15-
Ice Climbers

*Note: The shield safety of Ice Climbers are affected by whether or not you're being hit on shield by both of them, or just Popo. Nana makes their aerials positive on shield, so you must keep in mind if they are together. Desyncs will not be included, as they have too many scenarios, but generally, desyncs are all safe on shield. Popo by himself will be this color, and both of them together will be this color.

Jab1 (-20/-15) & Jab2 (-21/12):
NAir (Frame 7)
GSA (Frame 9)

FTilt (-14/-10):
NAir (Frame 7)
GSA (Frame 9)

UTilt (-16/-7):
NAir (Frame 7)
GSA (Frame 9)
Grab (Frame 16)
(This move will not connect if you are standing right next to them)

DTilt (-16/-10):
NAir (Frame 7)
GSA (Frame 9)
Grab (Frame 16)

Dash Attack (-24/-18):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)
DSmash (Frame 20)

FSmash (-27/-22):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)
DSmash (Frame 20)
FSmash (Frame 26)

USmash (-29/-24):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)
DSmash (Frame 20)
FSmash (Frame 26)

DSmash (-22/-17):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)

NAir (-4/+2):
Unpunishable
(Super safe on shield)

FAir (-5/+3):
Unpunishable
(Super safe on shield)

BAir (-3/0):
Unpunishable
(Super safe on shield)

UAir (-10/-3):
NAir (Frame 7)
GSA (Frame 9)
(Nana makes this move unpunishable)

DAir (-16/-12):
NAir (Frame 7)
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)
Grab (Frame 16)

Ice Shot (-29/-24):
Unpunishable
(Projectile usage)
(This move can be reflected by any attack)

Squall Hammer (-24/-21):
GSA (Frame 9)
Grab (Frame 16)
(This move can be made much safer with drift and crossing up)

Belay (--):
--

Blizzard (-22/-15):
Unpunishable
(Guaranteed to shield poke and possibly freeze, especially with both Climbers)

• Neutral Moves: Aerials, Tilts, Squall Hammer, Grab, Jab, Ice Shot, Blizzwall, Blizzblock.

• Kill Moves: Smash Attacks, BAir, FAir, UAir, FTilt, DTilt.

• Kill Confirms: UTilt > Desync USmash, Grab > Desync Smash Attack, Blizzard Freeze > Follow-up, UTilt > Desync Footstool > Follow-up, UTilt > UAir.

• Ice Climbers' Neutral is centered around defensive bait and punish play, due to low ground speed and airspeed, using safe/positive on shield aerials to force advantage on shields, and punishing overcommitments with squall.

• Ice Climbers' aerials with both hits are obscenely safe, some are even positive on hit. Prioritize using movement to avoid aerials rather than shield.

• When Ice Climbers are desynced, the second Climber can input separate actions from the main Climber. This is the core function of their combo game. In neutral, this means attacking one climber up close poses the risk of getting hit by another.

• Ice Climbers can desync from: Belay, grabbing ledge, Jab, Tilts, airdodge, Aerials, and Squall Hammer.

• Keep a close eye on Ice Climbers at all times to see the transition to desync (like keeping an eye on Snake).

• This allows the opponent to approach/attack with the first Climber, while using Ice Shot or Blizzard with the second, Squall Hammer with only the first Climber, etc.

• Ice Shot is a small projectile that travels along the floor. It does a small amount of damage and applies hitstun. When fighting Ice Climbers, be adept at reflecting them back, as reflecting Ice Shot can be done with most moves. Ice Shot is “fake pressure”, in that sense.

• Ice Shot is best reflected with: Jab1 (fast, low endlag), landing NAir (increases the speed of reflected Ice Shots), and DTilt (initially bounces the Ice Shots to short hop height). Aim to hit the first Ice Shot. The second one will also be hit.

• Projectiles are inconsistent in reflecting Ice Shot, due to oddities with Ice Shot itself.

• Practice the timing to reflect Ice Shot correctly so that no damage is taken while reflecting them, which can happen if the attack is a bit slow.

• Shielding or using the Deku Shield to block Ice Shot will bounce Ice Shot back, but Ice Shot will not have a hitbox.

• Squall Hammer is Ice Climbers' main burst option in neutral. It’s unsafe, but the opponent will usually end the move on a cross-up or by retreating. When desynced, it can be used to start combos and is safe on shield. Squall Hammer is unreactable up close. Additionally, the move also desyncs, and desynced Squall Hammer is safe and actionable on shield.

• Squall Hammer is beat by Dash Attack, Grab, FAir, and notably GSA. This means on reaction instead of shielding, Squall can be punished as opposed to other burst options.

• Squall Hammer can travel roughly over half the distance of Final Destination.

• Squall Hammer inconsistently clanks with projectiles, and beats out some normals. This is due to the varying hitboxes (stronger hitboxes at the beginning of the move) and blindspots on the move. Bomb very rarely bounces off it. ZAir and Grab outrange Squall Hammer. It also sets up for tech chases.

• Blizzard is Ice Climbers' Down B. After a number of hits (which decreases as % increases) the opponent will be frozen, creating high combo potential.

• Optimal SDI out of Blizzard is away when grounded, and up and away when airborne. SDI-ing Blizzard will reduce the amount of hits landed, which can prevent the freeze status.

• With desyncing, Blizzard’s pressure becomes more flexible. Blizzwalling is desynced Blizzard using shorthops. This allows IC’s to move forward and up while using Blizzard, which can stuff out approaches and projectiles.

• It’s strong at conditioning jumps, since jumping over Blizzwall is one of the few ways to beat it.

• Blizzblocking is desynced Blizzard + Ice Shot. Ice Shot mixed in is strong at stuffing projectiles and dashes. Reflected Ice Shots will despawn when hit by blizzard.

• Bomb can beat Blizzwall/Blizzblocking. Time short hop Bomb throws so that they arc over grounded Blizzard. Time the Bomb toss so that it hits the second Climber when rising for Blizzwall.

• Projectiles are often too late as a punish on a Squall Hammer that ends away from Young Link. Opt for positional pressure, close the distance to force out a defensive option.

• Bombs are the core projectile of this MU. This is because Bomb as a projectile hits both Ice Climbers, where at times other projectiles will only hit one Climber.

• Boomerang has inconsistencies in that it only hits one Climber at times, and Ice Climbers don’t jump high often, unlike other characters due to other options such as Blizzwalling.

• Fire Arrow often hits only one Climber and occasionally beats out Squall Hammer, but is still a strong anti-burst option and serves its normal uses. Ice Climbers can also cover Fire Arrow with Blizzwalling, though.

• Ice Climbers' movement is slow, both on the ground and in the air, which is made up for by Squall Hammer and two characters throwing out hitboxes. This makes Ice Climbers have a more defensive gameplan. Young Link can “ignore” defensive gameplay somewhat by forcing approaches with projectiles. That being said, know when to capitalize on openings.

• Ice Climbers' spotdodge is faulty in that because of Nana’s startup, their spotdodge effectively starts on Frame 9 and goes to Frame 17, while extending their hurtbox. This forces Ice Climbers to shield camp a lot more.

• Be wary of the other Climber being able to attack during combos.

Grabbing Ice Climbers & Other Ice Climber Mechanics:

• Grabbing Ice Climbers can be awkward at times, due to the other Climber being able to hit Young Link, since he can only Grab one at a time.

• When Ice Climbers are facing away from the opponent, the second Climber will be grabbed. When Ice Climbers are facing the opponent, the main Climber will be Grabbed.

• When using DThrow out of a dash Grab, Dash Attack cancel the Grab. The slightly extra range is important, as the hitbox on DThrow will send Nana away, while DThrow will send the main Climber up, separating them.

• At high %s, the hitbox of DThrow will kill the second Climber, unless saved.

• Be wary of the other Climber when using throws. If the other Climber is about to attack, be ready to shield.

• The second Climber can not Grab.

• The second Climber has an additional 6 Frame delay on all inputs.

• The second Climber will sometimes jump out of hitstun, even when the Ice Climbers player doesn’t input jump.

• The second Climber is always able to run through opponents, and can’t push or be pushed by opponents.

Boxing

(How do I escape this situation?):

• Because Ice Climbers' aerials are safe/positive on shield, prioritize defensive movement over shielding as counterplay to landing aerials.

• Blizzwalling and Blizzblocking wall out approaches from the ground and force either aerial approaches, well timed Bomb tosses, or ZAir to poke through (which is inconsistent). Because jump beats these setups, Ice Climbers can condition jump out of the corner reliably.

• Ice Climbers want to land Blizzard in the corner for shield damage. Be wary of giving too much stage control to them.

• Using shield SDI, roll can be buffered out of Blizzard.

• Once jump is conditioned, Ice Climbers can use UAir to punish conditioned jumps.

• Squall Hammer, when in the corner as an unreactable burst option, is one of Ice Climbers' high-reward options. They can catch dashbacks, projectiles, landing lag, and other commitments with the safety of stage control. Remember to use moves like GSA and Dash Attack to punish Squall Hammer when anticipated.

• Squall Hammer can be SDI’d. SDI in can send the opponent behind Ice Climbers, and on occasion not in tumble (escaping the move before the final hit). SDI up and up/away gives more options to the opponent for the launch angle, which allows for landing mix-ups based on what angle is chosen (inwards to attempt landing onstage, outwards to mix up between landing on stage or ledge).

• SDI-ing up at low and mid %s out of Squall Hammer is used to escape follow-ups, particularly up and away on synced Squall Hammer.

• A part of Ice Climbers combos rely on footstool, mainly some setups out of UTilt and DThrow. Be ready to time a tech.

• Focus on defensive movement out of the corner, as Ice Climbers want to land aerials on shield to create positive on hit advantage situations.

Platform Pressure

(What tools do they have? How can we escape this pressure?)

• Ice Climbers do not have any grounded moves that consistently hit platforms.

• UAir and BAir are Ice Climbers main platform pressure tools.

• UAir does noticeable shield damage and forces a 50/50 where Ice Climbers can double jump and UAir again to catch options out of shield and kill, or land and reset the situation.

• After a full hop UAir, Ice Climbers can hit the ledge again with BAir while falling.

Landing

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

• Ice Climbers UAir is relatively disjointed compared to Young Link’s DAir, and has high killpower. Young Link can’t contest it with DAir consistently. Use Bomb or airdodge to avoid it.

• Squall Hammer generally sends the opponent upwards, which sets up for juggling situations, which is perfect for IC’s UAir. Use SDI to influence the launch angle to create landing/drift mix-ups.

• Try to land away from Ice Climbers. They may not be able to catch up on time, due to low airspeed.

• Ice Climbers' UAir can cross-up DI.

• Ice Climbers' parry window is larger than average, due to having two shields. Land with properly-timed aerials as opposed to falling with them.

Offstage

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

• Ice Climbers can use Ice Shot from ledge to reset momentum and gimp jumps. Conserve double jump when offstage, and avoid jumping away from Ice Shot. Ice Shot travels at a low angle, so Young Link will still be able to grab the ledge if he gets hit by one.

• Ice Climbers' offstage edgeguards usually consist of NAir (lingering aerial, used for gimps), FAir (spike, high startup so mostly used near the ledge), and BAir (high killpower/callout aerial).

• Ice Climbers often prefer to ledgetrap over edgeguard.

Ledge:

• Ice Climbers can use the second Climber to ledge trump while remaining onstage with the first climber. This forces an immediate option from the opponent.

• Use tether to mix up reel timings. Mixing up reel timings prevents Ice Climbers from ledge trumping on reaction.

• Ice Climbers' DTilt, FSmash, Ice Shot, and DSmash hit ledge.

• Ice Climbers can cover roll passively with the second Climber or Blizzwall. This will limit Young Link’s ledge options most of the time to getup, jump, or double jump FAir.

• When ledge jumping off of ledge, drift back to avoid being frozen from Blizzard, as only a few hits will land, and won't be enough to freeze.

• Mix up option timings off of the ledge, and options from ledge jump (NAir, DAir, airdodge).

• Ice Climbers can use shield to hide a desync Smash Attack with the second Climber. This is a common visual trick used in ledgetrapping.

Juggling/Boxing:

• Because Ice Climbers can land/push out of the corner with Blizzwall/Squall Hammer, extending advantage is mostly based on position rather than projectile coverage. Use the time given by hit advantage to force positional-pressure based scenarios.

• Similar to disadvantage, Squall Hammer can be used on reads to punish aggressive options, projectiles, dashbacks, etc. Ice Climbers don’t have stage control when cornered, though. Use the space in anticipation of Squall Hammer to be able to punish it on reaction.

• Ice Climbers can stall landings with Ice Shot. Using Ice Shot when at a high altitude creates a blindspot on the move directly below them. Punish Ice Shot by taking positional advantage directly under them.

• Ice Climbers' aggressive landing options struggle to cover space below them. FAir has a high startup, BAir/NAir/Squall Hammer don’t cover below Ice Climbers, and DAir doesn’t have a landing hitbox. IC’s DAir increases their fall speed during the move and can set up for juggles, but again, it has no landing hitbox. It can be used to punish aggressive options from above.

• Squall Hammer can be used to land with a continuous hitbox.

• Squall without mashing drops Ice Climbers to the ground fast, making it a decent offensive landing option.

• Ice Climbers have poor airspeed and air drift. This means that their horizontal options are mostly limited. Use UAir to frame trap airdodge, and outspace aggressive options.

• If Ice Climbers are sent high enough to where positional advantage can be taken safely, do so. Projectiles can be high reward, but Ice Climbers can clank them reliably, and actively pressuring with UAir, UTilt/USmash on landings, and trapping landings is more consistent and comes with the benefit of stage control.

• Avoid using shield to punish aggressive landings. This is because Ice Climbers' aerials can be positive on block, leading to a disadvantageous situation.

• Fire Arrow ladders are often dropped after the first Fire Arrow, due to the second Climber absorbing the it.

Offstage:

• The second Climber has invincibility frames, from Frame 1-33 of Belay. The main Climber doesn’t have any invincibility when using Belay.

• This means that the main Climber can be hit out of the move, while the second Climber is on the ledge. Only the second Climber has a hitbox, so move above the second Climber, and fast fall to position a NAir during Ice Climbers' Belay to hit the main Climber.

• Getting hit by the second Climber’s Belay hitbox will also make their recovery fail. This is a consistent edgeguard option.

• Squall Hammer is also used for recoveries. It puts Ice Climbers' into freefall when the move ends. By mashing special, Ice Climbers can increase their vertical height during the move.

• Use FAir to outrange Squall Hammer horizontally, and DAir to outrange it from above.

• Projectiles, in addition to constricting available airspace offstage, can further limit air drift options if projectiles hit the second Climber. Bombs will usually hit both Climbers, but Arrow and Boomerang can hit the second Climber. This can force the opponent into correcting their air drift, making them vulnerable offstage.

• If Fire Arrow/ZAir hit one of the climbers during Squall Hammer, the other will be put into freefall.

• ZAir’s usage is very niche in edgeguarding, but hitting just one of the Climbers can force awkward situations for them.

• NAir from above will beat out Squall Hammer. Additionally, Belay can be covered on reaction by runoff/ledgeslip NAir, which will result in either being hit by Belay or gimping the main Climber, both of which will kill them.

• Ice Climbers can desync by using their Belay, and inputting an option with the second Climber before the main Climber grabs ledge.

• This essentially gives Ice Climbers a second ledge option, second shield and a cover hurtbox.

• Ledgetrap with stage control in mind, treating the situation like corner pressure.

• If the second Climber is within the range where the Climbers are synced, using Squall Hammer will teleport the second Climber to the first.

• Focusing down the second Climber can be risky due to this, although if the second Climber is already in hitstun, they will not teleport to the first Climber.

Ledge Info:

XLR8’s Spreadsheet Young Link Ledge Info:

DTilt: Hits

DSmash: Hits

FTilt: Hits

Most Reliable Move: All

Animation Info: These moves only hit Popo.

Note: Nana can be hit during her head rise animation.

• FD DTilt > ASA %s: 109, 99

• FD FThrow @ Ledge %s: 165, 151

• FD Milkshake %s: 103-144, 91-122

• Ice Climber Kill Throws: None, but with Desync, throws can confirm into Smash Attacks.

• Due to the hitlag happening twice from hitting two opponents, combos won’t exactly line up with muscle memory. Take some time to practice combos on Ice Climbers.

• Ice Climbers don’t have a hitbox on the hammer on Ice Shot.

Various Ice Climbers’ Tumble %s (values in range include rage and short hop Multiplier):

• Popo NAir: 44-56%

• Nana NAir: 58-72%

• Popo FAir: 2-10%

• Nana FAir: 3-29%

• Popo & Nana BAir: 15-22%

• Popo & Nana UAir: 18-24%

• Popo DAir: 16-28%

• Nana DAir: 5-15%

• FTilt: 20-41%

• Battlefield:
  Indifferent. Triplats give Young Link options to land on platforms from ledge, but can force Young Link to ledge when landing. Ice Climbers can trap Young Link on platforms and juggle with UAir. Despite this, the large zones make it easier to edgeguard Ice Climbers, and there is space for intermittent zoning.

• Final Destination:
  Terrible. Squall Hammer is harder to avoid/deal with without platforms to perform neutral resets, and without platforms, getting off of the ledge is far less consistent.

• Smashville:
  Terrible. This stage's lack of space and bloated platform make disadvantage more frequent and problematic for Young Link in this MU. With the smaller stage, Ice Climbers can press advantage harder with Squall Hammer, Blizzwalling, and their safe aerials.

• Town & City:
  Great. This stage offers space and platforms that can help with landing. Young Link wants space to increase zoning potential in neutral, and make Squall Hammer more reactable. Ice Climbers' bugs and other issues are most frequent here.

• Lylat Cruise:
  Good. Ice Climbers benefit from the enclosed space in close quarters combat, but can struggle to land. Fire Arrows benefit from the slants.

• Pokémon Stadium 2:
  Great. Like T&C and Kalos, this stage gives Young Link space to run away/use dashback projectiles. The layout, side blastzone, and platforms make disadvantage as a whole better as opposed to other stages, while retaining platforms for advantage.

• Kalos Pokémon League:
  Great. Same reasons as T&C. The side platforms give more counterplay to Ice Climbers' ledgetrapping, which is one of the weak points in the MU for Young Link. The walls can be used to tech FAir spikes.

• Yoshi’s Story:
  Indifferent. The center airspace, when controlled, gives Young Link more options than BF. Fire Arrows also benefit from slants. The walls can be used to tech FAir spikes. Be wary of UAir’s killpower with the low ceiling.

• YL vs IC's Matchup VOD Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTetf1pUFP8bWDHutd_GXGiVnG3wyUhtu

• Twitch VOD of Friendlies between z3 and Marshi: Smash Ultimate Ice Climbers / Yink friendlies

• Video of Various Ice Climber Bugs: Ice Climbers are Broken

• (ICcord Resources) ICs Tumble % Ver. 2.0.7.xlsx

• (ICcord Resources) Ice Climbers Neutral Guide

• (ICcord Resources) IB Interactions chart

• Shield SDI Video/Guide by GimR: Shield Stun Canceling - Smash Ultimate