Highlights on projectiles
- BackForward1: An 18 frame mid projectile with 13 frames of recovery. This is a relatively fast projectile that slows down over time. The faster recovery means that while Robocop is always minus on block with this attack, whiffing Low-Auto9 isn’t nearly as bad as you might think. Use this as your primary move checker, and amplify to call out jump ins, chip kill, and whenever you think your opponent might try moving after blocking an unamplified Low-Auto9.
- BackForward2: An 18 frame high projectile with 40 frames of recovery. Compared to Low-Auto9 this is a slightly slower velocity projectile that remains constant over time. While whiffing Arm CC Cannon is certainly punishing, the reward is extremely high. A hit with this projectile takes your opponent nearly back to full screen and has an incredible amount of pushback on block. Use Arm CC Cannon only when you’re certain your opponent isn’t going to duck, such as walking forward or jumping farther away. This attack will whiff when your opponent does a Forward Jump up close however, leading to our next projectile.
- DownBack1: A 10 frame anti-air projectile with 34 frames of recovery. This is just a godlike anti-air, just as fast as your Down2 but superior in every way. Amplify for that big boy damage afterwards, if your opponent Forward Jumps up close to overcome your zoning, you use this instead of Arm CC Cannon and teach them the harsh ways of this cruel, cruel world.
- Robocop’s Back4 is a 15 frame low sweep attack where he fires 3 bullets at the ground. Up close it will deal 70 damage on hit and 10.5 damage on block, when only the second bullet connects it deals 20 damage on hit and 3 damage on block, and farther away at maximum range it deals 50 damage on hit and 7.5
Just before its maximum range, hitting your opponent with Back4 does the least amount of damage with only the second bullet connecting. On hit it also causes knockback instead of knockdown with no usable frame advantage. Due to the nature of the final bullet not connecting on either hit nor block, this likely was not intentional as it also does the least amount of damage. Until it gets patched, it’s just something to be aware of that might happen. - Now Robocop’s Down4 is a 15 frame low poke that has the same range as his Back4, so it’s surprisingly far reaching. However it offers less pushback, making it on block less safe than Back4 despite that move being -11 on block, but I will argue that because Robocop crouches down for the animation that it’s a great little poke that keeps opponent’s with advancing highs a good distance on hit from him. A good callout for sure.
- When projectile zoning you are always, CONSTANTLY, assessing your opponent for opportunities to zone. You’re able to react to jumping with Arm CC Cannon and react to your opponent’s high projectiles with Low Auto9 so remaining in a neutral state is extremely important to Robocop’s zoning. Therefore, your movement checking should be used as judiciously as humanly possible. Once you have established that your opponent values moving forward more than jumping and firing projectiles you can adapt and check movement more often with amplified Low Auto9. Such a decision requires you to constantly read and assess your opponent and how you zone will depend greatly on the player you play against.
- It’s also important for Robocop to gauge his distance from his opponent closer up, especially if the opponent ends up within Forward Jump Attack distance. Robocop will have to at this point begin anticipating that a forward jump attack might happen, and to react with High Auto9 instead of Arm CC Cannon.
- A common strategy against Robocop is the classic walk and block technique. Block the projectile, and move forward. To counter this strategy, walk back between your projectiles and further condition your opponent to walk and blocking and then surprise them with a dash in 10 throw the next time they block. After this happens, do a dash in mid strike to enforce a strike/throw mixup after a dash in alongside walk back and projectiles. Don’t forget to special cancel into Flamethrower for standing reset mixups if the opponent gets hit by the strike string.
- Using back dash into Back4 after F21 can is a common strategy for conditioning your opponent into getting Krushing Blowed by F212. Backdashing after F21 will lose to most of the faster longer reaching or advancing pokes but will make Down1, your opponent’s most common check, whiff with the Back4 afterwards now whiff punishing it. Your opponent now not using Down1 to check the stagger is now committing to a button which Robocop can now either safely punish or take his turn back, or Kounter with Krushing Blow.
