to notice when your items start to flicker. The Levin sword flickers after 6 uses out of 8. Elwind flickers after 7 uses out of 9 (I say this in the typical scenario Elwind is used as a recovery/attack where both shots fire. The actual tome holds 18 units and 2 are used each time, but like I said, each second of the looping jab draws 1 out of the 18, and it’s possible to only use up one unit if you land on a platform after the first shot, so there’s a chance you may only release one shot upon recovery and expend the tome if you actually needed that last one if you’re not careful.) Arcfire and Nosferatu are rather friendly in the sense that it will flicker after 5 out of 6 units are consumed (or 3 out of 4 Nosferatu units respectively), freeing you of the uncertainty if you still have one or two uses left. Thunder tomes flicker after 15 units out of 20 have been consumed but considering different stages consume multiple, a bit of math is necessary.
Catching your stuff is important. The most reliable ways are either catching it from behind with a dash-attack (be careful not to do a smash attack instead) or jumping up to do an attack or dodge. It takes a bit of practice but is well worth it. For throwing your junk, make sure you are facing your opponent (oddly, I sometimes throw it in the opposite direction if I’m not careful.) To do a smash-throw just perform what would otherwise be a smash attack. Tomes and the Levin sword function a bit differently and are extremely satisfying kill moves. Maximum tome damage is 18% and the Levin’s is 15%. Tome direct hits kill at about 96% but the Levin requires the opponent at slightly more damage. While it certainly looks cool to be dual-wielding Levin swords, tomes are all-around more powerful, and harder to see. I suppose taunt-trapping at kill percentages might work but it’s already difficult to see the thing, so maybe not as tactical. In the air, both fly at a downwards angle and seem to have less kill potential than when smash-thrown on the stage, but it’s still has its usefulness and are unaffected by stale move negation. Be sure to land it before it hits the ground/bounces, as afterwards it has much less knockback and damage.
If a weapon bounces off a shield do not hesitate to try to catch it if you’re in range. Hitting shields doesn’t seem to make them disappear, and there have been times I’ve caught a bounced weapon while jumping over an enemy, and successfully hit them from behind. Even if it bounces again, don’t hesitate to catch it again and do it with finesse until it either misses, lands, or the enemy catches it. Enemies who don’t know much about tomes will often discard them if they are caught but it’s theoretically possible to catch one if you time the button just right, but that takes an insane amount reflexes (or luck.) The last noteworthy thing about Robin’s trash is that the trajectory of his/her back-throw falls in line with the path junk weapons take upon being released. This usually happens coincidentally, but occasionally a B-thrown opponent hits a junk weapon in the air to deal extra damage in a very odd combo.
On to Elwind besides as a rapid jab, it’s a rather good recovery move given it can be angled fairly and covers good vertical space, permitting a semi-decent amount of off-stage shenanigans. It’s important not to accidentally perform a side/neutral-B when trying to angle it, so keep that in mind. As a spike, only the first shot apparently works if hit clean, but it’s always more reliable the closer you are, also being safer than a D-air. Over platforms, it’s easy to punish if missed but if it lands, it’s possible to escape a punish if you fast fall in time, given it launches opponents upwards into the second shot (each shot typically deals 5% but 7% if the spike-box lands.) It’s surprisingly useful to surprise opponents who don’t expect it but Levin D-air works okay on people trying to attack you from below (be wary that some attacks beat out projectiles though), Elwind just has better range. Do note however, that the angle of the shots don’t change if you angle them, it just angles the direction you take. If they notice the opponent doesn’t shield if you’re above them, surprise them with Elwind but if they do shield, take this as a Nosferatu opportunity.
A defensive aerial-based playstyle is recommendable for Robin as (s/)he is punished easily but is rather good at punishing. The Levin sword has good aerial range but if too aggressive, you’ll run out of weapons leaving you forced to revert to defensiveness before getting your stuff back. The Levin U-air does 13%, F-air does 11%, D-air does 10% (or 12 on weird occasions, this might be due to moving horizontally with a D-air at the same time; yet this requires more research), and B-air deals 15%, being a potent kill move. As far as using these, I recommend some training experience as there aren’t many set-in-stone techniques, but I have seen F-air used to set up walls of pain followed by a spike.
With the B-air a reverse-aerial-rush (pivot after dashing to turn around and do a B-air in the direction you ran) can be useful as it’s as powerful has Robin’s clean D-smash and very fast, but I haven’t tested if it combos with Arcfire/Arthunder much yet.
U-smash is an odd move as unlike Lucina/Marth, it will hit an enemy if close enough but only deal 10% and have a trajectory skewed right or left based on where the opponent was standing and lacks kill potential. If the sword hits clean, however, 15% will be dealt and the opponent will be launched vertically, yet has a narrow and somewhat unreliable hitbox. Over a stage, it is theoretically possible to use this well if a spike bounces a victim upward and you U-smash them once you hit the stage.
D-smash, however, is actually a pretty cool move because the Levin sword sends sparks along the ground giving it better range than Robins typical F-smash. Clean, 15% is dealt and it launches foes at a high angle, yet not as reliable a kill move as F-smash. Middle sparks from behind actually deal 12% and have good launching power (yet not very potent for kills.) Late sparks in front of the sword deal 8% but and launch them forward, but it at least has fair range and creates distance between you and the opponent.
F-smash deals a base 16% and is better for kills, but not as cool as D-smash. I would recommend D-smash for lower percentages and transfer to F-smash to avoid making it stale before kills.
Concluding sword-moves with dash-attacks, Robin’s have very bad ending lag and are strictly bronze but can kill around 150%, along with delivering a very satisfying jab with good knock-back. Clean, it deals 10% but late, 6% (yet still creates fine distance between you and the enemy.) This seems more reliable on large-hurtbox characters but sometimes this move causes victims to be launched in the opposite direction (perhaps due to the disjointed hitbox hitting the opposite side, but once again, this requires more research.)
Lastly, in terms of playstyle-orientation, I often considered Robin to be the hyper-defensive type, but lots of experimenting, generally made me more flexible. Being projectile-heavy and excellent with zoning, there have times where I've decided the opponent's chances of winning are directly proportional as to how close the opponent is to me in the case of them constantly falling for my baits. If a battle devolves into this, use it as an opportunity to capitalize on their low morale to play more aggressively to take the stock.
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I know this is a little bit long but I hope it helps.
It's noteworthy that this is just my experience from playing a little too much Robin on 3ds For Glory (1v1) and although WiiU is relatively similar, there could be slight differences; yet I still think it's relevant. This is generally from my experience but if you have any other tips, feel free to share. Like I said, I'm still doing more experimentation and this treatise is bound to get revisions if I discover any new combos or if you guys suggest anything too. This is far from complete, being entirely without visuals and such, but feel free to give me any feedback whatsoever.
TL;DR: Happy smashing, I can't summarize stuff well.
Starting with with the very start of a battle, you have about 3 options that I would recommend. Your first is to begin a thunder charge, but while this is predictable, the second option I can somewhat vouch for is immediately throwing out an Arcfire, as I've seen a few people run straight into it upon their initial assault. The last option (although preferably done after a charge) is and up-smash (or any move that secures the Levin sword is equipped) to prepare the Levin sword for aerials. Choose your first option wisely as scoring first blood can sometimes set the stage heavily in your favor. Go for an arcfire if you're fighting a melee-heavy character like Captain Falcon or Fox, but go for a charge if you know they won't be an immediate flinch threat, as flinching mid-charge (with any charging character) forces the player to restart.
The Levin sword reverts to the bronze sword after about 8 seconds (its refresh time too) and can come out in the air if the analog stick is flicked like a smash attack, but since it's a bit tricky in the heat of battle, use it often by performing smash attacks to prevent its reversion if you have space (if you manage to flick the button every time, go for it.) While the slower than Ganondorf, Robin is a middleweight with decent aerial agility, and this tactic is important for getting the most out of your sword.
The sword based moves that never involve the Levin sword are Jabs, tilts and N-airs; thus causing bronze-sword reversions as well. While the bronze sword is possible to start combos [an odd (but not necessarily reliable) combo I got on an Alph player was Arcfire ->bronze F-air -> Levin U-air] the Levin sword is significantly more powerful; as I would recommend using it over the bronze. Robin's N-air and D/F tilt have a horizontal trajectory and I had once been able to launch a Captain Falcon into an existing arcfire, but after the Mootoo patch, Robin now arguably has the best jabs in the game.
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Both final hits (arcfire and elwind) of Robin's Jab are kill moves at high percents. While at the time Smash and Grab's 3ds Robin guide (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwDLkKGcjec) was released, Robin's looping jab was less reliable but now it combos very reliably, although the last hit now deals %2 instead of 3%. At low percentages, it sometimes helps to do a dash-around but it comes out much faster than smash attacks, and is a great move all around. To get it going, jam the button and hold the vortex until the victim reaches the outer rim of it. Lightweights and middleweights can get up to around 15-20% from 0% [for some reason, Fox, of all fighters, seems to take it really hard, often getting up to 23%-ish from 0] but large-hurtbox heavyweights, such as Charizard, take it the worst, as they can get up to around 26% from 0. At kill percentages (usually the high 140's), the opponent typically starts moving towards the top of the vortex, and the last hit launches them really well upwards. It is important to watch how often you use this move. Each second held is the equivalent of one elwind shot (the tome has eighteen, and each time it's used for recovery, 2 shot are usually used unless Robin lands on a platform after the first; generally giving it 9 uses) as it's bad to run out prematurely while trying to recover. Do remember to release at the right time, however. It’s a punishable move if escaped, but a Luigi at death percent (on For Glory) once ran into it, while expecting me to have stopped by then and I won the match. There may be a possible sweet-spot at the very forward tip of the vortex with more kill potential, but I still need to test this.
The arcfire final jab hit, however is also really good. For this one, just hold down the button and the string of hits deals 11% (final does 5.) it has much more launching power than most jabs, likely only rivaled by Ike's. At the edge of the stage, it usually kills around the 120% mark, but unlike Ike's the first two hits have slightly more knockback, making it possible for lightweights like Mootoo to escape around the 111% mark. Given Robin's Jabs generally have the same trajectory and starting speed as tilts, feel free to use them often.
As for thunder tomes, learn to treat each of the four spells as their own moves. Measly thunder is low knockback with short range and deals about 3 percent, but given its speed, it's been most useful for just making opponents in range finch. Fortunatey it charges quick into Elthunder, which is likely my most used spell. It deals a base damage of 9% and people often don't expect it. The thunder tome can be used for 20 thunders, but elthunder consumes 3 thunder units, Arthunder, 5; and Thoron, 8; giving it a maximum of 7 consecutive uses. It kills at sudden death and others who view thunder as a standard charging projectile get hit unexpectedly while expecting me to continue the charge.
In the undesirable case of losing a stock, my best suggestion is to charge up a fresh elthunder and fire it right at the opponent once they're in range to gain the upper hand of both morale and the stage, as like I said, it's typically unexpected. Since all fighters generally seem to face right upon respawn, attempt a B-reversal to change your direction so you face your enemy. To do this, activate a thunder charge and immediately flick the opposite direction, just as if you were performing a reverse Falcon/Warlock punch. Doing this in midair can switch your momentum and can be used as a weird mind-game tactic to work on unpredictability, but it is noteworthy that the timing is strict between doing a side-B, a B-reversal, and a standard charge.
Arcthunder is slower and the charge transition from Elthunder to Arcthunder is much slower than that of thunder to elthunder (you'll see a red glow) but it's an excellent combo starter (to F.air is the most reliable) and can kill around 126% edge of stage.
Although I haven't experimented much with Arcthunder, (I plan to do more) Thoron is relatively interesting.
It's important to think of Thoron as a beam with each segment dealing minor damage (yet same launching power all around) versus the standard orb (like Samus' charge shot) but it is even more important to hold down the button to extend the beam [a friend of mine really hates the Thoron tail.] Minimum damage with a direct Thoron blast deals only 10% but I've seen it do a maximum of 19% if the button is sustained. Another vexing thing is that by default, maximum Thoron seems to deal 15 or 18% with a standard direct hit. I haven't quite figured this out yet but it seems the last bit of the tail is separated from the initial beam (in scenarios where 15% is landed, a combo of 6 is shown on the training overhead but 7 if 18% is dealt; there is a chance the final hits are likelier to land if an opponent is in ending-lag, but this requires more research.) In addition, the very last part of the tail has bested Link’s Hylian shield occasionally, which can work at his death percents. In the air, Thoron moves with Robin’s fall until it leaves her/his hand, which is an odd technique for expanding aerial range. A trick I carried over from learning Lucina is distract the opponent with a F.air or two and pull back, transitioning directly into shield-breaker or a thunder tome, but since thunder tomes have much better range this tactic is surprisingly very reliable. As a kill move, it surprisingly doesn’t work until the 140% mark on middleweights, but there’s a slight chance I occasionally stale it. A final odd and miscellaneous thing I’ve discovered is taunt-trapping/baiting works very well with Thoron. It sounds odd but simply perform an up-taunt followed directly by Thoron.
Upon startup, Robin performs a turn-around animation which a good player can use to know when to shield, but up-taunting (“Time to tip the scales” is Robin’s classic critical hit line from FE, so it makes relative sense) can often distract them and disguise the animation before they realize what hit them (up-taunts are generally the quickest so they work the best in this scenario.) This tactic occasionally works on For-Glory over-taunters who will taunt if you do, so it occasionally works as disrespect while they’re in mid-taunt. The second and equally important part of this technique is bringing out the opponent’s aggression. A Sonic and Captain Falcon (at death percent) immediately tried to run and attack me from afar as I was performing a taunt but got hit before they could reach me and I won the match. It is crucial however, to make sure you’re out of their range or else you may easily be punished. Irrelevant to competitive play and lag (as it doesn't seem to affect it) is that if on Training, speed is set to 1/4, Thoron will only deal about 5-7%. This is likely due to its intense speed and perhaps the machine being unable to register it as it still goes extremely fast even in slow motion, but I only know this for sure about the 3DS version.
Regarding Robin’s taunts, up-taunt critical hit line just works well for taunt-trapping while side taunting (“Prepare yourself”) is better for insulting/salting the opponent with a sassy pose and possibly to bring out more aggression. I haven’t had much luck with down-taunt (“Here I go”/ “You’re not ready”), however.
F.throw to Thoron isn’t a guaranteed combo but perhaps expanding range with a jump/short-hop can better its odds. Robin’s U/F-throw deal a base 8%, D.throw, 6%; and B.Throw, 11%. B.throw is an excellent tool for spacing given it’s one of the farthest throws at low percentages, which works very well with the fact that Robin is very projectile heavy. Like I mentioned before, F.throw combos well with projectiles but I need to do more experimenting with D, U, and F.throws. I generally recommend using U-throw over D-throw given it deals more damage and D-throw to U-air isn’t reliable, but a potential mind, game setup to attack them after the air dodge. Robin’s Levin U-Air can kill well around the 96% mark if they’re high enough, but comboing with U-air requires some prediction. Robin’s pummels, however, are simply rather bad. People can often escape two pummels (each deal 3% and are very slow) even around 126%. My advice on pummels is only use 1, and after the opponent hits 70-80%.
Onto Arcfire, it is very important to know your range and trajectory. Arcfire travels ¼ the length of an omega stage and it is very good for ledge-guarding if nailed right at the tip of the stage. The very last hit of Arcfire has a wider range and those clinging to the edge without knowing this will get burned. It’s important to know the enemy has a safe-spot roughly between the middle of Arcfire’s range; characters with low hitboxes when running can often simply duck under it and hit you with a dash attack if you’re not careful. In the air, however, Arcfire is very useful if you learn its range. It won’t explode if it doesn’t hit anything, but the flame starts above Robin, making it possible to hit enemies above you to get hit. Regarding the semi-reliable but difficult combo of Arcfire+Arcfire+U-air, it’s important to do it quick (just like any of Robin’s arc-based tomes.) Jam the next buttons for the sequence as fast as you can to make it work.
Regarding Arcfire and Robin’s ledge game, it is very useful. Opponent’s will occasionally expect a roll-dodge from the ledge and prepare a smash attack but in this case, Robin can just jump back and burn them, which I can certainly vouch for. It takes practice but learn to aim it well and do it quick. If the enemy isn’t shielding and is right next to the ledge you’re clinging to, jump back and do an F-air instead given it’s much safer with good range. A possible strategy in this case is condition them to shield by performing the above tactics, but then surprise them by moving back and jumping onto the stage and perform a Nosferatu. It is imperative that you are above the stage, as successful aerial Nosferatu leaves you completely helpless and unable to grab the ledge.
While it is true Nosferatu has a semi-meh start-up. The best part about it is that it can be prepared in the air unlike typical grabs. Most players instinctively shield if you come at them diagonally downwards but in this case, you can merely trick them and use one on the way down to best their shield. It’s good to perform some aerials in front of them and move back to check their behavior though to make sure this works. Nosferatu is arguably makes Robin the most complex character mechanic-wise given it restores more damage from behind and the amount healed is based on how much more damage you have compared to the victim. It has limited uses and a late refresh-time and can be used as a physical throwing item afterwards, along with functioning like a grab that damages possible other opponents who touch the victim while being drained. Even more odd, I tested it on training CPU’s set to ‘run’ and in some cases were able to escape after sustaining less damage if hit from behind. I’m still considering possibilities on what to do after Nosferatu is landed however, given it releases them at an upwards angle.
Aside from that, a full Nosferatu is usually inescapable around 118% and a minimum of 4 or 5% is dealt with an opponent at 0%, so it’s useful to keep in mind the spectrum of its usefulness. Given marginally more damage is restored if Nosferatu is done from behind, (and this can be used as a defensive strategy too) is a reverse Nosferatu can be done if tilting downwards slightly left or right upon startup. It’s good to learn this but also important to make sure you don’t accidentally Nosferatu the wrong way. It’s certainly true comboing with it is difficult, even in training, but all I can suggest is practice a lot if you wish to work on this move. My final advice on Nosferatu is don’t hesitate to use it just because of its bad refresh time and few uses, as it’s arguably worse to waste it by not using it at all. Robin has a wide variety of moves to compensate for being the slowest character in the roster, and it’s always possible to switch up tactics by using other moves.
Another strategy I haven’t been utilizing as often is intentionally expending my weapons for various reasons. A common one is get the item as a weapon if its uses are running low (like the Levin Sword) and also to get it refreshed sooner. If a weapon is needed for an eventual combo you want to pull off but your uses are running low, you can expend it in order to get it refreshed later so you’ll have a fresh start and pool of uses. I still do this often with the Levin Sword but while it’s not imperative to watch every single time you use your moves (with the possible exception of using your looping jab, as each second pools from your crucial recovery move) it’s good to notice when your items start to flicker. The Levin sword flickers after 6 uses out of 8. Elwind flickers after 7 uses out of 9 (I say this in the typical scenario Elwind is used as a recovery/attack where both shots fire. The actual tome holds 18 units and 2 are used each time, but like I said, each second of the looping jab draws 1 out of the 18, and it’s possible to only use up one unit if you land on a platform after the first shot, so there’s a chance you may only release one shot upon recovery and expend the tome if you actually needed that last one if you’re not careful.) Arcfire and Nosferatu are rather friendly in the sense that it will flicker after 5 out of 6 units are consumed (or 3 out of 4 Nosferatu units respectively), freeing you of the uncertainty if you still have one or two uses left. Thunder tomes flicker after 15 units out of 20 have been consumed but considering different stages consume multiple, a bit of math is necessary.
Catching your stuff is important. The most reliable ways are either catching it from behind with a dash-attack (be careful not to do a smash attack instead) or jumping up to do an attack or dodge. It takes a bit of practice but is well worth it. For throwing your junk, make sure you are facing your opponent (oddly, I sometimes throw it in the opposite direction if I’m not careful.) To do a smash-throw just perform what would otherwise be a smash attack. Tomes and the Levin sword function a bit differently and are extremely satisfying kill moves. Maximum tome damage is 18% and the Levin’s is 15%. Tome direct hits kill at about 96% but the Levin requires the opponent at slightly more damage. While it certainly looks cool to be dual-wielding Levin swords, tomes are all-around more powerful, and harder to see. I suppose taunt-trapping at kill percentages might work but it’s already difficult to see the thing, so maybe not as tactical. In the air, both fly at a downwards angle and seem to have less kill potential than when smash-thrown on the stage, but it’s still has its usefulness and are unaffected by stale move negation. Be sure to land it before it hits the ground/bounces, as afterwards it has much less knockback and damage.
If a weapon bounces off a shield do not hesitate to try to catch it if you’re in range. Hitting shields doesn’t seem to make them disappear, and there have been times I’ve caught a bounced weapon while jumping over an enemy, and successfully hit them from behind. Even if it bounces again, don’t hesitate to catch it again and do it with finesse until it either misses, lands, or the enemy catches it. Enemies who don’t know much about tomes will often discard them if they are caught but it’s theoretically possible to catch one if you time the button just right, but that takes an insane amount reflexes (or luck.) The last noteworthy thing about Robin’s trash is that the trajectory of his/her back-throw falls in line with the path junk weapons take upon being released. This usually happens coincidentally, but occasionally a B-thrown opponent hits a junk weapon in the air to deal extra damage in a very odd combo.
On to Elwind besides as a rapid jab, it’s a rather good recovery move given it can be angled fairly and covers good vertical space, permitting a semi-decent amount of off-stage shenanigans. It’s important not to accidentally perform a side/neutral-B when trying to angle it, so keep that in mind. As a spike, only the first shot apparently works if hit clean, but it’s always more reliable the closer you are, also being safer than a D-air. Over platforms, it’s easy to punish if missed but if it lands, it’s possible to escape a punish if you fast fall in time, given it launches opponents upwards into the second shot (each shot typically deals 5% but 7% if the spike-box lands.) It’s surprisingly useful to surprise opponents who don’t expect it but Levin D-air works okay on people trying to attack you from below (be wary that some attacks beat out projectiles though), Elwind just has better range. Do note however, that the angle of the shots don’t change if you angle them, it just angles the direction you take. If they notice the opponent doesn’t shield if you’re above them, surprise them with Elwind but if they do shield, take this as a Nosferatu opportunity.
A defensive aerial-based playstyle is recommendable for Robin as (s/)he is punished easily but is rather good at punishing. The Levin sword has good aerial range but if too aggressive, you’ll run out of weapons leaving you forced to revert to defensiveness before getting your stuff back. The Levin U-air does 13%, F-air does 11%, D-air does 10% (or 12 on weird occasions, this might be due to moving horizontally with a D-air at the same time; yet this requires more research), and B-air deals 15%, being a potent kill move. As far as using these, I recommend some training experience as there aren’t many set-in-stone techniques, but I have seen F-air used to set up walls of pain followed by a spike.
With the B-air a reverse-aerial-rush (pivot after dashing to turn around and do a B-air in the direction you ran) can be useful as it’s as powerful has Robin’s clean D-smash and very fast, but I haven’t tested if it combos with Arcfire/Arthunder much yet.
U-smash is an odd move as unlike Lucina/Marth, it will hit an enemy if close enough but only deal 10% and have a trajectory skewed right or left based on where the opponent was standing and lacks kill potential. If the sword hits clean, however, 15% will be dealt and the opponent will be launched vertically, yet has a narrow and somewhat unreliable hitbox. Over a stage, it is theoretically possible to use this well if a spike bounces a victim upward and you U-smash them once you hit the stage.
D-smash, however, is actually a pretty cool move because the Levin sword sends sparks along the ground giving it better range than Robins typical F-smash. Clean, 15% is dealt and it launches foes at a high angle, yet not as reliable a kill move as F-smash. Middle sparks from behind actually deal 12% and have good launching power (yet not very potent for kills.) Late sparks in front of the sword deal 8% but and launch them forward, but it at least has fair range and creates distance between you and the opponent.
F-smash deals a base 16% and is better for kills, but not as cool as D-smash. I would recommend D-smash for lower percentages and transfer to F-smash to avoid making it stale before kills.
Concluding sword-moves with dash-attacks, Robin’s have very bad ending lag and are strictly bronze but can kill around 150%, along with delivering a very satisfying jab with good knock-back. Clean, it deals 10% but late, 6% (yet still creates fine distance between you and the enemy.) This seems more reliable on large-hurtbox characters but sometimes this move causes victims to be launched in the opposite direction (perhaps due to the disjointed hitbox hitting the opposite side, but once again, this requires more research.)
Lastly, in terms of playstyle-orientation, I often considered Robin to be the hyper-defensive type, but lots of experimenting, generally made me more flexible. Being projectile-heavy and excellent with zoning, there have times where I've decided the opponent's chances of winning are directly proportional as to how close the opponent is to me in the case of them constantly falling for my baits. If a battle devolves into this, use it as an opportunity to capitalize on their low morale to play more aggressively to take the stock.
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I know this is a little bit long but I hope it helps.
It's noteworthy that this is just my experience from playing a little too much Robin on 3ds For Glory (1v1) and although WiiU is relatively similar, there could be slight differences; yet I still think it's relevant. This is generally from my experience but if you have any other tips, feel free to share. Like I said, I'm still doing more experimentation and this treatise is bound to get revisions if I discover any new combos or if you guys suggest anything too. This is far from complete, being entirely without visuals and such, but feel free to give me any feedback whatsoever.
TL;DR: Happy smashing, I can't summarize stuff well.
I'll be making a much neater one in a few months.