Kyu Puff
Smash Champion
Recently, I've seen a lot of IC players used synched Squall Hammer from the respawn platform in order to avoid having Nana taunt and waste your invincibility frames. The problem is that using Squall Hammer wastes most of your invincibility anyways, and doesn't really have any advantages besides being less unpredictable. The purpose of this thread is to figure out exactly which situations Nana will taunt in.
Nana's AI decision tree
For some reason, as soon as you leave the respawn platform, you lose control of Nana. From what I've observed so far, her AI decision tree looks roughly like this, after she lands on the ground:
- Is Popo below me? Yes -> Enter chase mode (drop through platform)
- Is Popo above me? Yes
Dropping from the Respawn Platform
The only way to regain control of Nana is to land on the ground next to her, or use a move that instantly synchronizes both Climbers (i.e. Squall or Belay). Many people opt to Squall, but here we're interested in landing before Nana has the opportunity to taunt.
Dropping from the respawn platform with Ice Climbers has some weird mechanics. One which we've already discussed is that, initially, you only control Popo. If you flick the control stick quickly in a downward direction (between the two bottom-corner notches), Popo will fastfall. Another is that Nana fastfalls independently of Popo. Every 4 frames, she alternates between "fastfall" and "slowfall" states--whether or not she fastfalls depends on when she receives the command to drop down. Essentially, there is a 50% chance that Nana will fastfall, regardless of what direction you input. Finally, if you buffer the platform drop, Nana will fastfall 100% of the time.
Given the decision tree above, the only time Nana has a chance to taunt is when she lands before Popo (there are probably some exceptions, but the vast majority of cases I've seen conform to this rule). That means if you avoid having only Nana fastfall, she won't taunt.
We have a few options then.
1. Wait until you can drop from the platform, then flick directly downwards. As long as you're within the bottom three notches, Popo will fastfall. 50% of the time, however, only Popo will fastfall, so if you want to remain synched this could slow you down a little bit (especially if you aren't landing on the top platform).
2. Hold directly sideways (0 or 180 degrees, preferably towards the ledge) to buffer a platform drop, then quickly rotate the stick downwards. The buffer will cause Nana to fastfall. As soon as you pass over one of the lower notches, Popo will fastfall as well. As long as you get them to fastfall relatively close to each other, Nana shouldn't taunt.
3. Have Nana fastfall (or neither Ice Climber fastfall), but make sure Popo drifts behind her so that she enters chase mode rather than taunting. This is useful if you want to desynch directly from the platform (i.e. have Popo shoot an ice block and then control Nana as soon as you enter her range).
Some Oddities
Nana usually taunts on stages where you respawn above the top platform. This is because as she falls, she drifts towards Popo's horizontal coordinate. If you respawn above a side platform or the main stage, she has enough time to drift and land next to Popo rather than behind him. If you respawn above the top platform, facing center stage, she'll land almost immediately and taunt.
Even if you get Nana to fastfall, you can't control her until she lands. That means if you try to fastfall directly through a platform, she'll just land on the platform. This isn't a huge problem if Popo is fastfalling, because he'll pass through the platform, and she'll drop through immediately after landing to chase after him.
The fastest way to respawn, however, is probably dual fastfall -> waveland off the platform, or dual fastfall -> platform drop. Either allows you to move around and chase after your opponent while you still have invincibility, which you don't really get if you drop down using Squall Hammer.
Nana's AI decision tree
For some reason, as soon as you leave the respawn platform, you lose control of Nana. From what I've observed so far, her AI decision tree looks roughly like this, after she lands on the ground:
- Is Popo below me? Yes -> Enter chase mode (drop through platform)
- Is Popo above me? Yes
- Is Popo closer to the edge? Yes -> Enter chase mode (turn around and move towards him)
- Is Popo closer to center stage? Yes
This tree isn't complete or 100% accurate. It was mostly tested on Battlefield and might not translate perfectly to other stages. If you move far enough away she'll chase after you, even if you're closer to center stage. On FD I've seen a few weird instances where you land on the ground at the same time and she still decides to taunt--can't explain that yet.- Is Popo closer to center stage? Yes
- Have I gotten any kills this game? Yes -> Taunt; No -> Wait for Popo
Dropping from the Respawn Platform
The only way to regain control of Nana is to land on the ground next to her, or use a move that instantly synchronizes both Climbers (i.e. Squall or Belay). Many people opt to Squall, but here we're interested in landing before Nana has the opportunity to taunt.
Dropping from the respawn platform with Ice Climbers has some weird mechanics. One which we've already discussed is that, initially, you only control Popo. If you flick the control stick quickly in a downward direction (between the two bottom-corner notches), Popo will fastfall. Another is that Nana fastfalls independently of Popo. Every 4 frames, she alternates between "fastfall" and "slowfall" states--whether or not she fastfalls depends on when she receives the command to drop down. Essentially, there is a 50% chance that Nana will fastfall, regardless of what direction you input. Finally, if you buffer the platform drop, Nana will fastfall 100% of the time.
Given the decision tree above, the only time Nana has a chance to taunt is when she lands before Popo (there are probably some exceptions, but the vast majority of cases I've seen conform to this rule). That means if you avoid having only Nana fastfall, she won't taunt.
We have a few options then.
1. Wait until you can drop from the platform, then flick directly downwards. As long as you're within the bottom three notches, Popo will fastfall. 50% of the time, however, only Popo will fastfall, so if you want to remain synched this could slow you down a little bit (especially if you aren't landing on the top platform).
2. Hold directly sideways (0 or 180 degrees, preferably towards the ledge) to buffer a platform drop, then quickly rotate the stick downwards. The buffer will cause Nana to fastfall. As soon as you pass over one of the lower notches, Popo will fastfall as well. As long as you get them to fastfall relatively close to each other, Nana shouldn't taunt.
3. Have Nana fastfall (or neither Ice Climber fastfall), but make sure Popo drifts behind her so that she enters chase mode rather than taunting. This is useful if you want to desynch directly from the platform (i.e. have Popo shoot an ice block and then control Nana as soon as you enter her range).
Some Oddities
Nana usually taunts on stages where you respawn above the top platform. This is because as she falls, she drifts towards Popo's horizontal coordinate. If you respawn above a side platform or the main stage, she has enough time to drift and land next to Popo rather than behind him. If you respawn above the top platform, facing center stage, she'll land almost immediately and taunt.
Even if you get Nana to fastfall, you can't control her until she lands. That means if you try to fastfall directly through a platform, she'll just land on the platform. This isn't a huge problem if Popo is fastfalling, because he'll pass through the platform, and she'll drop through immediately after landing to chase after him.
The fastest way to respawn, however, is probably dual fastfall -> waveland off the platform, or dual fastfall -> platform drop. Either allows you to move around and chase after your opponent while you still have invincibility, which you don't really get if you drop down using Squall Hammer.
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