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)

“	A pair that hits one after the other. Popo is in blue and Nana is in pink.	”
—Brawl instruction manual

The Ice Climbers (アイス クライマー, Ice Climber), 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 and throw effectively (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 have received a mix of buffs and nerfs. They can no longer wobble or the perform freeze glitch which previously played a part in their viability in a competitive scene. However, due to the influence of chain grabs, the Ice Climbers are considered to be overall buffed due to the improvements to their chain-grabbing ability in which makes them even more deadly than in Melee. As a result, they are one of the few characters considered to have been truly buffed from SSBM to SSBB.

Attributes

• The Ice Climbers' 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.
• Players can no longer switch to as Nana while switching Popo as an A.I. as in Melee.
• Both Ice Climbers can grab on to a ledge at the same time
• The Ice Climbers are easier to separate when attacked.
• To compensate, the AI level of the partner was increased. When separated, it is nearly equivalent to a Level 9 CPU.
• The freeze glitch can no longer be performed.
• Wobbling no longer works.
• The removal of wavedashing has significantly hindered the Ice Climbers' mobility and approach.

Ground attacks

• Jab deals more damage. Going from 8% to 11% assuming both climbers are present.
• Dash attack deals less damage.
• Up-tilt deals less damage.
• Forward Smash deals less knockback.
• Both Down Smash and Up Smash deal more damage.
• Down Smash has less KO power.

Aerial attacks

• Down aerial no longer has set knockback. This gives the attack KO potential at percentages above 170%.
• However, It goes straight down, making it unreliable to be used in mid-air.

Throws/other attacks

• Forward Throw has less KO power.
• Down Throw's angle and knockback was tweaked. This makes the attack more reliable for chain-grabbing.
• Down throw no longer requires the aid of Blizzard or down aerial to string chain grabs.
• Back Throw is now a true infinite chain-grab. It can also be used in conjunction with footstool jumping and ice shot to infinitely hobble.

Special moves

• Belay can be a Tether Recovery; If the partner grabs a ledge first, the leader will immediately reach up to the ledge.
• Lone Ice Climber's Belay covers slightly more distance.
• Blizzard does slightly more damage.
• Squall Hammer now sends off flakes of ice if both Ice Climbers are present.

Moveset

Note: This assumes that both Ice Climbers are present.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			3% (leader), 2% (partner)	A horizontal swipe followed by an upward swing.
			4% (leader), 2% (partner)
Forward tilt	↗		9% (both)	Does a side swing with their hammers. Can be angled up or down, with the partner dealing more damage if angled up or down.
	→		9% (leader), 7% (partner)
	↘		9% (both)
Up tilt			1% (hits 1-6), 4% (hit 7 [leader]), 3% (hit 7 [partner])	Twirl their hammers over their heads, creating a lingering hitbox that deals multiple hits. Can often lead to a grab at low percents.
Down tilt			6% (leader), 4-5% (partner)	Sweep their hammers across the ground in front of them. Used generally for gimping recoveries such as Snake's Cypher.
Dash attack			6% (leader), 4% (partner)	Leaps forward and swings their hammers in front of themselves.
Forward smash			13%/12% (leader), 10%/9% (partner)	Lifts their hammers over their heads, then smashes them straight down. Deals good knockback it both Ice Climbers' hammers connect. Deals less damage if the opponents hit the hilt of the hammers and more damage if they hit the head.
Up smash			11%/9% (leader), 9%/8% (partner)	Swings their hammers in an arc over their heads. Good as a finisher from chain grabs. Deals more damage if the opponent hit the head of the hammer.
Down smash			12%/10% (leader), 9%/8% (partner)	Spins around and sweeps the ground with their hammers. Can hit up to four times if the opponent is really close and at low percentages. The second most damaging down smash in the game if all four hits connect. Deals more damage if the opponent hits the head of the hammer.
Neutral aerial			7% (leader), 5% (partner)	Spin in a circle with their hammers outstretched. Good for aerial spacing.
Forward aerial			12% (leader), 12% (partner sweetspot), 7% (partner sourspot)	Holds their hammers up and bring them down in a similar fashion to their forward smash. The partner can meteor smash opponents if the move is sweetspotted.
Back aerial			11% (leader), 8% (partner)	Turns around and does a backswing with their hammers.
Up aerial			10%/9% (leader clean), 7% (leader late), 7%/6% (partner clean), 5% (partner late)	Thrust their hammers above themselves like their up tilt, but with only one hitbox per Ice Climber.
Down aerial			8% (leader), 5% (partner)	Hold their hammers below themselves and falls downwards. A stall-then-fall move, with the stall being almost unnoticeable. Has very large landing lag if not auto-cancelled.
Grab			—
Pummel			1%	A headbutt. The leader pummels the opponent, whereas the player has some control over the partner while pummeling.
Forward throw			3% (hit 1), 5% (throw)	Hits opponent forward with their hammers. If the player walks slightly forward with the partner before using, they can regrab the opponent again right after they use the attack, making this throw a chaingrab.
Back throw			6%	Throws opponent behind. Usable in a chaingrab.
Up throw			2% (hit 1), 4% (throw)	Throw opponent upwards then hits them with hammer.
Down throw			6%	Spins and then throws the opponent to the ground. Can be used to chain grab infinitely with good timing if both Ice Climbers participate.
Floor attack (front)			6%	Gets up and spins around, hitting with their hammers.
Floor attack (back)			6%	Gets up and swipes their hammers on both sides.
Floor attack (trip)			5%	Gets up and spins around, hitting with their hammers.
Edge attack (fast)			8% (hammer), 6% (body)	Quickly gets up and slams his/her hammer on the ground.
Edge attack (slow)			10% (hammer), 8% (body)	Slowly gets up and swipes his/her hammer forwards.
Neutral special		Ice Shot	1-3%	Each Ice Climbers fire a block of ice that travel along the ground, bouncing off walls. When used in midair, the Ice Climbers will gain a slight boost in the air, but it will only work once before landing on the ground.
Side special		Squall Hammer	2-3% (loop)	Both Ice Climbers spin around together while moving along the ground, consisting of many hits. It can also be used as a recovery move by mashing the B button, which causes both Ice Climbers to rise in the air. It gains more distance when both Ice Climbers are present.
Up special		Belay	16%	The leading Ice Climber throws the following Ice Climber in the air with a rope. The following Ice Climber then pulls the leader upwards. If there is a nearby edge, the following Climber will target it, leading to a safe recovery for both Ice Climbers. Each Ice Climber become helpless after the move is used.
Down special		Blizzard	1-2%	Each Ice Climbers blows icy wind from their hands, damaging nearby opponents. When the move is used on the ground, the partner will shoot in the direction opposite of the leader.
Final Smash		Iceberg	2% (hit), 5% (frozen)	The Ice Climbers summon a huge Iceberg into the middle of the field. Touching the iceberg results in freeze damage, and possibly becoming frozen. Being frozen when pushed off the edge can lead to a fatal death, as the frozen player falls with full speed.

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).
• 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.

Idle poses

• Spin their hammers.
• Drops their hammers off their shoulders then picks them back up.

Cheer

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.

Wii Remote selection sound

The Ice Climbers' Wii Remote selection sound

An Ice Shot sound is heard and both Ice Climbers say "Youp!"

Victory theme

A cover of the music that played whenever the Ice Climbers grabbed the feet of the Condor at the end of a bonus level in Ice Climber.

Victory poses

• Both nod and high five one another.
• Both jump up and down (their victory pose from Ice Climber).
• Nana hides behind Popo, only showing her face as Popo shifts from left to right.

In competitive play

Matchups

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Character Matchups

Avg.

The Ice Climbers have an incredible matchup spread. On the SWF matchup chart The Ice Climbers have the Third Highest Unweighted Rank and the second highest weighted rank. IC's are soft countered by four characters, have seven even matchups, soft counter 8 characters, counter 10 characters, hard counter 5, and have 2 unlosable matchups. IC's do well against characters that can't approach while getting grabbed, like King Dedede, Falco, and Olimar. They also does well against heavy or slow characters, case in point have unlosable matchups against Bowser and Ganondorf. They don't do well against characters that have ranged KO moves, like Zero Suit Samus' Sweetspotted plasma whip (Side B). IC's also do poorly against floaties or zoners, having trouble with Meta Knight, Toon Link, and Peach. IC's have incredible matchups all around and has the ability to beat every character in the game.

Notable players

See also: Category:Ice Climbers professionals (SSBB)

•  9B
•  DeLux
•  ESAM
•  Hylian
•  Kakera
•  lain
•  Meepxzero
•  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.

Role in The Subspace Emissary

Ice Climbers in SSE

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

• The Glacial Peak
• Entrance to Subspace
• 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

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• Event 11: Yoshi's Rainbow: As the Ice Climbers, the player must KO six Yoshis in the order of red, pink, yellow, green, cyan, and blue.
• Event 17: Super Waterfall Climb: Zelda must survive on Rumble Falls until the backgorund changes into a waterfall. Two pairs of Ice Climbers will try to hinder the player's progress.
• Event 34: All-Star Battle Melee: Zelda is one of the opponents fought in this event. All opponents are newcomers from Super Smash Bros Melee.

Co-Op Events

• Co-Op Event 10: The R.O.B.'s of Tomorrow: Lucario and the Ice Climbers must defeat five R.O.B.s of varying sizes on Summit.
• Co-Op Event 21: The True All-Star Battle: Both players select a character and take on the entire roster on Battlefield.

Trophies

The Ice Climbers' main and Final Smash trophies can be obtained by clearing Classic Mode and All-Star mode respectively with the Ice Climbers.

Trophy descriptions

Ice Climbers

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

Iceberg

The Ice Climbers' Final Smash. This giant ice mountain appears in the middle of a stage—it's incredibly slippery, so it's hard to control yourself when traversing it. In addition to being slick, this ice is also COLD, so opponents will take damage just from touching it. Attack the ice, and it will take damage and slowly shrink. Is it actually useful? That's a mystery.

: Super Smash Bros. Brawl

• 

  Classic Mode trophy

• 

  Iceberg trophy

Alternate costumes

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

The Ice Climbers' alternate costumes in Brawl

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 one Ice Climber 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