Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup gets difficult when Lucina keeps clipping Popo and Nana apart with sword tip spacing, because Ice Climbers lose a large part of their threat the moment the pair stops moving as one. The goal is not to win repeated same-height challenges into Lucina’s wall, but to advance from lower angles, force shield or landing choices, and create one real close-range sequence with both climbers intact.
The frame table shows jab 1/2, ftilt, utilt, dash attack, the smash attacks, neutral B, side B, and dair are punishable by OOS Nair (9f), Grab (10f), OOS Uair (10f), OOS Bair (11f), Up Smash (12f), or Up B (13f). By contrast, nair, fair, bair, and uair are effectively safe against shield retaliation here, so Ice Climbers should not expect shield to shut down Lucina’s entire air game.
That makes the win condition more about patience outside sword tip, then punishing the landing or forward commitment and carrying the opening all the way to ledge with Blizzard, uair chains, and throw pressure. Lucina’s recovery is strong, but her options get much thinner once she must re-enter through ledge jump, ledge attack, or a predictable drift path back to stage.
Keep the pair synchronized, cash in the limited guaranteed punishes, and let ledge pressure do the rest.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Ice Climbers OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 5 | -16 |
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| Jab 2 | 4 | -19 |
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| Forward Tilt | 8 | -15 |
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| Up Tilt | 6 | -19 |
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| Down Tilt | 7 | -8 |
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| Dash Attack | 13 | -21 |
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| Forward Smash | 10 | -31 |
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| Up Smash | 13 | -41/-35 |
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| Down Smash | 6/21 | -42/-24 |
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| Neutral Air | 6/15 | -4/-3 |
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| Forward Air | 6 | -6 |
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| Back Air | 7 | -5 |
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| Up Air | 5 | -3 |
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| Down Air | 9/11 | -9/-9 |
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| Neutral B | 19—79 | -23 to Shieldbreak |
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| Side B | 9 | -26/-16 |
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| Up B | 5 | — | ||
| Down B | 6 (Start of Counter) | — | ||
| Grab | 6 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 9 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 10 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not keep charging in at Lucina’s sword height. Use lower drift and grounded advance to keep Popo and Nana together on entry.
- After blocking jab 1/2, ftilt, utilt, dash attack, the smash attacks, neutral B, side B, or dair, punish with OOS Nair (9f), Grab (10f), OOS Uair (10f), OOS Bair (11f), Up Smash (12f), or Up B (13f).
- Treat nair, fair, bair, and uair as spacing tools to chase on the landing or retreat path instead of forcing shield punishes that are not really there.
- Once you get the touch, use Blizzard, uair, and throw routes to move Lucina to ledge instead of ending the exchange early in center.
- If Nana gets separated, stop forcing trades immediately and prioritize regrouping before Lucina cashes out on the split state.
Actions to Avoid
- Repeatedly challenging Lucina at the same height and letting her sword separate the pair for free.
- Trying to shield punish every aerial, especially nair, fair, bair, and uair, when those windows are mostly not available.
- Winning one opening and then letting the matchup reset back to center before ledge pressure starts.
- Gambling on side B or a large commitment while Nana is already far away and vulnerable.