42-
R.O.B.

Jab (-13):
NAir (Frame 7)

FTilt (-18):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)

UTilt (14):
NAir (Frame 7)
GSA (Frame 9)

DTilt (-5):
Unpunishable
(Safe on shield)

Dash Attack (-17):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)

FSmash (-28, -30, -33):
FSmash (Frame 26)

USmash (-24):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)

DSmash (-25):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)

NAir (-3):
Unpunishable
(Safe on shield)

FAir (-6):
Unpunishable
(Safe on shield)

BAir (-8):
Unpunishable
(This move rockets R.O.B. in the opposite direction of the attack. Mixed with the massive hitbox, this move is always going to put R.O.B. out of range when shielded)

UAir (-10):
GSA (Frame 9)

DAir (-44):
UAir (Frame 8)
USmash (Frame 10)

Robo Beam (-16 Small, -6 Large):
Unpunishable
(Projectile usage)

Arm Rotor (-37):
FSmash (Frame 26)

Robo Burner (--):
--

Gyro (-21):
Unpunishable
(Projectile usage)

• Neutral Moves: Robo Beam, Gyro, NAir, DTilt, FAir, Grab.

• Kill Moves: BAir, Smash Attacks, Arm Rotor, UAir, DAir, Robo Beam.

• Kill Confirms: DThrow > UAir/USmash, Z-Aerial Catch Gyro confirms, Gyro > DTilt spam > USmash.

• Keep your eyes on R.O.B. at all times, this allows you to react to his projectiles.

• Fire Arrow is crucial in this MU. It excels in continuously disrupting R.O.B., so much so due to his large size.

• We need it so much, since otherwise R.O.B. can execute his game with Gyro and Robo Beam. Weave around R.O.B.’s projectiles, and shut him down with Fire Arrows.

• Boomerang and Bomb are too slow to fill these roles, meaning Fire Arrows are our go-to.

• Neutral will usually consist of avoiding Gyro and Robo Beam while using Fire Arrows to disrupt R.O.B., which slowly lets Young Link build stage advantage and corner pressure.

• Other than Fire Arrows, you’ll be using normals and ZAir to contest R.O.B..

• But be careful, R.O.B. also has fast and large moves, such as his DTilt, Dash Attack, NAir, FAir, etc. giving him an extremely good boxing game just like us.

• When using normals vs R.O.B., you either outrange him (UAir, ZAir) or make a read on his movement. You can still pester him with Fire Arrows from twice his attack range, though.

Boxing

(How do I escape this situation?):

• R.O.B. has his boxing tools of DTilt, FAir, and Dash Attack. You can’t contest DTilt at all, really.

• You can use Fire Arrow as a read to escape disadvantage vs R.O.B., but Boomerang and Bombs are usually too committal.

• Then otherwise make a read, get around him, or whiff punish.

Landing

(How do they cover it? What are my best options?):

• His UAir can easily beat Young Link's DAir, so you’ll have to get around R.O.B..

• Watch out for R.O.B. sniping you with Robo Beam or Gyro.

• Fast fall airdodge is a pretty good option for landing vs R.O.B..

Offstage

(How Do I Escape This Position And What Do I Look Out For?):

• R.O.B. can use his Robo Burner to chase you down, and gimp with a FAir.

• Conserve your double jump. R.O.B. will try and snipe it with Gyro and Robo Beam. You could try airdodging them, but it is risky and runs the risk of a frametrap.

• Be careful with tether to ledge, as R.O.B. could interrupt it with FAir or Arm Rotor.

• Vary ASA timing to avoid R.O.B.s DAir.

Ledge:

• Gyro can be positioned right at ledge, which will cover regular getup.

• They can also put it at roll distance.

• R.O.B. can NAir or FAir to safely ledgetrap, and he can also Arm Rotor as a hard punish.

Juggling/Boxing:

• UAir does a great job at beating out R.O.B. NAir, one of his landing tools. which makes it excellent for juggling.

• R.O.B can stall in the air using his Robo Burner, mixing up his landing timings. Be patient with UAirs.

• While Boomerang isn’t as strong in neutral due to the amount of time it takes against R.O.B.’s projectiles, it’s super strong here for controlling the air.

• You’ll still be using Fire Arrow to stuff out R.O.B. on the ground, keeping him there with a well-placed barrage of Fire Arrows, while maneuvering his own projectiles.

Offstage:

• R.O.B. can manipulate his movement very easily with his Robo Burner and airspeed, as well as BAir and DAir.

• His fuel does eventually run out, so he’ll have to airdodge. We can NAir him over and over to reduce his fuel tank.

• That means you either outright kill him, or attempt to reduce his fuel as much as possible.

• Harass him recovering vertically by dropping Bombs. He can’t do much about it.

• R.O.B. gains the following options from double jump: NAir, FAir, Robo Beam, Gyro (they’ll use these a lot), Arm Rotor.

• Watch out for UAir from below the ledge.

• Robo Beam does not go through the stage.

• R.O.B. will likely jump or buffer a projectile off of the ledge. Be ready to react with shield.

• You might be able to punish R.O.B. buffering projectiles off ledge with returning Boomerang.

Ledge Info:

XLR8’s Spreadsheet Young Link Ledge Info:

DTilt: Hits

DSmash: Hits

FTilt: Hits

Most Reliable Move: All

Animation Info: Aim for the head rise.

Note: Easier the closer you are to the ledge.

• FD DTilt ASA %s: 120, 111

• FD FThrow Ledge %s: 182, 169

• FD Milkshake %s: 112-157, 100-130

• R.O.B. Kill Throws: UThrow

• Robo Beam bounces off of the stage, allowing for more specific angles.

• At certain spots, R.O.B.'s forward Gyro throw goes above Young Link's head.

• R.O.B.'s DTilt begins to put Young Link into tumble at 111%.

• Remember to DI out so that R.O.B. doesn’t convert a stray hit into Arm Rotor and kill you.

Gyro Properties

Gyro has some weird intricacies. It will always cover short hop distance, so be ready. If you hit it with a Fire Arrow midair, it will clash, and the Gyro will bounce up and then down onto the ground, staying there. Fire Arrow can cancel out uncharged Gyro. Boomerang can sometimes cancel it out, though inconsistent. It will evaporate if it lands onto your shield. While on the ground, Gyro just sits there as a hurtbox for you only. Touching it will cancel out anything and put you in hitstun. Grounded Gyro completely invalidates Boomerang thrown straight horizontally. Throwing Gyro at R.O.B. can combo into Dash Attack or condition shield. Gyro will launch the opponent in the direction that R.O.B. was facing when he released Gyro. When thrown downwards, Gyro will bounce with a prolonging hitbox.

• Battlefield:
  Great. R.O.B. actually doesn’t like this stage. Juggling him here is much easier, and triplats can mess with Gyro a lot.

• Final Destination:
  Terrible. R.O.B. likes having big flat stages to run away on. Gyro becomes insanely strong on this stage.

• Smashville:
  Indifferent. Small zones are nice, but the space is also small. The large platform helps to deal with Gyro, though.

• Town & City:
  Indifferent. High platforms help to land, and zones are a double-edged sword, but the center platform is helpful for avoiding Gyro, and Fire Arrow pressure is strong as usual.

• Lylat Cruise:
  Great. R.O.B. doesn't like slopes, as it messes with his zoning, and lots of space to exert Fire Arrow pressure. Arrow is amazing in onstage advantage, as it is far more oppressive in advantage. Boomerang is also better in neutral.

• Pokémon Stadium 2:
  Indifferent. Young Link likes this stage, but R.O.B. also likes it to land on them. A neutral stage overall and fine for game 1.

• Kalos Pokémon League:
  Bad. R.O.B. likes having big flat stages to run away on.

• Yoshi’s Story:
  Good. R.O.B. doesn’t like slopes, and small zones help to kill him quickly. Triplats for juggling and messing with Gyro.

• KingK vs Zan: HAT 66 - KingK (ROB) Vs. cookie slayer (Young Link) Losers Finals - Smash Ultimate

• Kobe vs Epic Gabriel: GSE #100 - Kobe (Young Link) vs. GotE | Epic_Gabriel (ROB) - Top 8

• KingK vs z3rg3m3n: Cityscape 43: Z3rg3m3n (Young Link) vs Freaks | KingK (Rob) LFs

• Toast vs Raffi-X: Frostbite 2020 SSBU Pools - Illuz | Raffi-X (ROB) Vs. Toast (Young Link) Smash Ultimate Singles

• Avoiding R.O.B. DThrow Setups: https://twitter.com/Tilted_af/status/1236953782715547648