Ice Climbers (SSBB)

Ice Climbers in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Universe	Ice Climber
Other playable appearance	in Melee
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Iceberg
Tier	S (2)

The Ice Climbers, known as Ice Climber (アイス クライマー, Aisu Kuraimā) in the Japanese versions, the ice-climbing duo from Super Smash Bros. Melee, make a return in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. They have been given a significant texture boost to their character models. Although Popo and Nana fight as a duo, only one is directly controlled by the player. The other is computer-controlled, in a manner mimicking the player. In Melee, the player had the option to change the color of the costume and play as Nana, and the option still exists in Brawl, however the Climbers' positions on the character select screen portrait will not change.

They rank 2nd on the current tier list, making them the highest-ranking veteran. This is primarily due to their extensive and intricate grab game that can completely shut down opponents once it begins. Professional Ice Climbers players are known to chain grab opponents from 0% to a KO inescapably. The partner mechanism of the character also allows opponents to have to rethink their approach, as one target can easily break combos and chain grabs. The duo also have two decent projectiles, and they are armed with a relatively powerful meteor smash along with one of the largest disjointed up aerials in the game. However, if the partner is KO'd, the leader cannot use special moves correctly and is somewhat helpless during recovery; a lone Ice Climber also has drastically lowered damage output and KO potential, especially due to its inability to perform a meteor smash, and is considerably more open to chain grabs and combos. Regardless, the Ice Climbers have very strong matchups (losing to only four characters, with Meta Knight being the only top tier they lose to), and very strong tournament results.

Attributes

The Ice Climbers are lightweight characters that have the unique property of being a "two in one" character, wherein the game considers each Climber to be a unique character in its own right. The follower is always slightly weaker than the leader, but only the follower can meteor smash with his/her forward aerial. The Ice Climbers are able to grab two different items and are even able to grab two separate characters. In addition, their unique property also makes them much harder to grab (when one Ice Climber gets grabbed, the partner can simply counterattack, making them immune to chain-grabs), and conversely allows them to have a superior grab game entirely unique to them (see "chain-grabbing and desynching" below). However, they can easily be separated by strong enough attacks. In this scenario, it is advisable to stick to and protect the partner, even if it puts the player in additional danger. Should the CPU Climber get KO'd during the stock, the remaining Climber will have drastically reduced damage output, KO ability, and recovery, with Belay becoming practically useless and Squall Hammer loses a good deal of distance (whereas with both Climbers they are excellent recovery moves).

The Ice Climbers are great at dealing damage when together, have decent attack speed, and possess a few interesting attacks in their arsenal. Their neutral special move, Ice Shot, is a projectile fired by each Ice Climber which slides along the ground, making it impossible to avoid by crouching/crawling. Blizzard, the down special move, can freeze opponents and even cover both sides if the partner is present, or alternatively can be made to cover one side if performed while jumping with the partner, giving the attack more power. Squall Hammer is a pretty decent approach attack with good damage and speed, spinning the Ice Climbers around each other in a forward-moving hammer attack. If a player is feeling adventurous, the Belay special is a powerful KO move should the second Climber connect with the opponent, but it is generally an ill-advised use of the move given that it separates the Climbers and puts them into a helpless animation. A unique addition to their character is that the Ice Climbers are not affected by the conditions of slippery surfaces such as ice, and they won't slide on it. This is due to the fact that they are wearing cleats. Oddly, their cleats do not affect their traction on normal surfaces, as it's second-lowest in the game (Luigi has the lowest).

The Ice Climbers aren't very good at using their standard arsenal of attacks for continuous hits, normally speaking. With weak throws, small hammers, and slow movement in general (slow falling, air, and dash speed), the Ice Climbers can usually only manage one or two good hits in close before they need to resort to Ice Shots or Blizzard again. With both Climbers present, KOing generally isn't too much of a problem, although their smashes are generally better at racking up the damage than at KOing.

Chaingrabbing and desynching

Japanese Smasher 9B using a combination of the IC's down throw and back throw to perform a 0 to death infinite chain grab on Selcia's Meta Knight. The throw is setup using a combination of Blizzard and the Climbers' forward aerial and is finished using the Ice Climbers' up smash.

Many players consider the Ice Climbers to be "the King and Queen of all chain grabs" due to the fact that their two-in-one property allows a variety of chain-grab options. For example, the lead Ice Climber can grab onto one opponent and use the forward throw. In the middle of the throw animation, the player can gain control of the CPU Climber, commanding him/her into performing a forward aerial spike, or grabbing again with the CPU Climber. while once again bringing the original, player-controlled Climber in for a new grab. Such strings create long and extremely damaging chain grabs capable of being performed at nearly any percent, on nearly any stage. A down side is that the Ice Climbers don't have a very good grab range and because of how much they slide (due to their low traction), it's almost impossible to grab an opponent when they hit the player's shield unless they powershield his or her attack.

The Ice Climbers' most effective chain throw is arguably their down throw. It is by far the hardest chain throw to escape from as it possesses the largest time window for Nana to grab the opponent mid throw. Performing the down throw chain grab is simple and easier relative to Ice Climbers's other chain grabs and becomes drastically easier when the throw is stale, but it is still nevertheless difficult to time. While performing the 1st down throw, the player should input the command for the subsequent down throw when the opponent hits the ground(when the colored shockwave appears). The down throw can also be used in conjunction with the footstool hop and ice shots for another infinite: the hobble, which is more useful on heavyweights. The down throw sends opponents into the air. Right before the opponent is released, the second ice climber should jump and footstool the opponent back on to the ground. As the opponent bounces, the 1st Ice Climber can trap them with multiple ice shots or move forward for another grab. Their next infinite chain throw is the forward throw. This throw is most likely the hardest chain throw to maintain, and thus the least reliable. The command for the second throw should be imputed the moment the 1st climber is about to swing his hammer. It should be noted that these chain grabs are not true infinites as they are limited by the stage length and the fact the opponents can tech after the footstool jump. The Ice Climbers' back throw is their only true infinite, as it is not limited by the stage length. The input for the second throw should be imputed as soon as the opponent is directly above the 1st climber's head. The back throw can also be used to start the hobble, but it is much harder. It should be noted that the timing for all of the infinite throws vary depending on the opponent's percentage and how heavy the opponent is.

For further two-in-one tricks, it is even possible to "desync" the CPU partner by confusing it with erratic movement (such as dash-dancing), putting the player in control of both Climbers for as long as they are capable of maintaining it. Once the partner is desynced, the player can have it perform any move while the main Climber is in the middle of one, providing for all sorts of possible attack strategies that can be exceedingly difficult for opponents to escape from (alternating Blizzard, alternating Ice Shot). While desynced, the partner Climber has restrained movement within an invisible box around the main Climber; should he/she be separated or removed from this box, the CPU will take over again. This invisible box makes it so that if the player desyncs themelf from the AI so that it charges a smash attack and they start walking or running away, the AI will slide in the player's direction while charging the smash. A unique thing that the player can do when desynced is that if they desync the AI to charge a smash attack, their Belay will cancel the AI's charging sequence and teleport it into the belaying sequence.

It should be obvious that such techniques are extremely difficult to perform in combat, even for advanced players, due to the constant string of precise commands required for the Climbers to move/attack as intended. This level of extreme difficulty is what has prevented any seemingly-unfair IC techniques (outside of wobbling in Melee) from seeing competitive bans, especially given that very few professional players maintain or even use them at tournaments. This lack of appearance has made their tier ranking, and whether or not it should be higher, questionable for the time being. Indeed, their recent rise on the tier list, and the fact that they are ranked 2nd in Japan suggest that they have greater potential. Nevertheless, these techniques are the backbone of playing a good pair of Ice Climber; without them, they aren't particularly great, so it's essential for players who plan on using the Ice Climbers to master them.

When a chain grab has raised an opponent's damage enough, the most typically used move to KO the opponent is their up smash, if a forward air meteor smash is inapplicable. All of these chain throws can be considered 0-KO combos.

Changes from Melee to Brawl

The Ice Climbers are one of the few characters to have been truly buffed from SSBM to SSBB. Both Ice Climbers can grab on to a ledge at the same time, and Belay can be a Tether Recovery if the partner grabs a ledge first, then the leader reaches up to the ledge. The Ice Climbers' have more attack power for their special moves (Blizzard is especially buffed if the Ice Climbers are next to the opponent), but they have less smash attack power for KOing. Both Ice climbers's down smash deals more damage. The Ice Climbers can become separated easier when attacked, but they are a bit stronger by themselves. Down aerial no longer has set knockback, giving it KO potential at very high percentages (above 170%), but it no longer acts as a viable way to maintain the down throw chain grab. The partner can now squall hammer and belay alone, and a lone Ice Climber's Belay gives some slight distance. If the partner hits another character while executing Belay, the move is still completed. The partner AI is significantly advanced (near level 9) so (s)he does not die as easily.

The freeze glitch and wobbling no longer work, but as aforementioned above, the Ice Climbers have gained more effective ways to chain grab. Their down throw no longer requires the aid of Blizzard or down aerial to string chain grabs. In fact, Popo can chain throw many characters by himself with the down throw almost as effectively as Falco can, usually racking up percentages as high as 50%. Again, as mentioned before, their back throw is now a true infinite chain grab and can be used in conjunction with footstool jumping and ice shot to infinitely hobble.

The Ice Climbers also had some purely cosmetic changes. Their orange costume was removed. With their blue costume, they can look almost exactly the same (one Ice Climber's parka has just a small shade difference). The white one is almost the same, but the gloves are different colors. Lastly, squall hammer now sends off flakes of ice if both Ice Climbers are present.

Brawl manual description

"A pair that hits one after the other. Popo is in blue and Nana is in pink."

Moveset

This assumes that both Ice Climbers are present.

Ground attacks

Normal

• Neutral attack - The Ice Climbers swing their hammers in front of themselves. Leader, first hit 3%, second hit 4%. Partner, 2% both hits. Total, 2%-11%. Start-up of 4 frames.
• Dash attack - They do a short jump and swing their hammers in front of themselves. The leader does 6%, while the partner does 4%. Total, 4%-11%. Hits on frame 11-12.
• Forward tilt - Similar to the neutral attack, but with one hand. A useful spacing tool. Leader, 7%. Partner, 9%. Total, 7%-16%. Hits on frame 9-12.
• Up tilt - They spin their hammers over their heads, creating a lingering hitbox that deals multiple hits. It can lead to a grab at low percentages. Leader, 6 hits of 1%, then 4%. Partner, 4 hits of 1%, then 3%. Total, 1%-17%. Hitbox out on frame 8.
• Down tilt - They crouch and sweep their hammers on the ground in front of them. Used generally for gimping recoveries such as Snake's cypher. Leader, 6%. Partner, 5%. Total, 5%-11%. Hitbox out on frame 8 and it ends on frame 11.

Smash attacks

• Forward smash - They lift their hammers over their head, then smash straight down. It looks similar to how they attack in their own game. Can be used at the end of a SoPo chain grab. Leader, 11%-13% uncharged, 16%-18% fully charged. Partner, 9%-10% uncharged, 13%-14% fully charged. Total, 9%-23% uncharged, 13%-32% fully charged. Hits on frame 12-13.
• Up smash - They swing their hammers upwards. Good as a finisher from chain grabs. Leader, 11% uncharged, 15% fully charged. Partner, 9% uncharged, 13% fully charged. Total, 9%-20% uncharged, 13%-28% fully charged. Hits from frame 13 to 18.
• Down smash - They sweep their hammers on the ground all the way around themselves. Because the back swipes' hitboxes extend a bit in front of the climbers and the back and forward swipes are two separate hits, this attack inflicts huge damage if the target is at close range and both climbers are present, making it ideal for Home-Run Contest. This is the second most damaging down smash in the game if both Ice Climbers hit, following Lucas who has the most damaging down smash. Low knockback, though it can KO opponents around 150% unless fully charged. Leader, 12% uncharged, 16% fully charged (-2% if facing opponent at close range). Partner, 8% uncharged, 12% fully charged (strangely, +1% to the back swipe). Total, 8%-41% uncharged, 11%-56% fully charged. Front hit on frame 9-11, back hit on frame 14-17.

Other attacks

• Ledge attack - They climb up the ledge and swing hammers over their heads. 8% each hit.
• 100% ledge attack- They slowly get up and swing their hammers low to the ground. 10% each.
• Floor attack - They quickly get up and hammer in both directions. This is surprisingly similar to their Down Smash, in that the back swipes' hitboxes extend a bit in front of them, and the back and forward swipes are two separate hits, making it shockingly powerful at close range (assuming both climbers fell and are in the same position). 6% each hit. Total, 6%-24%.
• Trip attack - They quickly get up and spin around with their hammers extended. This is surprisingly similar to their Down Smash, in that the back swipes' hitboxes extend a bit in front of them, and the back and forward swipes are two separate hits, making it shockingly powerful at close range (assuming both climbers tripped and are in the same position). 5% each hit. Total, 5%-20%.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial - The Ice Climbers swing in a circle with hammers outstretched. Good for getting Pikmin unlatched. Can cause tripping to occur leading to grabs, Leader, 7%. Partner, 5%. Total, 5%-12%. Hits on frame 6-23.
• Forward aerial - The Ice Climbers lift their hammers over head then swing forward, like their side smash. If the partner hits, the attack will be a meteor smash if placed correctly. Can follow out from a down-throw. Used at the end of chain grabs, especially vs Falco and others who are easy to gimp afterwards. The meteor smash can be smash DI'd however to prevent the early gimp. Useful as a solo Ice Climber KO move as the SoPo hit has moderately high knockback. Leader, 12%. Partner, 7%; 12% if sweet-spotted. Total, 7%-24%. Hits on frame 19-20.
• Back aerial - They swing their hammers behind themselves. Good for edge-guarding. Leader, 11%. Partner, 8%. Total, 8%-19% damage. Hits from frame 8 to 11.
• Up aerial - They stick their hammers above their head. High knockback, disjointed hitbox. Can KO at high percentages and is fast. Very useful spacing tool that is indispensable vs. characters like Metaknight. Leader, 10% when it first comes out, 7% during the rest of the attack. Partner, 7% when it first comes out, 5% during the rest of the attack. Total, 5%-17%. Hitbox out on frame 6 and it ends on frame 23 (strongest hit on frame 6-9).
• Down aerial - A stall-then-fall. They fall with their hammers below themselves. The stall is almost unnoticeable. This move unfortunately has large landing lag. It is used as a landing option. Leader, 8%. Partner, 5%. Total, 5%-13%. Start-up of 5 frames (it usually ends on frame 51).

Grabs & throws

• Pummel - Headbutt. Does 1% per hit. While the leader does the pummeling, the partner can be controlled and can move or buffer any other move in the Ice Climbers' moveset to use when a throw is completed by the leader. Otherwise, the partner either does nothing or does its neutral attack.
• Forward throw - Hit with hammer. If the player walks slightly forward with the partner climber (see pummel) before using, he/she can grab the enemy again right after they use the attack, making this a chain grab. If used near the edge and combined with their partner using a short hop then forward air, it can KO at 50%. Does 8%.
• Back throw- Spin around and hit with hammer. The player can use the other Ice Climber to turn around and re-grab the enemy much in the fashion of the chain grab with the forward throw. This does not cause movement of the Ice Climbers like the latter chain grab as the enemy is thrown back and forth between the Ice Climbers so tripping cannot occur. Does 6% damage. Extremely weak and cannot KO until 698%.
• Up throw - Throw upwards then smash with hammer. Inflicts 6%. Extremely weak and can not KO until 469%.
• Down throw - Spike on ground. Is another chain grab, and likely the Ice Climbers' most reliable one. With both climbers present the other Climber can quickly grab the enemy as they bounce off the ground which will last as long as the player can manage. Unlike other throws that can chain throw, this one can be used to chain throw by a lone climber. If used by a single climber, it can chain throw most characters to about 50% and can be follow up by a forward smash after that. Should it become stale, it chain throw many characters to about 60+% and chain throw lightweights to as high as 90%. This throw can also lead to a meteor smash offstage if the human-controlled Climber performs the down throw and the CPU-controlled Climber performs a forward aerial on the opponent as they are in hitstun. Does 6%.

The Ice Climbers can perform infinite chain grabs with their forward throw, back throw, and down throw. The chaingrabs involve one Climber throwing the character, and the other Climber grabbing the victim as soon as they are released from the first throw. This action can be repeated an infinite amount of times, and while difficult to perform, it is inescapable if performed correctly. It can be used to rack up a lot of damage, and be followed up by an unavoidable smash attack at high percents for a KO. Lightweight characters are easier for the Ice Climbers to do the chaingrabs on.

If the controls have been customized, it is possible for the Climbers to use a forward smash twice, making a "smash throw" gimp KO possible.

Special moves

Ice Climbers's special moves

Neutral special	Ice Shot
Side special	Squall Hammer
Up special	Belay
Down special	Blizzard
Final Smash	—	Iceberg

Taunts

• Up: They set down their hammers and jump up and down. In the Ice Climber NES game, this is the victory celebration of the Ice Climbers during the results screen (albeit without the flag). They also do the same when they reach the mountain top in SSE.
• Side: They will point their hammers diagonally upward shout "Yup!", as wind blows behind them (same as in Melee, only with different sound effects).
• Down: They dance in a circle.

On-screen appearance

• The Condor flies in with them hanging off its feet, then they jump off.

Cheer

File:Ice Climbers Cheer NTSC Brawl.ogg

Popo's NTSC and PAL cheer

• When playing as Popo: Na Na! (high female voices) Po Po! (deep male voices)
• When playing as Nana, the Back sound of the menu plays instead.

In competitive play

Matchups

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Character Matchups

Avg.

Notable players

See also: Category:Ice Climbers professionals (SSBB)

•  9B
•  DeLux
•  ESAM
•  Kakera
•  lain
•  Nakat
•  Vinnie

Tier placement and history

In the first few years of Brawl's metagame, the Ice Climbers were only ranked in mid-high tier, given their poor fighting abilities and vulnerability when the partner Climber dies, and their powerful grab tactics were unrecognized at the time. However, Ice Climber players soon began to utilize their infinite chaingrabs, giving them an extremely powerful zero-to-death option against any other character. Players soon found the technique difficult to handle, as it completely changed the way players fought the Ice Climbers. The Ice Climbers matchup now involved avoiding getting grabbed into a death, which can be difficult to avoid, and the Ice Climbers were able to completely shut down characters who lacked effective tactics to deal with the zero-death chaingrabs. Because of this, the Ice Climbers quickly shot up the ranks, rising to #5 in the fourth tier list (February 2010), and remaining in top tier; the Ice Climbers then rose to 2nd place on the current tier list, placed right underneath Meta Knight in their own tier above the rest of the characters. Some players even argue that since the Ice Climbers have access to a zero-death on every character that works at any percent, they could be tied for first place with Meta Knight, or could even be first place themselves. The Ice Climbers are among the most disliked characters in Brawl by both casual and competitive players, since they possess a zero-death option against any character, something no other character has access to, and they have been considered cheap and broken, with many players supporting the ban of the infinite chaingrabs in tournaments; however, with the definition of what construes an "infinite chaingrab" usually being rigid, players of the Ice Climbers have found many loopholes to avoid using it while still nearly securing stocks with each grab, making opponents' predicaments effectively the same.

Event Matches

Single player events

• Event 11: Yoshi's Rainbow - As the Ice Climbers, KO six Yoshis in the order red, pink, yellow, green, pale blue, blue.
• Event 17: Super Waterfall Climb - Zelda must complete a full loop of Rumble Falls without being KO'd by the Ice Climbers.
• Event 34: All-Star Battle Melee - The Ice Climbers are one of the eight opponents the player must fight from Super Smash Bros. Melee that return for Brawl.

Co-Op events

• Co-Op Event 10: The R.O.B.'s of Tomorrow - Teamed with Lucario, KO R.O.B.s of increasing size.
• Co-Op Event 21: The True All-Star Battle - Two players must select characters and take on the entire Brawl roster.

Role in The Subspace Emissary

Ice Climbers in the Subspace Emissary.

The Ice Climbers were first seen climbing up a mountain together, possibly in pursuit of the Halberd or they were just climbing. When Meta Knight passed them going up the mountain, the Ice Climbers took it as a challenge and jumped up the mountain with Meta Knight. Once they reached the top, the Ice Climbers celebrated with their "victory" for getting up the mountain first, until they and Meta Knight found Lucario, who was looking for a fight with Meta Knight, so the Ice Climbers watch from the side nervously. After the fight, the Halberd crashes the Great Fox into the mountain. Although Meta Knight and Lucario managed to board the Halberd, the Ice Climbers (ironically) are thrown back to the ground towards Marth, Lucas, the Pokémon Trainer, and Ike. After facing some more Subspace Army troopers, the Ice Climbers teamed up with the other heroes as they journeyed into Subspace and helped them battle Tabuu.

Playable appearances

• 21. The Glacial Peak
• 28. Entrance to Subspace
• 31. The Great Maze (if rescued in Subspace (Part II)

Exclusive stickers

These stickers can only be used by the Ice Climbers, or a select few including them:

• Balloon Fight Enemy: [Specials: Indirect] Attack +4
• Donbe: [Slash] Resistance +26
• Duck: Launch Resistance +20
• Fat Hockey Player: [Specials: Indirect] Attack +12
• F-Type: [Throwing] Attack +22
• Nana: [Specials: Direct] Attack +29
• Wild Gunman: [Specials: Indirect] Attack +5
• Yakuman Player: [Electric] Resistance +28

Ice Climbers' trophy in Brawl.

Trophy description

The one in blue is Popo, and the one in pink is Nana. They use their incredible jumping powers and hammers to break blocks and climb to the summit. They grab veggies, and if they can catch the condor at the end, they conquer the mountain. Other than breaking blocks, their hammers are good for sending foes flying, climbing down from blocks, and destroying icicles.

: Ice Climber

Costumes

The Ice Climbers' alternate costumes in SSBB

Note: Popo and Nana switch positions for their 2nd, 4th, and 6th costumes shown above, but they do not switch positions on the selection screen like they did in Melee.

Trivia

• Along with Pokémon Trainer, Diddy Kong, and Jigglypuff, the Ice Climbers are one of the only characters to have a unique "Defeated/No Contest" pose different from the traditional hand clapping, with their head down while rubbing their eyes, making it seem as if they are crying. This pose is a reference to the one they make in Ice Climber after failing in a bonus level.
• In Stamina mode, it is possible for the partner to die before the leader. Regardless of whether this happens or not, the partner will lay on the ground motionless, but not blink red.
• If the partner is caught in a trapping Final Smash and the leader is KO'd, the partner will disappear, leaving the opponent attacking nothing. Some examples are Ike's, Meta Knight's, Link's, and Toon Link's, and as seen here.
• Both Ice Climbers must win a microgame in the WarioWare, Inc. stage to be rewarded.
• The Ice Climbers are one of the only 2 characters (the other being King Dedede) that almost entirely depend on a weapon that isn't a sword; they use hammers instead.
• Along with Sheik, the Ice Climbers are the only Melee veterans to have a tether recovery. Coincidentally, they are also the only two characters with a tether recovery not to have an extended grab.
• Certain Final Smashes, especially trapping ones, can cause the trailing Ice Climber's special effects to be slowed down under the effect of a Timer (Nana's stays even after the Timer is done).
• When CPU controlled, if the leader is star KO'd, the partner will sometimes taunt.

External links

• Ice Climbers' page at Smash Bros. DOJO!!.
• Chain Grab Tutorial
• Ice Climber Character Guide on SWF
• Ice Climbers' Chain Grabbing Every Character, 0% to death
• Ice Climbers' hitbox size of each of their moves, shown with Popo