Winter Robin

• Preferred IVs: +SPD or +ATK / -HP
• Weapon: Slaying Lance+ (+Spd) / Tannenboom!+ (+Spd)
• Assist: Reciprocal Aid / Swap / Reposition
• Special: Ignis 
• Passive A: Distant Counter
• Passive B: Bold Fighter / Vantage
• Passive C: Armor March 
• Sacred Seal: Quick Riposte

Because he has a very similar stat spread to Amelia, Winter Robin can easily run a Distant Counter build. Although this is slightly less effective by virtue of him being blue (and therefore not as threatening to common blue magical threats like Delthea, Linde, and Reinhardt), the release of Winter Tharja and Winter Robin’s additional utility as a speedy blue armor unit makes this set an interesting investment opportunity.

The preferred IV for this set is +Spd -HP so that Winter Robin can avoid getting doubled, especially from speedy magic users. With Slaying Lance (+Spd), this allows him to reach 40 Speed, denying follow-ups from mages and reducing Ignis’ Cooldown. Tannenboom!’s additional 2 mt and the fact that it grants +2 to all stats for no downside on enemy phase, however, makes it a good choice if one is building on a budget. +Atk is also a potential option, as it allows Winter Robin to hit harder while initiating and counterattacking. A -HP bane prevents Winter Robin from having to compromise any of his offensive or defensive stats.

With the release of the Quick Riposte Seal, Winter Robin can run Bold Fighter so that he is able to perform follow-ups on player phase, as well as double on enemy phase if he's above the prerequisite HP threshold. Alternatively, Winter Robin is now able to run the same QR / Vantage build that was previously exclusive to Hector. This is even more effective on Winter Robin because of his high Speed -- most green units who threaten him will not double him, allowing him to survive initiations that slower blues would not. 

Armor March requires no investment and enables Winter Robin to quickly advance when he is next to another Armor unit, allowing him greater flexibility on player phase and greater offensive presence on enemy phase.

Reciprocal Aid allows Winter Robin to use another allies’ HP pool to heal if his health gets too low, while Swap allows him to readjust his positioning, get into baiting range, or move an ally out of danger. Reposition is also an option that has a similar function.

• Preferred IVs: +SPD or +ATK / -RES
• Weapon: Slaying Lance+ (+Spd) / Tannenboom!+ (+Spd)
• Assist: Reciprocal Aid
• Special: Ignis
• Passive A: Brazen Atk/Spd
• Passive B: Vengeful Fighter / Quick Riposte
• Passive C: Armor March / Hone Armor / Fortify Armor
• Sacred Seal: Close Def / Attack +3

Since Winter’s Robin’s base kit is quite solid, he can run an excellent enemy phase-centric build even with minimal investment.

-Res is the preferred bane because Winter Robin should not be tanking mages with this build. Magic damage will push down his HP, deactivating Brazen Atk/ Spd and compromising his ability to KO magical foes in return. As for boon, both +Spd and +Atk aid his damage output  – +Spd helps him perform follow-ups on player phase when Brazen Atk / Spd is active, while +Atk improves his firepower.

Slaying Lance with the +Spd refinement adds to Winter Robin’s follow-up ability on player phase and reduces his cooldown. In conjunction with Vengeful Fighter granting him guaranteed follow-ups on enemy phase, this amounts to a quick and incredibly painful special activation for Winter Robin's foes. Alternatively, +Spd refined Tannenboom's 14 mt and effect is excellent, giving Winter Robin a free +2 increase to all his stats on enemy phase – the equivalent of Fury 2 without the drawback of taking damage after combat.

Brazen Atk / Spd’s in-combat bonus to Winter Robin is considerable, enabling him to hit 44 Speed and 56 Attack with a neutral IV, refined lance, and no seal when it’s active (46 Speed and 58 Attack on enemy phase with Tannenboom!). This allows Winter Robin to hit hard whether he initiates or is initiated on. When combined with Armor March, Winter Robin is able to advance along with his armored allies while ignoring terrain movement penalties, quickly threatening low-def enemy units and moving into range to bait melee foes to attack him on enemy phase.

Winter Robin’s offensive and defensive capabilities are added to by Vengeful Fighter, which allows Winter Robin to perform a follow-up attack when he is attacked if he is above 50% HP. This skill is superior to Quick Riposte because of the improved HP threshold and built-in cooldown reduction effect, allowing Winter Robin to proc Bonfire much more quickly. Quick Riposte 2, however, requires much less investment and also allows Winter Robin to hit the foe twice when he is attacked. The Close Defense seal allows Winter Robin to tank these hits better, while Attack +3 enables him to hit back harder.

Since he is most effective at various HP thresholds, Reciprocal Aid is Winter Robin’s ideal Assist skill, allowing him to partake in HP management. It grants him the ability to swap his HP with one of his allies, so it has a dual function of allowing Winter Robin to heal and re-activate Quick Riposte / Vengeful Fighter and enabling him to swap HP with an ally who has a lower HP pool to activate Brazen Atk / Spd’s effect.

• Preferred IVs: +DEF / -RES
• Weapon: Tannenboom!+ (+Def)
• Assist: Reciprocal Aid / Swap / Reposition
• Special: Bonfire
• Passive A: Brazen Atk/Spd
• Passive B: Quick Riposte
• Passive C: Threaten Atk / Threaten Def
• Sacred Seal: Close Def

The goal of this build is to take advantage of Winter Robin’s excellent base kit, applying a few readily available skills to increase his tanking capabilities.

+Def is the ideal boon for this build because it pumps Winter Robin’s Defense up to 38 and boosts his damage output from Bonfire. In combination with a forged lance and the Close Defense seal, this brings him to 47 effective Defense against melee units on player phase and 49 effective Defense on enemy phase – a number that proves astronomical when combined with armour buffs

Tannenboom isn’t quite as excellent as a Slaying Lance but offers Winter Robin the opportunity to receive a free combat bonus during enemy phase. Brazen Atk / Spd is just ridiculously good, denying follow-ups and adding to Winter Robin’s firepower when he’s below the 80% HP threshold. Quick Riposte allows Winter Robin to boost his damage output by attacking twice on enemy phase when Brazen Atk / Spd is not yet active.

Reciprocal Aid allows him to heal and re-activate Quick Riposte, or swap HP with weakened or low base HP ally to activate Brazen Atk / Spd. Swap or Reposition gives Winter Robin a wider scope of movement options. Threaten Atk helps soften blows and adds to Winter Robin’s defensive bulk, while Threaten Def allows him to deal more damage to debuffed foes.