Roy (SSB4): Difference between revisions

Roy's moveset is mostly based off {{SSB4|Marth}} and his other clone, {{SSB4|Lucina}}. However, instead of having a single different mechanic (eg. Lucina's non-tipper sword), Roy has a number of different attributes as well: he has a much higher falling speed (tied for 5th fastest), faster air speed (tied with Wario for 3rd fastest), dashing speed (9th fastest), more weight, and most significantly, a reversed tipper mechanic which makes his sword deal more damage when up close and less from afar. He also has different animations on many of his moves, improving his attack's consistency with connecting compared to ''Melee''. This makes him more of a semi-clone than Lucina and Marth, who both have almost identical playstyles.

Roy's attributes give him a different playstyle than Marth/Lucina, as well as bringing him an array of advantages. His higher weight allows him to survive blows that would KO Marth/Lucina, giving him better survivability, especially vertically because of his higher falling speed. He also possesses two throws that have guaranteed followups: down throw can lead to many attacks until mid percents, and can be used with his forward air or neutral airs to create a long string of aerial attacks. He also has his forward throw which is useful for racking damage at low to mid percents, especially when combined with his neutral air,that lead into even more aerial strings. Roy's faster ground and air speeds are among the best in the game, and exacerbate these advantages even more, giving him a much better combo and damage racking game compared to Marth/Lucina. His combo game is made better even further thanks to his reversed sweetspot, which is much easier to land than Marth's tipper while still hitting as hard. This makes the reward for landing a blow as Roy much easier than as Marth, who requires careful spacing for the same effect. Almost all of his sweetspotted attacks having considerable KO potential as well, giving him arguably the best KO options of any swordfighter in the game, especially when considering his decently quick attacks. This makes Roy's punish game phenomenal, as it is very rewarding, while not being particularly risky.

Like the other swordsmen, Roy is also a decent edgeguarder, although with more options than Marth/Lucina: his forward and back air have large arcs like Marth and Lucina's that can reliably stage spike opponents, while his down air is a much stronger spike attack with a more reliable hitbox that doesn't require the extreme accuracy of both other swordfighter's down aerials. [[Blazer]] is a very reliable stage spike move as Roy can drag opponents into the stage forcing them into an un-techable situation. Finally, [[Flare Blade]] is an extremely powerful edgeguard tool when used right, as Roy can charge it up for five seconds near a ledge to catch careless opponents with the attack, which has enough knockback to KO at 80% or less with enough charge. Additionally, it can also be used as a potent off stage attack as it kills very early while not being particularly risky to use since it has very low ending lag.

Roy isn't without flaws, however. Like many other melee fighters, Roy has no way to deal with [[projectiles]], as he has no reflector and no projectile of his own. Because of his fast falling speed, Roy is more susceptible to combos than many other fighters, and this also decreases his survivability if he is sent offstage with a semi-spike. His reversed sweetspot is one of his more significant flaws, as while it is powerful, it forces Roy to essentially fight at point blank range for maximum effect. This makes it risky when fighting against an opponent that can overwhelm him with faster moves than his at close range like {{SSB4|Sheik}}. Roy's moveset is also mostly based on Marth's, meaning that he has to deal with attacks that have wide arcs yet short-lasting hitboxes which can make it punishable if he misses attacks. Additionally, Roy's range was reduced, with most of his attacks having shorter range than Marth's, which is only made worse by his reverse tipper effect. This gives him less reach compared to the rest of the cast. Roy's biggest flaw however, is his recovery. While it is not as predictable as Marth's due to Blazer being able to angle horizontally, it does not gain much vertical height, which is made even worse by Roy's fast falling speed. This makes Roy very vulnerable off stage, as most spikes will be a guaranteed KO on him at most percents. Regardless, Roy's pros outweigh his cons, and he is considered by some professionals such as ZeRo to be the best swordsman in the game.