When should you roll if ever?

[Rikter]

I've been wondering this for a few days and all I can remember reading here that rolling isn't a good idea. Are their any specific situations where you should roll or it isn't a bad idea?

 

[Nickelbacker]

Just don't use roll too much. It's good for getting out the line of attack, but the problem is sometimes people tend to roll into the line of attack and get punished for it.

 

[Seagull Joe]

Rolling is a good mixup. Not rolling at all is actually worst then if you only roll 1-3 times a match.

All top players roll A TON. Especially Diddy's, Mk's, Lucario's, and other characters.

I'm not saying to roll a lot stupidly because that'd be punished quite easily, but buffered rolls are amazing.

Sometimes rolling is the best situation to avoid something like D3 grabbing you.

 

[etecoon]

All top players roll A TON. Especially Diddy's, Mk's, Lucario's, and other characters.

this is a pretty important point, how much utility rolling will have for you is going to vary depending on your character, MK for instance should use his roll significantly more than marth. note the difference between your characters front and back rolls too, front rolls tend to be less useful unless you have a really good one like MK or lucario's

 

[#HBC | Red Ryu]

Lucario's rolls are dumb.

MK's is a tad faster on the back roll, but Lucario goes farther and has more invincibility during it. Mix them up with all the other things he can do and it's hard for a lot of characters to punish him for rolling back and even sometimes forward.

 

[Coney]

people roll for different reasons. some do it legitimately to escape, some to condition, some as a nervous habit, some simply to get around an attack without jumping over it...there are a lot of different reasons

but it's not true that top players never roll/spotdodge. that's a really common misconception for some reason and it's just not true.

 

[Flayl]

I think you should probably roll when your opponent is applying a lot of shield pressure to the point where there isn't enough time to drop shield then run. There are some other conditions but I can't really recall them right now. Stuff like roll speed, opponent's ability to punish rolls considering the lag of his shield pressure attacks etc.

Also there are situations where you need to get away from the ledge, but that needs to be mixed up/performed safely because it's one of the easiest situations to predict a roll.

 

[Budget Player Cadet_]

Usually it's rolling towards your opponent which is the bad idea. Rolling away is usually fairly legit...

 

[MikeKirby]

Usually it's rolling towards your opponent which is the bad idea. Rolling away is usually fairly legit...

^^^This^^^
But most importantly is to mix it up! Unless you want your opponent to notice you keep rolling away.

 

[#HBC | Red Ryu]

M2K gets away with roll gimmicks like double forward roll into Dsmash, so saying pro don't so it is silly.

 

[John12346]

Roll away if the opponent's just standing there.
Roll behind if the opponent's running at you.

Of course, don't strictly follow that every time, as mixups are always important, but that's always a good base rule to follow.

 

[napZzz]

rolling away is useful if you know how to use it right, rolling can be used well in avoiding projectiles as long as you aren't setting yourself up for something

or just a standard roll behind a laggy move and punish or w/e

 

[Alus]

Just don't use roll too much. It's good for getting out the line of attack, but the problem is sometimes people tend to roll into the line of attack and get punished for it.

This, nothing more or less.

 

[culexus・wau]

When people won't punish you for it.

When it puts you in an advantageous position.

To respace yourself.

as a mix-up approach if you're lucario.

as a lucario main, I have a PHD in rolling, I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKIN ABOUT.

probably

 

[Elyssa Xey Hexen]

Pretty much everything said above.

Rolling should primarily be away to escape situations rather than as a means to approach.

 

[Blacknight99923]

you use a roll in anticipation of an attack that you can therefore position yourself in a situation to your advantage. A roll however should be used deliberately rather than on reaction.

 

[Nefarious B]

That's funny cause Tyrant's advice was literally "don't think about when you roll, just do it instinctively"

 

[CHOMPY]

Make sure you don't roll into Luigi or Ike's Fsmash

 

[SlashTalon]

you use a roll in anticipation of an attack that you can therefore position yourself in a situation to your advantage. A roll however should be used deliberately rather than on reaction.

This.

Thread complete.

 

[Grump]

Rolling can also be used to dodge an attack without changing your character orientation. a single spot-dodge + Bair with Pit is good for example, without having to do the reverse-jump.

As the others have said though, don't be predictable. Unless your opponent is stupidly predictable to begin with, then you probably have nothing to worry about.

 

[Excellence]

I've literally used roll to go from one end of the stage to the other. Lol Rolling is only good on reaction (like the above post said) but it can be used as a mix up. Just don't ever make it apart of your general strategy or use it too much. Sometimes, you are better off just taking the hast hit of an attack rather than rolling and getting hit 10000 more times.

 

[Nestec]

Are their any specific situations where you should roll or it isn't a bad idea?

When you're on fire.

/troll

 

[weigelct]

The most quotable pieces of advice that expert smashers will give to those just starting out are things that try to persuade you to drop your mindless bad habits in favor of picking up a mindset of doing everything for a reason - all while mixing up your actions/reactions so you don't become predictable.

With this in mind, don't try to pick specific situations where you think "okay; this, this, and this are happening so ROLL," any competitive player worth his salt will pick up on this and adapt - meaning you end up grabbed by a D3 or something equally bad.

You shouldn't think, however, that rolling should be discarded altogether. It's a great defensive maneuver as long as your opponent doesn't expect it or, even better, if he has no way to punish it. Make sure, however, that you do not opt for a roll when something else might have been even better (i.e. your opponent was wide open for a grab or attack).

 

[DaomarIsBear]

Don't ever roll against Boss.

 

[Teh Future]

always roll. its the best option in every situation because its impossible to punish. rolling behind someone is the best move in the game

 

[MJG]

If you use TL, then never.

 

[U.K.L.]

or out of bowser or charizard flamethrower

 

[The_Altrox]

I've been trying to cut back on rolling. I do it too much and become predictable. I'm trying to limit it too retreating and ON OCCASION for approach too attack. other than that, I'm trying new movement tactics.

 

[Crystanium]

It really depends on the character you are using. Characters like Diddy Kong, Lucario, and Pit have quick rolls, so you can roll a lot without being punished a lot. My main, Samus, has a terrible roll, and I have trained myself to not roll at all with her. Make a conscious effort to control your rolling and use your experience to determine whether you should roll.

 

[Sephy95]

You should roll if your damage hasnt gone that high and if your character has a good roll. You shouldnt roll after you kill someone and have high damage from your little struggle. They will easily predict as much and do an fsmash once you get behind them to finish you off.

 

[Sephy95]

Make sure you don't roll into Luigi or Ike's Fsmash

I used to do that a lot in Ike's case. I'd end up thinking too much and being in a wrong position, I roll right in their fsmash. I really sucked back then.

 

[Nefarious B]

At raves duhhhh. Rolling outside of raves is predictable and will get you punished

 

[Death Arcana]

If you use TL, then never.

^^this

if your character has good or even decent roll use it!
implement in your gameplay

Toon links roll is....LOL

 

[StarLight]

At after-parties duhhhh. Rolling at raves is predictable and will get you punished

fixed

10truths

 

[King Funk]

Pretty much everything said above.

Rolling should primarily be away to escape situations rather than as a means to approach.

Rolling when close to the edge is bad and predictable though.