Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
The matchup is dangerous only if Ice Climbers get to stay synced in front of Roy. Once both climbers are close, side special, down special, grabs, and layered aerials can make even Roy’s fast movement feel irrelevant because the overlapping hitboxes and delayed partner timing turn every scramble into a much heavier risk.
But Roy has the right tools to stop that state from lasting. Ice Climbers do not outrange or outrun him decisively, and their pressure drops hard once the pair gets split. The frame table shows that Jab 1, Jab 2, Forward Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, every smash attack, Down Air, Neutral B, Side B (1)(2), and Down B all give Roy strong shield punishes through OOS Uair (8f), OOS Nair (9f), Up B (9f), or Grab (10f).
The important adjustment is not to overreact to every small opening. Up Tilt, Neutral Air, Forward Air, Back Air, and Up Air can become much trickier depending on how both climbers line up, so those spots are often better treated as chase situations. Roy should run through the landing route and, more importantly, the regroup route, forcing Popo and Nana to stay separated instead of rebuilding the pair.
Kills are more stable through ledge pressure and post-split juggles than through deep edgeguards. Ice Climbers struggle to protect both bodies at once offstage, but Roy still gets more repeatable value by holding the ledge, covering the getup and landing, and keeping the duo from reconnecting.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Roy 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
- Do not let both climbers establish a clean close-range scramble; use Roy’s speed and close hilt pressure to hit first and force a split.
- After blocking Jab 1, Jab 2, Forward Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, any smash attack, Down Air, Ice Shot, Side B (1)(2), or Down B, always take the punish with OOS Uair, OOS Nair, Up B, or Grab.
- Treat Up Tilt and many of the aerial exchanges as chase situations rather than automatic punishes, and run through the landing route or regroup route instead.
- Once Nana and Popo are separated, prioritize preventing the regroup over blindly tunneling one target.
- Finish stocks with split-state bair, Up Smash, Forward Smash, and ledge pressure while avoiding low offstage commitments into both hurtboxes.
Actions to Avoid
- Standing in front of a fully synced pair and trying to win a raw close-range brawl against side special, down special, and grab pressure.
- Swinging after every marginally negative aerial or up tilt and getting clipped by the second climber’s delayed hit.
- Chasing only one climber so hard that the other gets a free regroup and restores the matchup’s hardest state.
- Diving too deep offstage for the kill and letting the duo’s recovery hitboxes turn Roy’s short recovery into the real risk.
- Giving the solo climber too much time to reset spacing and recover the partner instead of pressing the split advantage immediately.