Wobbling
Wobbling is an infinite grab technique exclusive to the Ice Climbers in Super Smash Bros. Melee. When performed with the right timing, opponents cannot break out of Popo's grab and will continuously get hit; the technique can also be performed on all characters in the game except against another pair of Ice Climbers.
Wobbling received its name as a reference to American smasher and Ice Climbers main Wobbles; the term was reportedly first used by spectators after he claimed 9th place in NCT2 with considerable use of the technique.
In Super Smash Bros. Melee
Wobbling begins with a grab by Popo. Following this, the Ice Climbers player must use one of many methods to desynch the Ice Climbers, and have Popo pummel while Nana forward tilts or down tilts. If done correctly, Popo and Nana will hit the enemy repeatedly in an alternating rhythm while the enemy cannot escape. This technique can inflict significant damage, and can lead to a KO if Nana performs a forward smash after sufficient damage has been inflicted.
In addition to standard Wobbling, a variation called Blizzobbling can also be performed, where Nana instead uses Blizzard to attack opponents instead of using a tilt. Like Wobbling, it is also inescapable.
Wobbling works by the existence of a mechanics exploit in Melee. When an opponent is grabbed, they cannot mash out of the grab if the character grabbing them is performing an attack. This is the basis behind how pummeling works; opponents cannot mash out when a pummel connects, but pummels are not fast enough to stop them from escaping in-between them. However, Popo and Nana are treated as the same character when attacking. Thus, players can exploit desynching to force them to attack in an alternating manner that does not allow enough time for any character to escape from the grab; the delay between the pummel and the tilt is miniscule if not nonexistent, and is humanly impossible to escape from.
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Wobbling is impossible in Brawl, as the grab mechanics have changed. However, the Ice Climbers gained a new infinite chain grab, which is harder to perform but still guarantees a KO if done correctly, making the loss of Wobbling inconsequential.
In competitive play
Due to its perceived overpowering potential, Wobbling is a controversial technique within the Melee community, and there exists considerable debate over whether the technique should be banned or not. Those opposed to the ban claim that Wobbling is a legitimate tactic; since Wobbling in itself requires falling into the Ice Climbers' below-average grab range, consistently being Wobbled or losing matches solely to Wobbling reflects poor fundamental play and match-up experience. They also argue that Wobbling does not compensate for the many weaknesses that the Ice Climbers have at top-level play, such as their poor aerial combat, and that Ice Climbers mains need as many advantages as possible to succeed. Supporters of the ban claim that the technique is too powerful regardless of whether or not it is the opponent's fault for falling into the Ice Climbers' grab, as it is inescapable and almost always leads to a KO; supporters of a ban also note that there exists other ways for the Ice Climbers to punish off a grab, such as their hand-off chain grabs, though such techniques are significantly more difficult to perform. They also claim that Wobbling is an uninteresting technique to watch in matches, potentially deterring spectators from wanting to view streamed matches where Wobbling is applied, or stirring hatred among spectators for the Ice Climbers altogether.
While the technique has long been the source of controversy since its inception, the general attitude towards wobbling has been generally positive than before since Wobbles' performance at EVO 2013, where Wobbles made massive upsets by defeating top-level players such as Lord and Shroomed and defeating several members of The Five Gods, including PPMD, Hungrybox, and Mango. Because the EVO series is primarily a FGC-run tournament, wobbling was justified as being no different from "infinites" present in many FGC popular games such as Marvel vs Capcom, which in turn have been justified by the corresponding community as fair.
The most recent Smash Back Room ruleset for Melee does not have a specific rule dealing with Wobbling; as such, it is generally up to the discretion of the tournament organizer to decide whether or not to ban the technique. Reflecting this, different tournaments have had differing legalities for the technique; for example, the Big House and Epita Smash Arena series of tournaments ban Wobbling, while the Apex and Avalon series allow Wobbling.
