Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup is decided by whether Ice Climbers can get close while keeping Popo and Nana together before Ike’s long sword starts splitting them apart. Ike converts nair, bair, dash attack, and strong grounded swings into damage and kills very quickly, and once both climbers get clipped together the weakness after a split becomes exposed immediately. On the other hand, his mobility, startup, and recovery routes all have holes once Ice Climbers are allowed into point-blank range.
The frame table shows guaranteed punishes with OOS nair (9f), grab (10f), OOS uair (10f), OOS bair (11f), Up Smash (12f), and Up B (13f) against Jab 1-3, every tilt, dash attack, every smash attack, Neutral B, Side B, and Up B. Fair and dair are also punishable by OOS nair, so Ike’s larger swings should always become either a grab starter or a Blizzard pressure sequence once they are blocked.
The win condition is to use Side B, grab, Down B, nair, and uair while both climbers are present, then keep layering dual-hit pressure on Ike’s large body until he is pushed to the ledge. His Side B and Up B are both linear enough that Ice Shot, Blizzard, and ledge aerial coverage can repeatedly shrink the way back instead of betting on one heroic offstage chase.
Ike’s nair, bair, and uair are still cheap on shield, and when both climbers get clipped together Nana is often the one sent away first. If Ice Climbers keep taking the air battle head-on or try to brawl while separated, the match becomes much harder before they ever get their close-range game started.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Ice Climbers OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 4 | -15 |
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| Jab 2 | 3 | -20 |
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| Jab 3 | 5 | -29 |
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| Forward Tilt | 12 | -17 |
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| Up Tilt | 11 | -17 |
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| Down Tilt | 7 | -13 |
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| Dash Attack | 15 | -17 |
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| Forward Smash | 31 | -39/-36 |
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| Up Smash | 25 | -34 |
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| Down Smash | 13/32 | -46/-25 |
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| Neutral Air | 10 | -5 |
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| Forward Air | 11 | -9 |
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| Back Air | 7 | -6 |
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| Up Air | 13 | -5 |
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| Down Air | 16 | -9 |
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| Neutral B | 30-239 | -38 to Shieldbreak |
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| Side B | 16 | -28 to -22 |
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| Up B | 15/44/51/61 | -29 |
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| Down B | 9 (Start of Counter) | — | ||
| Grab | 7 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 10 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 11 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Prioritize staying together. Use Side B, walking shield, and jump-ins to cross Ike’s sword space without leaving Nana behind before contact is made.
- After blocking Jab 1-3, tilts, dash attack, smash attacks, Neutral B, Side B, Up B, fair, or dair, punish every time with OOS nair (9f), grab (10f), OOS uair (10f), OOS bair (11f), Up Smash (12f), and Up B (13f) as the table allows.
- Once in close, keep the sequence going with grab, Down B, nair, and uair so both climbers keep hitting Ike’s large body and carry him to the ledge.
- For edgeguards, do not rely only on one deep commit. Repeat Ice Shot, Blizzard, and ledge aerial coverage to keep Side B and Up B recovery lines narrow.
- If only one climber remains, do not force the brawl back immediately. Reunite first so nair, bair, and dash attack do not keep clipping Nana for free.
Actions to Avoid
- Challenging Ike’s nair, bair, and uair head-on with both climbers stacked together and letting one sword swing split the pair before the neutral even begins.
- Missing guaranteed punishes on jab strings, grounded swings, Side B, Up B, fair, and dair, which leaves Ike’s slower defense completely untested.
- Throwing away the stable Ice Shot and Blizzard edgeguard pattern by overcommitting to a single deep offstage read every time.
- Continuing a point-blank brawl while only one climber is active and letting range and damage differences decide the exchange immediately.