R.O.B. (SSB4): Difference between revisions

R.O.B. is currently ranked 36th out of 55 on the [[tier list]], placing him in the D tier. This is a moderate drop from his placement in ''Brawl'', where he was ranked 18th out of 38. R.O.B. retains several of his strengths from ''Brawl'': he has a strong zoning game courtesy of [[Robo Beam]] and [[Gyro]], an excellent recovery courtesy of [[Robo Burner]], a strong air game courtesy of all but one of his aerials having [[Hitbox|disjointed hitboxes]], great mobility for a heavyweight, and a good grab game. In addition, R.O.B.'s once poor KO potential has been significantly improved, thanks to receiving a number of strong KOing options.

However, R.O.B.'s ground game lacks range compared to his air game; this is most obvious with his arm-based attacks, especially in regard to his overall grab range, which is now the shortest ranged in the game. While it is still strong, R.O.B.'s zoning game has also been somewhat toned down, as Robo Beam is slower and Gyro deals significantly less damage. Like in ''Brawl'', R.O.B. also remains susceptible to combos because of his heavy weight and large size. Lastly, his newfound KOing options are hindered by considerable amounts of start-up lag.

R.O.B. is the tenth [[weight|heaviest]] character in the game, yet he possesses great mobility in spite of his weight class. This is thanks to his average [[walk]]ing and [[dash]]ing speeds, above average [[Air speed|air]], [[Falling speed|falling]] and [[fast fall]]ing speeds, slow [[air acceleration]], high [[traction]], [[jump]] and [[double jump]], and low [[gravity]]. These attributes allow R.O.B. to outmaneuver some of his fellow heavyweights, make him almost as mobile as a middleweight, and grant him greater jumping prowess than most characters of either weight class.

Like in ''Brawl'', R.O.B. is a zoning-oriented character with very useful projectiles to keep his opponents at bay. [[Robo Beam]] enables him to attack from considerable distance, and becomes the noticeably stronger Super Robo Beam when it is left idle for 14.3 seconds. While Robo Beam can interrupt opponents faster, Super Robo Beam deals more damage and has higher knockback growth, which make it capable of scoring KOs unlike Robo Beam. [[Gyro]] is an auto-chargeable projectile that becomes an [[item]] when fired. It has a better angle for disrupting opponents, while also being more manipulable as a projectile and having higher KOing potential. Thanks to R.O.B.'s [[item throw]]s being among the strongest in the game, Gyro is also very useful when [[Item throw#Directions and strength|smash thrown]] as an item.

Aside from his offensive prowess with projectiles, R.O.B. also does not face problems against projectiles, courtesy of [[Arm Rotor]]'s ability to [[Reflection|reflect]] incoming projectiles with greater strength than they initially had. In addition to its reflection ability, Arm Rotor now boasts KO potential, thanks to its finishing hit having significantly higher knockback growth.

R.O.B.'s air game is also strong, thanks to the excellent and disjointed ranges of all but one of his aerials. His neutral aerial has large, disjointed hitboxes that make it a reliable combo starter at low to medium percentages when [[Short hop fast fall L-cancel#Short hop fast fall|SHFF]]'d, as well as a useful spacing option. His up aerial is one of his best moves overall, thanks to its usefulness in harassing airborne opponents by either juggling or KOing them. R.O.B.'s back and down aerials are his most damaging aerials when sweetspotted and have large hitboxes like his neutral aerial. However, they also boast specific strengths: the former has recovery potential thanks to it propelling R.O.B. forward slightly, whereas the latter is a [[meteor smash]]. Lastly, his forward aerial is arguably<!--Arguably!!--> his least useful aerial because of its hitbox having much shorter range and not being disjointed. However, it is R.O.B.'s fastest aerial, which makes it reliable for spacing, especially when SHFF'd, as well as edge-guarding.

Unlike in ''Brawl'', R.O.B. now boasts respectable KO potential. Like his up aerial, back aerial, up throw and Arm Rotor, R.O.B.'s smash attacks now boast KO potential, thanks to being buffed in various ways. Forward smash's sweetspot deals slightly more damage and higher knockback. Although forward smash's other hitboxes deal less damage, they have been re-positioned farther outward which improves the move's range. Up smash's sweetspot and down smash also deal more damage and, like forward smash, have had their hitboxes tweaked for the better: up smash now has hitboxes on R.O.B.'s arms that launch the opponent into its thruster hitboxes, whereas down smash is now a [[semi-spike]], which also grants it potential for edge-guarding or setting up edge-guards.

R.O.B.'s grab game has also improved. His forward and back throws are still limited in regard to utility, but are still decent for spacing and setting up edge-guards. In comparison, R.O.B.'s up and down throws are much more useful: the former is his most damaging throw and a viable KOing option, especially when he is affected by the [[rage]] mechanic, whereas the latter deals impressive damage and is a reliable combo starter into his up aerial from 0% to medium percentages.

Although he possesses a number of useful traits, R.O.B. does have some noteworthy shortcomings. Despite his KO potential's drastic improvements, landing his KOing options can still be problematic because of them either being laggy or having unimpressive ranges. The latter trait is particularly noticeable in regard to R.O.B.'s arm-based attacks, most of which have hitboxes that have either become smaller and/or tweaked for the worse. For example, his grab game is hindered by his overall grab range now being the shortest in the game because of his much smaller grabboxes, whereas his up tilt has drastically less utility because of its adjusted hitboxes.

In addition to his hitbox issues, R.O.B.'s hurtbox also hinders him, as it has become larger since ''Brawl''. When coupled with his faster falling speed, he is much more susceptible to combo-oriented characters, such as {{SSB4|Luigi}} and {{SSB4|Zero Suit Samus}}. This is further compounded by his aerials' inability to reliably break combos: neutral and down aerials are too slow, forward and up aerials only hit in front of and above R.O.B., respectively, and back aerial has both slow start-up and only hits behind him.

While R.O.B.'s zoning game remains his greatest strength, the universal nerf to projectile camping has somewhat toned it down. Gyro, in particular, has been the most adversely affected of his projectiles: in addition to retaining its susceptibility to being stolen, a fired Gyro deals drastically less damage and covers less range. The removal of [[glide toss]]ing also significantly hinders its approach potential. Robo Beam's nerfs are not as severe in comparison, but are nevertheless noticeable: it now deals slightly less damage, and both it and Super Robo Beam travel slower. As a a result of these nerfs, R.O.B. now has a more difficult time dealing with most characters that have better projectiles (such as {{SSB4|Sheik}} and {{SSB4|Diddy Kong}}), attacks that counteract his own projectiles (such as {{SSB4|Fox}} and {{SSB4|Falco}}), or both (such as {{SSB4|Villager}}).

R.O.B.'s [[Character customization|custom moves]] can alleviate many of his weaknesses. Wide Angle Beam, true to its name, can be aimed in a much wider arc, which enables R.O.B. to catch aerial opponents easily. However, it deals slightly less damage. Infinite Robo Beam, also true to its name, can be shot infinitely. This allows R.O.B. to use his zoning game constantly and defend himself. However, it also deals less damage, cannot ricochet, and Super Robo Beam needs to charge for longer. Reflector Arm acts like a traditional reflector, having a higher reflection multiplier and longer duration. However, R.O.B. will not move when using it, preventing him from pressuring the opponent. Backward Arm Rotor has a shorter duration, but is a very effective defensive option, as it moves R.O.B. backwards, and comes out much faster (contrary to what its description suggests). High-Speed Burner has less fuel, but allows R.O.B. to recover more easily due to its increased aerial movement. Robo Rocket functions like a traditional recovery move, launching R.O.B. upwards, and can even meteor smash. However, it can't be used in bursts, covers less horizontal distance, and the meteor smash is weak. Fire Gyro deals more damage, but covers less distance when fired. Slip Gyro slides across the stage, making it more predictable, but trips opponents when the Gyro hits them, giving R.O.B. access to many follow-ups.

R.O.B. has received both [[buff]]s and [[nerf]]s in the transition from ''Brawl'' to ''SSB4''. The most prominent buff was to his KOing ability; many of his KOing options in ''Brawl'' have become more powerful and/or slightly easier to land, while other moves have been strengthened to the point of possessing KO potential, such as his up aerial and up throw. R.O.B. also benefits from the re-balancing of other characters who countered him in ''Brawl'', most infamously {{SSBB|Meta Knight}}, and he has become slightly better equipped to handle the new characters that are commonly seen in the competitive scene.

*{{change|R.O.B. is more expressive. He appears angry while charging his up and down smash attacks, and while using his down throw and [[Arm Rotor]]. He also appears sad when he is [[grab]]bed.}}

*{{nerf|Arms' tip and arms' base up tilt have significantly smaller hitboxes and no longer launch opponents into its tip's hitbox, significantly hindering its utility.}}

*{{nerf|Down tilt has a shorter duration (3 frames → 1 frame).}}

*{{buff|Base forward smash deals 1% more damage (14% → 15%) and has increased knockback and a slightly larger hitbox, improving its KO potential and range. Forward smash's mid and tip hitboxes have also been re-positioned farther outward, improving its range.}}

*{{change|Forward smash's animation has changed. R.O.B. now leans forward and positions his arms downward for support in order to fire the optical energy blast, while his head will rotate when it is [[Charge|charging]].}}

*{{nerf|Tip up smash deals 1% less damage (14% → 13%) and has a smaller hitbox.}}

*{{buff|Down smash deals 2% more damage (2% (hits 1-4)/5% (hit 5) → 4%/7%) and is now a [[semi-spike]], significantly improving its KO and edge-guarding potential. It also has larger hitboxes.}}

*{{buff|The weakening of [[Smash directional influence|SDI]] makes down smash significantly more difficult to escape from.}}

*{{change|Neutral aerial deals 2% less damage (10% → 8% (base)/6% (tip)) and has decreased knockback growth (108 → 100 (base)/98 (tip)). These changes grant it combo potential, but significantly hinder its KO potential.}}

*{{change|Due to consisting of a consistent hitbox instead of a clean hitbox and a late hitbox, forward aerial now deals consistent damage (10% (clean)/6% (late) → 7%).}}

*{{nerf|Forward aerial has decreased knockback, removing its KO potential. Additionally, it has a smaller hitbox, increased ending (frame 33 → 36) and landing lag (12 frames → 15), and a shorter duration (frames 7-17 → 6-7).}}

*{{change|Due to consisting of two sweetspots instead of one, clean back aerial no longer deals consistent damage (11% → 12% (clean base)/10% (clean tip). However, its base knockback was compensated (30 → 32).}}

*{{buff|Back aerial's hitboxes are positioned further outward, improving its range. It also propels R.O.B. slightly further, improving its recovery potential.}}

*{{nerf|Back aerial has received a sourspot that deals less damage (11% → 6% (late base)/4.5% (late tip)) and shortens its sweetspot's duration (15 frames → 5). It also has increased start-up (frame 11 → 19), ending (frame 41 → 53) and landing lag (12 frames → 22), and a shorter duration (frames 11-25 → 19-29).}}

*{{buff|Down aerial has slightly larger hitboxes, and its hitboxes have been re-positioned further downward, improving its range. When coupled with the updated edge mechanics and the removal of [[Meteor smash#Meteor canceling|meteor canceling]], these changes significantly improve its reliability.}}

*{{buff|The changes to [[hitstun canceling]] significantly improve down throw's combo potential at low to medium percentages.}}

*{{nerf|[[Arm Rotor]] now deals consistent damage (1%/2% (loop)/3%/4% (last) → 1%/3%).}}

*{{buff|Arm Rotor's last hit has increased knockback, granting it KO potential and improving its spacing potential.}}

*{{nerf|Fully charged [[Gyro]] deals 8% less damage (18% → 10%) when fired and its firing range has decreased.}}

*{{change|R.O.B. has a new [[Final Smash]], [[Super Diffusion Beam]]. R.O.B. re-configures his body into a cannon-like form in order to fire a large laser that fans out into smaller lasers that trap the opponent before concluding and then being immediately followed by a large energy blast. Compared to Diffusion Beam, Super Diffusion Beam deals less damage overall and has a shorter duration, but deals more knockback and has more range. Unlike Diffusion Beam, Super Diffusion Beam forces R.O.B. to be stationary throughout its duration.}}

Like {{SSB4|Mario}} and {{SSB4|Pit}}, R.O.B. has received a very small number of direct changes from game updates. Update [[1.0.4]]'s changes to [[vectoring]] indirectly buffed him by enabling his Beep Boop combo to function past low percentages, and even as a KO combo.  

 

Update [[1.0.6]] notably decreased the knockback of R.O.B.'s up throw. This hindered its KO potential to the point that it now KOs roughly 20% later; previously, it was the strongest up throw in the game, and the second strongest throw of any kind after {{SSB4|Ness}}' [[Ness (SSB4)/Back throw|back throw]]. Despite this, up throw remains a viable KOing option, especially on [[platform]]s. Its lower knockback has also granted it combo potential at low percentages; when coupled with its launching angle, its combos are also more varied and less susceptible to [[directional influence]] compared to down throw's. As a result, up throw can now be used to conserve the [[fresh]]ness of both down throw and up aerial for later combo and KO attempts, respectively.

However, update [[1.1.1]]'s increase to shieldstun indirectly nerfed R.O.B. In addition to making him easier to punish out of shield because of his fastest moves having low damage outputs, it worsened R.O.B.'s already unimpressive [[out of shield]] game. Lastly, update [[1.1.4]] increased the size of R.O.B.'s hurtbox and decreased his tripping stance's invincibility frames by standardizing it.

Although updates [[1.1.3]] to [[1.1.6]] notably nerfed some of R.O.B.'s more difficult matchups, such as {{SSB4|Bayonetta}}, {{SSB4|Cloud}}, {{SSB4|Diddy Kong}}, {{SSB4|Sheik}} and {{SSB4|Zero Suit Samus}}, they nevertheless remain challenging. On a related note, these updates have also made some of R.O.B.'s other matchups less favorable, most notably {{SSB4|Lucina}}, {{SSB4|Marth}} and {{SSB4|Mewtwo}}.

Due to remaining relatively static throughout ''SSB4''{{'}}s lifespan, as well as most of the cast becoming more viable via game updates, R.O.B. is less effective than he was during the initial release of ''SSB4''.

|fsmashdesc=An optical energy blast, similar to the uncharged [[Robo Beam]]. It can be angled, has very knockback growth and deals the most damage at the base of the blast, which KOs middleweights at 109% near the edge. Conversely, the middle portion of the blast KOs middleweights at 136% near the edge. However, its range is merely average at best, it has high ending lag and the blast's tip has no KO potential.

|fairdesc=A double forearm club. It hits on frame 6, making it R.O.B.'s fastest aerial. It is also ideal for spacing when [[Short hop fast fall L-cancel#Short hop fast fall|SHFF]]'d, has minimal landing lag and is decent for edge-guarding. However, it lacks KO potential because of its average damage output and very low base knockback. It is also R.O.B.'s only aerial that does not have a disjointed hitbox.

|nsdefdesc=An optical laser. When uncharged, it is a very small energy blast instead of a laser, and can only damage opponents at point-blank range. However, it can be fired consecutively and has deceptively high knockback growth, which allow it to ward off nearby opponents. Conversely, both Robo Beam and Super Robo Beam can damage opponents from afar and ricochet, but cannot be fired consecutively. Robo Beam and Super Robo Beam also deal noticeably more damage when fired at point-blank range. It is one of R.O.B.'s options for zoning alongside Gyro, with Robo Beam being better for his neutral game, while Super Robo Beam is better for surprising opponents. It and all of its custom variations have [[Priority#Transcendent priority|transcendent priority]]. Uncharged Robo Beam becomes Robo Beam after being left idle for 2.6 seconds (160 frames), and Robo Beam becomes Super Robo Beam after being left idle for 14.3 seconds (860 frames).

|ssdefdesc=Rapidly spins his torso around to perform a series of discus clotheslines that concludes with an uppercut. Mashing the special button extends the duration of the move. Unlike in ''Brawl'', it can trap opponents reliably and its last hit now has KO potential, thanks to its extremely high knockback growth enabling it to KO middleweights at 147% while near the edge. It can also [[Reflection|reflect]] projectiles with 50% more power than they originally had, and move R.O.B. forward or backward while the [[Control stick|control stick/circle pad]] is tilted in the respective direction. It and all of its custom variations have transcendent priority.

|usdefdesc=Activates his thrusters in order to fly. It grants impressive vertical and horizontal recovery distance, although R.O.B. has a set amount of fuel to use in order to perform this move. Fuel is recovered over time as long as R.O.B. is grounded. It is one of the very few up specials to not cause [[helpless]]ness, which allows R.O.B. to [[fast fall]], [[air dodge]] and attack with any aerials or any of his other specials either through its duration or after its conclusion - though he is only capable of aerials until at least one has been performed, cancelling the Robo Burner. R.O.B. is also immune to [[footstool jump]]s while using this move, although other characters can still jump off of him regardless. It also grants [[intangibility]] on frames 2-4, but only when performed on the ground.

|usc1desc=Functions like a traditional recovery move, as R.O.B. simply ascends quickly and deals damage. It grants outstanding vertical recovery after a jump, does not cause helplessness, can be followed up with any aerial, and can meteor smash if it hits the opponent precisely. However, it grants very minimal horizontal recovery distance and R.O.B. cannot fast fall, air dodge, or use his other specials as follow-ups. Additionally, its meteor smash has below average power.  

|dsdefdesc=Charges a spinning top on his base. R.O.B.'s other zoning option alongside Robo Beam, it can be picked up and thrown as an [[item]] after making contact with either the opponent or the stage. However, opponents can do the same and thus use the top against him. Gyro takes 1.5 seconds (90 frames) to fully charge. Only one Gyro can be active at a time, and attempting another will result in R.O.B. flailing in confusion. It lasts longer when launched with the special button, but once picked up and thrown, it dissipates almost immediately. Typically, the Gyro deals little knockback when touched - enough to harass anyone trying to get past - but will somewhat launch opponents a short distance towards R.O.B. (or the current owner) after being thrown and making contact with the ground again, allowing for combos if R.O.B. is able to time his attacks and predict other's movements.

*{{Sm|8BitMan|USA}} - Considered one of the two best R.O.B. players in the world. Ranked 8th on the [[South Florida Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|Holy|Canada}} - One of the best R.O.B. players. Formerly ranked 4th on the [[Montreal Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|WaDi|USA}} - The best {{SSB4|Mewtwo}} player with a very strong R.O.B. secondary. One of the best R.O.B. players. Ranked 1st on the [[MD/VA Power Rankings]] and 22nd on the [[Panda Global Rankings| Panda Global Rankings v5]].