CrazyFingers
The Power of Lame Compels You
Robocop: The Future Of Law Enforcement
It's been awhile but here we are! My character of choice in MK11 since his release has been Robocop and I have a lot to say about our cybernetic lawman. Keep in mind this is my personal take on the character and how I feel it is best to utilize the tools he has in a solid, concise gameplan. Feel free to take what you like and leave what you don't, I'm just here to provide insight on this decently rare to see character. Without further ado, I present to you the future, of law enforcement.
Table of Contents
- Pros and Cons
- General Overview
- Normals/Strings
- Specials/Loadout Breakdown
- Gameplan (Neutral)
- Gameplan (Offense)
Pros and Cons
- Pros
- Top 3 forward and back dashes in the game (Perhaps #1)
- Some of the best zoning in the game.
- Nearly oppressive ground game.
- Very flexible loadouts for certain MUs
- Fast up close mids
- Cons
- Low damage
- Slightly stubby outside of specific tools
- Easily walked down to the corner
- Struggles heavily in the corner (More than most characters)
Robocop is MK11's premier 'hit and run' style character. Utilizing his powerful movement options along with his ability to win most zoning wars, Robocop is a formidable force that presses the situation constantly throughout any given match. Though the character may have some specific struggles on defense if you remain patient and find your openings you can certainly put your opponent behind bars.
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Normals/Strings
In this section I will only go over specifically your most important buttons to be using. This will ensure a more compact overview of his gameplan and cut away all the fat of the character. He has very strong normals and strings but he also has some pretty underwhelming ones so we will just ignore those. I will go over strings and included in those strings I will talk about the corresponding normals/staggers.
121
121 is Robocop's generic jab string. It starts off an 8f high with an underwhelming hitbox making it a bit of an awkward button to utilize but the followups of 12 and 121 move Robocop forward a good amount which increases its utility a slight amount. In general this button is going to be used as your fastest standing challenge in the middle of stagger pressure or as a jailing tool off things like D1, D3 and other high hit advantage moves. It's also worth noting that 12 and 1 by themselves make for good staggers. Be wary of completing the string on block for it is -8 and can be punished by 7f normals pretty easily if you don't special cancel it.
F212
Staring off of a 13f, slightly advancing mid, F212 is an integral part of Robocop's offense and neutral. The string ends in a delayed overhead that must be flawless blocked in order to be punished. In neutral this string is used in tandem with his dashes as a mid to check the opponent's advances. In offense you are centering around F21 and F212. The delay before the overhead makes this a very strong stagger tool. The full string has a punish/counterhit krushing blow attached to it which not only makes it a good 13f punish tool but also augments the aforementioned stagger pressure.
F32
A 10f mid knee, this is your go to counterpoking mid. This move is also really strong at midrange situations where you're within dash range due to the ability to cancel Robocop's long range dash into it. Generally you're going to use this button to catch buttons, catch ducks, chase down back dashes (in conjunction with your own dash) and reactionary meaty delayed wakeups. It is also his lowest scaling hitconfirmable starter which is important to note for Fatal Blow confirms. The string is -6 on block when finished which allows for microduck mindgames but other than that you can usually afford to just block and wait for your turn back.
B12
B12 is another solid offensive tool in addition to being a whiff punish baiting tool. B1 is a fairly stubby 12f mid that leads to a projectile attack that you can pick the distance of (I default to the far version, very rarely do you want a different version) It has a flawless block gap before the second hit and is excellent for setting up solid stagger situations. On block, if they don't flawless block it, it has good pushback and is only -5 on block which sets up nicely for backdashes into whiff punishes. As far as its utility in the form of a whiff punish bait, the second hit about as disjointed as it gets and is highly active along with having the strange property of staying on hit. This makes the string in general quite awkward to whiff punish favorably which makes the idea of whiffing B1 and finishing the string a good idea at some points and spacings.
F42
F4 is an 18f advancing mid kick with a fairly sizeable hitbox attached to it. F42 is a meterless launcher that ends in a duckable high on block. This move acts as a high reward whiff punish/duck punish but versus anyone who is familiar in the matchup can be quite risky due to the duckable ender. It also serves as a matchup check because if the opponent doesn't know about the duckable gap the move becomes quite a bit stronger so having the ability to know when someone isn't punishing it can be very useful information for the matchup and how you utilize the button.
B4
A multi-hit sweep clocking in at 15f of startup that is very active (6f) and quite disjointed due to the animation (Robocop shoots at the ground multiple times rather than your typical kick based sweep). While this move doesn't have the normal sweep benefit of being able to high crush it trades that in for a plethora of other advantages. It's a very strong grounded tool to simply throw out in neutral considering its high amount of active frames. It also has a lot of pushback on block which in some matchups makes the poor block frames (around -11 most of the time) not as relevant. The only issue with this button is at further spacings the opponent won't be hit by all the shots, causing them to recoil backwards but not be knocked down. The spacing after that is nice even though the situation is negative on hit but you do lose all the damage you would've have got normally. Overall a fairly integral tool to Robocop's midrange gameplay.
D4
By far Robocop's most powerful and important button in his arsenal. D4 has Robocop shooting at the ground and covers a large chunk of space on a disjointed hitbox with a startup of 15f. This buttons augments Robocop's midrange by a staggering amount due to its ability to harass as most ranges that characters have a hard time contesting with mids and since its a high crush it can decimate characters with high based neutral (Johnny, Joker etc.) The move also carries with it a strong ability to cancel into special moves which adds to its ability to allow Robocop to dip in and out of ranges and cause immense frustration. Get familiar with this button, you're going to use it a lot.
D3
A 10f low poke with good hitadvantage, D3 is exclusively used for when you need a closer and faster poke option aka whenever you can't use D4 because it's too slow. It's a poke for the specific ranges between D4 and D1 which can be a sort of deadzone in Robocop's poke game. Be careful with this button because it is fairly easily whiff punished up close.
D1
Robocop's D1 is about as typical as it can get with maybe slightly below average range. You're going to use it in any situation you would want to use a D1, not much analysis to be had about it for it's not a very notable button. Important but nothing special. Can sometimes be utilized as an anti-crossover button.
D2
Though it has a sometimes stubby, awkward hitbox, Robocop's D2 is notable because he has the fastest one in the game which allows him to anti air in some cases where others would have a harder time. At 8f, there isn't much else to say about his D2 other than its impressive startup.
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Specials/Loadout Breakdown
With Ultimate MK11 came the ability to use custom variations in competitive play. As a result, Robocop has the potential to much more effectively fight his poor matchups by altering his toolkit slightly. Here I will not be going over every single custom move he has because I don't feel it necessary and a lot of them are quite underwhelming.
My Loadout
- Core Moves
- Low Auto-9
- Flamethrower
- Flex Picks
- Arm Crowd Control Cannon
- (Air) OCP Charge
This is the most important special move in Robocop's arsenal and is undoubtedly a required move for the character. Any loadout without this move feels inconsistent in neutral and zoning. Low Auto-9 is an 18f mid projectile that ducks under highs. Amplifying it causes Robocop to shoot two more consecutive shots, causing a knockdown on hit. The meterless variant has a crushing blow associated with it that triggers by ducking a high projectile and punishing it with the Low Auto-9. This is the foundation of Robocop's neutral for not only does it invalidate a lot of characters zoning since a lot of zoning is based in high projectiles with mid followups which Low Auto-9 stuffs, it also makes his midrange game a lot more difficult to traverse. Backdash into low shot is something you will see me do a TON at the midrange. I use it like a larger, slightly slower D4 in a lot of instances which proves itself to be quite effective. The added benefit of having Low Auto-9 is the ability to cancel into it after D4 which can stuff any attempts to retaliate after D4 on block which can be very effective at keeping your opponent on their toes.
Flamethrower
This is Robocop's main hitconfirm tool and enhances his rushdown potential by a significant margin. Flamethrower is a very active 18f blast of flames and on amplify it is extended to do more damage and become +17 on hit. It is very punishable on block but with decent pushback if spaced correctly and high amounts of chip damage. Aside from niche situations in neutral you will almost exclusively utilize this move as a hitconfirm tool which, as mentioned prior, leaves you at +17 when amplified. This situation allows you to dash up and frame trap your opponent with a throw or go for staggerable mids. You can even jail your S1 off of it on hit, meaning essentially your entire toolkit is at your disposal after this lands on hit. I personally find this move extremely important to not only amplify his comeback potential but to in general be able to snowball his offense a little more consistently, especially in matchups where he might not be as focused on zoning and might be more focused on staying upclose/midrange.
Arm Crowd Control Cannon
This is one of the best projectiles in the game by quite a bit. Arm Crowd Control Cannon without meter is a decently quick high projectile with an insanely fast travel time that hits for 9% and knocks the opponent fullscreen. This makes it a nightmare to trade with but the move becomes specifically strong when bar is used. When amplified, Arm Crowd Control Cannon becomes much faster on startup, deals 15% (amongst the highest a projectile can even do) and has little to no recovery associated with it. This move is best selected vs characters that you want to be zoning/winning the zoning war versus. It is also one of the most effective midrange anti air tools, if not THE most effective, that Robocop has at his disposal. The speed of AMP Arm Crowd Control Cannon means that you can easily reactionary anti-air a lot of characters at certain ranges even more effectively than his D2 can in some instances. Due to its ability to win next to every single projectile trade in the game and slamming the opponent full screen on hit, this move in integral to going toe to toe and a lot of times straight up winning most zoning wars.
(Air) OCP Charge
When Arm Crowd Control Cannon just doesn't cut it for one reason or another, OCP Charge is here to save the day. This move boasts insane priority and startup along with fast travel time. Robocop essentially becomes his own projectile with this move which is also SAFE on block at -7 with pushback outside the range of any 6f D1 in the game. This move also causes Robocop's jump back to be a true threat to anyone trying to get in on him. This move is particularly good in matchups where the opponent has a strong counterzoning tool you can jump over (Geras Quicksand, Cetrion Earthquake, etc etc.) or vs characters who love to be airborne (Kung Lao, Kabal, etc etc.) and feels perfectly designed for his worst matchup before this patch, Jade. Having this move versus a character like Jade causes air glaives to be more of a risk, even when she has glow up. In addition to all of this the move has a crushing blow for when you punish/counterhit a grounded opponent from max range which makes short hop in neutral a terrifying tool for the opponent to deal with due to the ability to react to what they're doing with charge.
Closing Thoughts on Robocop Loadouts
Robocop has a very versatile array of moves at his disposal which can ebb and flow depending on what matchup you're up against. At the end of the day this is all preference but I do think Low Auto-9 is the most integral move in his kit and should never be absent from your loadout. Flamethrower is debatable and in some matchups, like Cetrion with Earthquake, I prefer to have both rocket and the charge so Flamethrower falls to the wayside sometimes. Feel free to mess with your own combinations of moves and see what fits best for you. This just happens to be my philosophy on his loadouts and what I think is strongest.
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Gameplan (Neutral)
As mentioned at the beginning of the guide, Robocop is a 'hit and run' style of character. In the neutral he will be utilizing the following tools to accomplish this.
- D4
- Low Auto-9
- B4
- Dashes
- Throws
- F2/F3
Keeping Your Opponent at Bay and Bringing the Fight to Them
Robocop's zoning gameplan is fairly straight forward in concept. Utilizing low auto-9 and mixing up between amp and meterless low shot will cause your opponent to be more hesitant in neutral. It also gives the opponent something your opponent HAS to block which will slow them down as well. The end goal of his zoning is not to keep the opponent out indefinitely but rather to slow them down and acquire their respect. Once you have acquired this respect is when the character truly shines and the hit and run begins. Having the powerful dashes that Robocop has allows him to move from place to place very quickly and while this is effective at placing him away from the opponent it is also effective at placing himself at the opponent. As your enemy tries to make their way in, you have the option to meet them half way and represent your many powerful midrange options such as mids, D4, B4 and low auto-9. All of this can being to create massive amounts of respect and as a result, a massive amount of blocking from your opponent. This is when Robocop can begin representing the idea of dash up throw.
Utilizing Dash Canceling/Stopping Movement Checks
In MK11, every character can cancel their dashes with normals, specials and blocking. This is integral to Robocop as a character in order to not only augment the range of his normals and evade the opponent's own normals, but as a way to bait the opponent into reacting and swinging. Since Robocop's dashes are so powerful, your opponent is highly incentivized to check this movement with buttons and this is where something like dash forward into block comes in handy. The ranges that Robocop can arrive from is staggeringly far away which means the opponent has to check you from strange ranges. This is how you not only set up your whiff punishes, but establish more respect to be able to run your hit and run tactics.
Sometimes You Have To Walk
We've talked a lot about Robocop's dashes but an under talked about tool at his disposal is his very fast walk speed, both forward and backwards. This sort of static movement puts uncertainty into your opponent because at any point your walking can turn into a back or forward dash, a normal, a special, anything truly. Creating this slow moments of uncertainty can really create a very unpredictable movement pattern which is precisely what we want to be doing.
Closing Thoughts on Robocop's Neutral Gameplan
Robocop's neutral is by far his strongest asset as a character. He lives to create a constant sense of unpredictability while being very hard to pin down himself. This second point is more apparent in his offense/midrange gameplan but is still notable in his neutral. Not only does this unpredictable playstyle slowly chip at the opponents health but it also has a tendency to wear down a player's mental state which is an added bonus.
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Gameplan (Offense)
More of an emphasis on the 'hit' of hit and run, Robocop's offense consists staggers and creating spacings in which the opponent is scared to press buttons in order to set up his strong throw game or retreat back to neutral.
Running So You Can Get To Hitting
A core piece of Robocop's offense is the ability to backdash cancel into normals and specials. Placing a backdash in spaces where your opponent delays buttons or you have large pushback causes the opponent to either whiff their normals which is an easy whiff punish, or it prompts them to chase your backdash which opens up the ability to catch that attempts with jabs or mids. In general in your offense, any points of pushback or even in your staggers you can utilize your dashes to dip in and out of their spacings in a very hard to predict manner. This creates hesitation in the opponent and allows you to begin weaving strike throw into your offense.
Stagger Pressure
My go to staggers are as follows
- 1
- 12
- F21
- F212
- B1
- B12
D4, The God Of Annoyance
Your not so secret weapon, D4 fits in this strange nebulous middle ground between offense and neutral due to its nature as a very strong harassment tool. Its range paired with its ability to be special canceled causes the D4 to be the proverbial 'wrench' in your opponent's defense. The mixup between canceling and not canceling Robocop's D4 creates situations in which you can elicit delayed reactions from your opponent, allowing you to backdash and catch them as they press their buttons just slightly too late. This lets you do some usually crazy looking things like D4 on block into dash up throw but that is precisely how Robocop functions, on the fine line between insane crackhead and sophisticated gentleman zoner.
Closing Thoughts on Robocop's Offensive Gameplan
Even though Robocop's offense isn't anything particularly crazy, the fact that it loops back into his neutral and vice versa creates this perpetual tempo shift in the match. This means at any point, Robocop gets to dictate whether or not it's time to play at certain ranges. Having the ability to impose this kind of will onto an opponent is exactly what makes Robocop a formidable force in this game.
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The End
Is it the end already? Well that was fun now wasn't it? What does all of this add up to? Well, Robocop establishes himself inside MK11 as character that is having to constantly change how he is playing. An ever adaptive force, Robocop seeks to play just outside the ranges of his opponent while utilizing his projectiles to establish respect from further ranges. He wins tons of zoning wars and has a no issue playing neutral with most characters. In my humble opinion he is a very much slept on neutral powerhouse in this game but is not an easy character to undertake due to how much he has to be constantly changing his gameplan. He is a ton of fun and I highly recommend you try him out if you're interested! I hope this guide was as helpful to you as it was fun for me. Take care and remember.
CRIME, DOES NOT PAY.
