Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Ice Climbers are extremely dangerous once Popo and Nana stay together at close range, because side B, down B, grabs, and layered aerials can push Lucas all the way to the ledge from a single opening. If Lucas leans too hard on holding shield or scrambling at landing height, he gets buried under two overlapping hitboxes.
But their mobility and reach are modest, and their pressure drops sharply as soon as one climber falls behind, so Lucas can use fair, down tilt, forward tilt, and rope-snake grab to hit one body first and keep the pair split while extending the landing trap.
As the table shows, jab, forward tilt, down tilt, dash attack, every smash attack, down air, neutral B, side B (1)(2), and down B can be punished by grab (10f) or OOS nair/uair, and side B plus neutral B also allow OOS fair or dair. Neutral air, forward air, back air, and up air are usually only up B punish spots, so do not force a bigger punish when both climbers are still together.
The win condition is to break the pair once, deny Nana’s rejoin route with long normals and projectiles, then keep squeezing landing and ledge options until fair at the ledge, forward tilt, up air, or a smash attack closes the stock. That steady split-pressure plan is safer than hard-forcing a single deep read.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Lucas OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 4 | -20(-15) |
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| Jab 2 | 4 | -21(-12) |
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| Forward Tilt | 9 | -14(-10) |
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| Up Tilt | 8/11/14/17/20/23/27 | -16(-7) |
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| Down Tilt | 8 | -16(-10) |
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| Dash Attack | 9 | -24(-18) |
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| Forward Smash | 11 | -27(-22) |
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| Up Smash | 12 | -29(-24) |
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| Down Smash | 9/16 | -22/-17 |
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| Neutral Air | 6 | -4(+2) |
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| Forward Air | 19 | -5(+3) |
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| Back Air | 8 | -3(+0) |
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| Up Air | 7 | -10(-3) |
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| Down Air | 12 | -16(-12) |
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| Neutral B | 18/19 | -29(-24) |
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| Side B (1) | 10/14/18/23/28/34/40/51 | -21 |
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| Side B (2) | 10/13/15/18/21/24/28/32/37/42/49 | -24 |
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| Up B | 13 | — | ||
| Down B | 16/21/26/31/36/41/46/51/56 | -22(-15) |
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| Grab | 8 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 10 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 10 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Refuse the direct brawl while both climbers are together. Use fair, down tilt, forward tilt, and rope-snake grab to touch one climber first, then prioritize stopping the rejoin.
- Punish jab, forward tilt, down tilt, dash attack, every smash attack, down air, neutral B, side B (1)(2), and down B with grab (10f), OOS nair (10f), or OOS uair (10f). Side B and neutral B also let OOS fair (12f) and OOS dair (13f) connect.
- Treat neutral air, forward air, back air, and up air as spots where up B is the realistic answer. Do not overcommit after a shallow block while both climbers can still swing.
- When Nana is separated, mix PK Fire, fair, and ledge hold to block the rejoin route. A solo climber loses a large part of the close-range threat, so keep stage control instead of rushing.
- Finish stocks with ledge fair, forward tilt on get-up, or up air/smash at the landing spot. Do not lean too hard on one PK Freeze read when ledge pressure is already winning the exchange.
Actions to Avoid
- Sitting in shield against a full two-climber close-range sequence and letting side B, down B, or grab layers break you open.
- Hitting one climber and then tunneling on the kill while the partner quietly rejoins and resets the matchup.
- Trying to force a heavy punish after blocking neutral air, forward air, back air, or up air and getting clipped by the second climber’s follow-up.
- Overcommitting to PK Freeze or a deep edgeguard and giving up your own stage position so Ice Climbers can start their push from center again.