100% Credit goes to Camalange for originally writing this. I play him too much XD. Most of this was written from the Sonic perspective but I threw some of my thoughts in along the way "-----my thoughts---"
Introduction
Although the former Robotic Operating Buddy is made up of plastic, never saves any princesses, or can break the sound barrier, he makes his debut in the Smash series as a Nintendo AllStar with Brawl’s release. ROB, who was once a mere toy, now makes a very impressive mark on Brawl with his advanced camping style, great recovery, and long ranged, fast attacks overall. He can be quite a pest and seem like a brick wall at first, but once you understand and learn how to punish his biggest weaknesses, the match up becomes much easier and is certainly winnable.
----Yes, this paragraph was absolutely necessary to copy and paste too---
Behaviour:
-ROB is a very campy character, so he’ll generally stay on one part of the stage, keeping you at bay with lasers and gyros. He should very rarely approach Sonic in this match up.
----True enough, whether or not your ROB is campy, you don't really have to approach Sonic if you can deal with him approaching you. It's just a little harder and a bit different in terms of dealing with him when you're the one attacking since ROB's aerials are "meh" and Sonic's speed is "above-meh"
-ROBs recovery works on a fuel system. When he runs out of fuel, he careens downwards to his death…however he has quite a lot of fuel. He can also do aerials while still flying. Most ROBs will recover high and try to bait you offstage, then just punish with Fair/Nair. Sometimes even launch gyros or shoot lasers from a distance. Anything to ensure a safe landing spot.
-ROB has a great projectile game, but his close combat isn’t to be laughed at either. Dsmash is a ridiculously fast punisher and will be used practically after every spotdodge. His tilts come out quick and have good range, so be wary. Utilt is great for juggling, and Dtilt/Ftilt are good for keeping space. Dtilt is fast, has low knockback, and a high trip ratio very good for starting up combos. Dtilt/Ftilt are very similar, and have very low cool down.
Commonly Used Moves:
Spotdodge/Dsmash – Almost always used after a spotdodge. It has a very fast start-up, hits multiple times and protects from all sides of his body (except for above) and has very little cool down. It’s more of a punisher, so it won’t be used to kill, it’ll be very stale. Make sure to shield all of the hits, and be wary if punishing OoS…remember, little cool down...don't try to beat them out.
-Lasers/Gyros – ROB doesn’t wait around and “charge” his lasers. He will pester you with the skinny beam and usually follow up with a Gyro. In addition, ROB has a nice glidetoss, so if you see one coming, make sure to shield the gyro, and hold shield to avoid any kind of “glide toss follow up”. (Keep in mind Sonic has a great glide toss too. Use this to your advantage. It’s very important to know how to control gyros) Dash attack picks up gyros (but not bananas lol) but make sure not to try and pick it up with a jab if it’s a “charged” gyro.
-Nair – Mainly used for punishing airdodges. It’s also used commonly if baiting you to approach from the air, then sneaking out a Nair. It starts up very slow, so try to beat it out early…but this move is very disjointed upon release, so don’t fall for the trap. It has huge range and multiple hits.
-Fair – Very high priority aerial, with good range. If ROB goes for a “Wall of Pain” DI AWAY FROM HIM. Trust me, don’t DI towards the stage…common sense, but it’s very easy to forget when you’re getting ZOMGRAPED.
-Bair – It’s similar to Sonic’s in the sense that it hits both behind, and in front of him. It can lead into, or end strange combos…very disjointed, but has pretty high start up lag.
How to Win:
Now, ROB seems to just be a down right prick, eh? Well, now’s the time to exploit the weaknesses!
UPAIR AND ASC!
Now…let me explain myself.
-Low Aerial Acceleration – ROB is very slow in the air. Sonic is very fast. Bam. ROB’s fastest aerials are Fair/Uair. Don’t try to beat out ROB from above him. If you’re coming from beneath ROB, Fair is avoidable too. Use one of your own rising Fairs.
-Large Hitbox – ROB is a very bulky character, and his head is one of his weakest points. It can only be protected with Fsmash or Lasers, which come out slow. ASC can **** ROB as a punishment move, you can even sometimes get a max 3 ASC hits.
-Put it all together and…? – ROB is slow in the air…and his all time biggest weakness is from below him. He can only protect himself with Dair and Nair, which both have very slow start up lag. Abuse the living hell out of this. When approaching ROB in the air, poke through with Fair. Fair is a great move in this matchup, but the biggest one is Uair. Even if ROB spaces Dair and gets the attack out, Sonic’s Uair, if properly spaced, will BEAT OUT ROB’S DAIR. Sonic will even look like he was hit and in the flames, but ROB’s Dair is one of his few not broken aerials. Sonic’s Uair will destroy ROB from beneath him.
Although you would think that Sonic would then **** ROB offstage if he trys to recover, you would be wrong. ROB can pretty much Fair/Laser his way back and other stupid things, but here’s the thing. ROB is vulnerable above you ON stage, but is vulnerable below you OFF stage. Why is this? ROB has low aerial acceleration (REMEMBER) so if he’s trying to rise up to the stage, Sonic can use a falling Fair, Dair, or even go for Bair stage spikes and be moderately safe, and putting ROB in an uncomfortable place.
And most importantly...
-DON'T TRY AND BEAT OUT THE TILTS -ROB will **** you from up close. It is very important to stay out of tilt range, but be close enough to camp you. We'll call it the "dead zone" (*copyright of KID, lol) It is very important that Sonic knows how to weave in and out of this dead zone to apply pressure and keep ROB on his toes. Remember, try and get ROB in the air to fight him, and attack from below. Pressure, pressure, pressure!
Recommended Stages:
Battlefield ----(for sonic), so I'd (ROB perspective) go FD if possible, then smashville. Not Lylat because the short sides will hurt you more than the tall vertical boundaries will help you---.
Matchup Summary:
This match will have a huge emphasis on how well you ---both of you--- use aerials ---without getting punished---, and how strong your edgeguarding/gimping game is. Not only that, it will test your skills at weaving in and out of midrange. Sonic is one of the few characters that actually has a chance gimping ROB, and harassing offstage. ROB’s projectiles are still a pain in the ***, and his tilts will outrange/**** yours, so Sonic is still most definitley at a disadvantage. ROB is also much safer than Sonic in ALMOST every situation, so Sonic must put himself at risk in order to be successful…now that’s for you the player to get creative with. Remember...mid range is where you fight ROB onstage. Get him in the air.
60:40 ROB
---my only other additions---
Watch out for anything that screams "LOLMINDGAMES". Charged forward smashes (or any smashes), getting hit with the spring, or even finding yourself standing there as Sonic runs BEHIND you and forward smashes you (or in front of you to a running pivot smash. Above all, don't even try to grab Sonic out of a spindash unless you KNOW what you're doing. Little damage like this adds up, as you should know all too well from having camped him. Best option is to shield it and get out of the way if you can. If you're too reliant on tilts to outprioritize spindashes, you'll end up eating ASCs and even ASC-backair. Work on projectile accuracy because it's a big part in this matchup.
Do NOT pull an Overswarm in this matchup, it just doesn't work against good sonics. Sonic can be more dangerous when you're offstage than you think. Save the "Benefits of Patience" stuff for Snakes, and Sonic can make it back from the stage from almost anywhere so be prepared. Learning how to deal with homing attack (lolHomingattacklol) is actually a big part in this matchup since ROB is so...well... ROB-ish sometimes. The biggest thing you can learn in this matchup is
experience. Learn what you can punish and what you can't punish, not to mention where to counterpick. If Jungle Japes is at all possible, go there. Sonic is one of the (many) characters who have a footstool combo- theirs goes to a jab lock but it's highly situational and I wouldn't worry about it too much. I also like Frigate or FD, but again, you will not win this matchup if you rely solely on offstage camping or trying to beat out sonic's moves with tilts/smashes. Bans? Depends on your comfort zone. Anywhere from Battlefield to Brinstar on a regular list could be considered, since they're not the greatest for ROB anyway. Play smart and don't get hit =P
Oh, fun fact that I forgot to mention- you can actually grab sonic out of his spring (though you risk geting hit with an fair or something) and grab release him like Snake, but without the c4 troubles
