Ice Climbers (SSBU): Difference between revisions

The Ice Climbers are ranked 51st out of 82 on the tier list, putting them at the top of the C+ tier. This is an extreme drop from their 2nd out of 38 ranking in ''Brawl'', and is their worst placement in the series by far. The Ice Climbers serve as an unconventional take on a fighter that excels at close-quarters combat. With some of the highest damage output of the entire cast, both in terms of raw power and combo abilities, alongside solid frame data across the board allowing them to take on an aggressive playstyle in spite of their poor mobility. While able to cause devastating damage with unique techniques or simple bread-and-butter combos, the Climbers aren't too susceptible to combos themselves. Their short stature and low falling speed make stringing attacks against them difficult, which is further compounded by the partner climber being capable of disrupting combo attempts by their opponent. The partner climber causing hitlag upon shielding or taking an attack can open windows of opportunity in a would-be unfavorable situation for the duo, as well as giving them more leeway with an otherwise mediocre out-of-shield game. These quirks allow the Ice Climbers to become an incredibly threatening character with a very unforgiving advantage state and punish game if their opponent is unable to KO the partner climber quickly.

Despite all their strengths, the Ice Climbers have a few glaring flaws, mainly coming from the vulnerability of the partner Ice Climber and the loss of a few important tools between the transition from Brawl to Ultimate. While they boast incredible damage output and KO potential, it becomes heavily diminished if the partner is KO'd, and the fact that the partner takes more damage and knockback further compounds this problem. When separated, the AI guides the partner back to the leader and deprioritizes most attempts to defend themselves from any threats. When the leader is grabbed by an opponent, the partner will act shocked or scared and usually can't attack until the leader has escaped or been thrown, which makes previously near-guaranteed grab escapes far less reliable. The partner also has their own hidden percentage that racks up separately of the leader's and can make it easy for an opponent to KO them first. Because of this, it is important for the leader to hurry back to the partner to make an attempt at either defending them or punishing their attacker, though this can potentially lead the leader into dangerous situations as well. Their main recovery methods, Belay and Squall Hammer, are also drastically weakened if the partner is KO'd during the stock, losing a great deal of distance to the point that Squall Hammer no longer provides any height and Belay becomes nearly useless. (whereas with both Ice Climbers they are excellent recovery moves).

Overall, the Ice Climbers' strengths almost certainly outweigh their weaknesses, but they are still commonly seen as a shell of their former selves, and lack the representation needed to make their near-limitless potential a mainstream presence in competitive play.