Elwind
| Elwind | |
|---|---|
 Robin using Elwind on Fox. | |
| User | Robin |
| Universe | Fire Emblem |
| Article on Fire Emblem Wiki | Elwind |
| “ | Fire wind magic downward to jump. | ” |
| —Smash for 3DS's foldout | ||
Elwind (エルウインド, Elwind) is Robin's up special move in Smash 4 and Ultimate.
Overview
Robin casts two gusts of Wind magic in the form of green-wind cutting waves to attack any opponents below him while propelling himself upward, serving as a recovery move. Each gust of wind inflicts 5% damage; the first shot gives a small vertical boost and is capable of meteor smashing in the air at point blank range, while the second shot sends Robin rocketing up with great vertical distance. The wind blades can be reflected, which can cause Robin to meteor smash himself if the first hit is reflected at point blank (even though the wind will travel upwards). It also changes Robin's active Tome to Elwind if not already in use.
As a recovery, Elwind gives Robin a massive amount of height and grants him great control of his movement at the end of the move as well, making it a surprisingly reliable recovery move. However, it leaves him vulnerable to attack from above, and like all of Robin's tomes, the Elwind tome has limited durability. A fresh Elwind tome has 18 durability points, and each wind blade uses one point, giving the move a maximum of 9 uses. If the wind tome's durability is used up, Robin will toss the tome away, unable to use the move for anything but a failed casting animation. This disables Robin's only recovery move until the tome is replaced. Because of this, the player has to keep track of the amount of times he has cast Elwind, for Robin risks exhausting it if he gets sent off the stage too frequently. After a cooldown period of 6 seconds (the same cooldown as that of the Levin Sword), Robin will replace the tome and be able to cast Elwind again. If Robin uses Elwind with only one durability point left, he will produce the first wind blade but not the second, and will gain almost no height.
Robin's jab infinite also depletes the the durability of the Elwind tome. Every 2 seconds spent jabbing removes one durability point, for a maximum use of 18 seconds if fresh. If Elwind's uses run out, Robin will be unable to use his jab infinite and can only use his explosive Arcfire jab finisher; if the Arcfire tome runs out as well, Robin will only be able to use his first two hits of his jab.
Customization
Special Move customization was added in Super Smash Bros. 4. These are the variations:
| 1. Elwind | 2. Soaring Elwind | 3. Gliding Elwind |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
| "Cast wind magic downward, dealing damage and boosting you into the air twice." | "The second Elwind will send you higher than the first." | "The first shot sends you up at a forward angle, and then the second fires straight down." |
- Elwind: Default.
- Soaring Elwind: The first gust of wind doesn't propel Robin very far, but the second gust pushes Robin a great distance upward, greatly increasing Robin's vertical recovery but also lowering his horizontal recovery. Does not meteor smash and does less damage.
- Gliding Elwind: Shoots out the first gust of Wind magic at an angle, and the second straight up. Gives Robin an increased horizontal recovery, but lowers his vertical recovery. Both gusts of wind inflict less damage, with 3% damage each. Both gusts meteor smash in this variation.
Origin
Elwind was introduced in Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War, the fourth game in the Fire Emblem series. It is one of the four "El-" tomes which constitute the second stage of anima magic, along with Elthunder, Elfire (which existed by itself in games before Genealogy), and the light spell Ellight. As its name suggests, Elwind is the wind variant and is superior to the basic Wind tome.
Like most wind spells, Elwind has always been depicted as a blade of wind which blasts the enemy. In all games since Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Elwind does in fact summon two or more blades of wind, although they are always shot around the same time, rather than one after the other like in Smash.
Gallery
Elwind being used in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
Elwind in Fire Emblem Awakening.
