I am so down for Sub-Zero in Super Smash Bros Ultimate. I feel like a Mortal Kombat rep has a decent chance of making in. Especially since the announcement of additional DLC fighters. I honestly have a move list idea and I hope this is a proper place to put it since it is a support thread. I hope I'm not too late ( This will be pretty long so feel free to skim thru this if you feel ) Add me to the list
1A.) Design
I was watching a Gamexplain video ( Shout out to them ) about the different battlefield concepts. briefly in the video, Sakuri talked mentioned how he had to find an even balance when it came to graphics and detailing. ( for example Fox is a little less detail compared to his series while Mario is more detailed ) I took this into consideration and decided that Sub-Zero design should be his Klassic Mortal Kombat 1 design. Not only is it a notable and nostalgic design, but it is relatively simple in comparison to his more up to date counter parts such as Mortal Kombat 9 onwards. So the detailing can be more modernized on par with Super Smash Bros Ultimate standards and fit better with the other characters in terms of looks. ( This will play a role in Move list decision )
2a.) Colors Palettes
( Best Picture Reference )
This ties in with the design of Sub-Zero. Now that he is in his Klassic Mortal Kombat skin, he can easily be a palette swapped with other ninja making it a cool nod to them and paying homage to Mk legacy. Before I list the alternate colors, it is possible that some people might confuse them for the real thing if not careful enough ( unlikely, but you never know ) so with each color, Sub-Zero will have his Lin kuei medallion on his body still. This might not be needed though. It will be located on the right side of his just with the Lin Kuei design but not glow or anything to not clash with the colors. Anyway...…..
2a. Yellow Ninja Klassic ( Scorpion )
2a. Red Ninja Klassic ( Ermac )
2a. Green Ninja Klassic ( Reptile )
2a. Black Ninja Klassic ( Noob Saibot )
2a. Grey Ninja Klassic ( Smoke )
2a. Purple Ninja Klassic ( Rain )
2a. Light Green / Clear ( Chameleon )
These are the Klassic ones I would pick. I was thinking with Chameleon, Sub-Zero's arms and hands become transparent in color and the rest of him stays green like signature Chameleon. It would have been weird for him to have a rainbow changing alt so if this version causes problems with gameplay, then you can always swap it out with something along the lines of a mustard dark yellow. ( This would be symbolizing Tremor ) But I digress. Now juicy gameplay
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2B.) Gameplay Introduction
Sub-Zero will be in a similar boat in terms of Ryu and Ken when it comes to input and perhaps difficulty execution. I want you to feel like you are playing Mortal Kombat game. So he will have flashy combos and notations unique to himself unlike any other warrior who graces the battlefield of Smash. He will rely on combos and conversion to achieve damage. He will have to get in close for this work of coarse but don't worry. He will have old and new generation moves to help him out to open the player up to style on them with cool combos. but here is where it gets tricky, he has to cancel and link moves together to get them like Ryu and Ken. Now where to begin with this, so much more to dive into...……..
( For starters, much like Ryu & Ken, he will always face the direction of his opponents on 1 V 1, player vs player battle )
2b. ) Idle Animation & Movement
Sub-Zero Idle Animation will be almost identical to his Mortal Kombat 1 counterpart. If they choose to, they can slightly widen, alter speed, and mirror it to fit the more modern day of Smash. I picked this stance because I feel like it is the best of the stances he has in terms of appearance in more. Remember that I said this was important above. It will be important for his Specials and Normals as well. His walk, jump, & run will be also the same as his classic counterparts. When he double jumps or even forward / backwards jumps, toss in a summersault animation to really drive it home. His run speed will be on par with Ryu ( might be slightly worse ) and his jump height will be decent at best. His roll and ledge get up will be a standard roll from Mortal Kombat. His dodge and spot dodge will possibly be your normal generic one. He might even have a generic normal get up kick. Now it is time for some fun stuff.
2C.) Normals ( Jab: Tilts: Aerials: Throws ) [ In that order ]
2c. His jab will be a one, two combination from Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. Simple, it will not be a traditional jab like the others where the opponent will take knockback. Instead, you can use his 1,2 jab to link into Special or other basic attacks. The opponent will receive enough hit lag to allow for cancels however, you need to be quick because they are still right in front of your face. Even at higher percentages, the opponent feet will not leave the ground. I will mention linking and canceling often but will give you combo suggestions at the end or as we go along. Mortal Kombat is known for allowing the player to cancel basic attacks into specials to extend combos etc. we'll talk about it. Jab will be weak about 3% jab 1 then 2% jab 2. ( all for good reasons ). If you hold jab but don't hit shields or the opponent, you will Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 infinite jab that just constantly goes 1,2,1,2,1,2,1,2. Not useful but cool touch right. ( you can make his jabs highs if you angle them )
2c. F Tilt will be his roundhouse kick from the Mortal Kombat games. (<--- + HK ) like Mortal Kombat 2. Unlike that game, this move won't be begin to knockback opponents until high percentages like ( 80 % ) so much like jab, it will leave opponents in hit stun but they will be close and grounded to the floor. So conversions like jab 1,2 + F Tilt, into X will be a true inescapable combo at lower percentages. Awesome. If you keep hold forward after the first successful Tilt, then press the jab button again, Sub-Zero will do another round house kick for example a combo like: 1,2 + F Tilt ( hold forward ) 1 ( unleashed another round house kick ), into X will be a real combo. Now, to make this far after a few hit the opponent won't get launched yet but he will start slide away giving you less range to finish the combo so maybe after like 2 or 3 kicks, cancel into a special. His roundhouse kick does 12 % ( his dmg is not that good )
2c. D Tilt will have him duck like the older Mortal Kombat games and deliver a sweep attack. In traditional Mortal Kombat games, the opponent will fall to the floor then depending on his / her health will get back up. In Super Smash Bros Ultimate, this move will trip almost every time unless you space too far. Upon tripping them you can run up and work your magic on them, whatever the situation. However wait to long, and your opponent will have a chance to initiate a Tech chase. This isn't too bad but Sub-Zero speed is fairly slow so they will possibly get away if not prepare or have a special trap waiting. This Move will do about 9 %.
2c. U Tilt will be his signature uppercut and it will be a killer. In some instances, it will be an excellent combo ender with the launch power of someone like Mega Man's Uppercut. It will send the opponent straight up at almost any percentages really and can really kill for example lightweights around 100 % which is not too shabby since he will have lots of combo opportunities. But of course a move like this can't have any weakness so what are they ? The start- up is good especially for the power, but the end lag is terrible and though it has shield pushback, it is still very punishable. So, only use this move to end combos and stocks. ( It will have an easier time killing on platforms of against airborne opponents ) Does 13 %
2c. His Nair will be the jump Kick. Much like a lot of the tools above, coming down with this move will cause hit stun to the opponent but will not yet make them tumble off their feet. In Mortal Kombat, Aerial attacks are known as jump in some allow for combos. His Aerial will allow for combos especially at lower percent. So get imaginative and go crazy. The problem is that the move will feel meaty unlike little Mac but the weird arc it has are for hitting grounded opponents. Good on shields too but not really for jumping opponents. So Short hopping is great for Sub-Zero. Full Hopping, not so much. His forward air is much suited for catching jump heavy opponents. does 9 % ( It can hit air opponents but not the best like most aerials are designed for )
2c. Fair jump punch will grant him the same great combo abilities as his Nair however, Nair has a wider more meaty hitbox making it easier to land and combo off of. This move will be used more or less to catch jumping opponents as the hitbox is more horizontal. Short hopping this move into to creative combos is still very much so go for it. Does a low 6 % on it.
2c. D air Will be his Hammer Smash from Mortal Kombat X. I want him to have representation across the board so even though most of his move are Mortal Kombat 1, 2, & 3, he moves from current gen as well. Now this move will not spike and will be used as a landing option. That's really it. It does have an after shock effect so close opponents will be launched in the air but Sub-Zero Air combo game is pretty weak. So This move will have occasional uses but every move has a purpose. I mean it does good dmg on direct hit. 13 % on hammer, 9 % on aftershock hit box.
2c A modified version of Mortal Kombat 2 hop kick will be his up air. It won't be that useful especially if your hoping to kill from the top because it won't. This move will be like the Hero's in a way. A move that isn't too strong but can still use it to assault people above you if you wish to go that route. TBH, I don't think this is a bad move but it won't be beneficial to Sub-Zero's game plan either, so don't expect to use this move. 12 % decent knockback.
2c. You know, I'm not entirely sure about his B Air. I guess I have to make one up. I say a quick sword Swipe much like Marth's and The Hero. An actually really good B Air that has good range. I see this move being used when it can because this attack possibly has the best range out off the attacks he has to offer. Safe on Shields etc. Only problem though is that in 1 v1 it is harder to use back airs so that might be a slight handicap to this move, but still doable and the damage and kill power will be much worth it. now to the Grabs then wrap it up with Specials. Does 15 %
2c. His back throw will be a carbon copy of his back toss in Mortal Kombat 1. It will also be the strongest
2c. For his forward throw, Sub-Zero does what Ryu does and toss them roughly forwards.
2c. His down throw will be a karate chop which will launch the opponent at an awkward angle but that does not matter since most combos will done on the flow.
2c. His up throw is where the fun happens. So when this one, Sub-Zero does what he does in Mortal Kombat 11. creates a block of Ice above and smacks the opponent into it. The opponent will come down off the so it won't launch into the blast Zone upwards. However it will kill at 130 % because if you do up throw then. Sub-Zero will add spikes to it. the opponent will get impaled for a few seconds with unique animations before exploding in the gust from Stamina mode. Like a mini brutality nod. You get the kill.
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3D.) Special Moves & Final Smash
Thanks to Sub-Zero Command input and the fact there is an actual move list in the game with tips, I feel like Sub-Zero is allow more than 3 moves in his arsenal. Let's go over the main moves to start and slowly start to progress from there. His Standard Neutral special should be fairly obvious indeed. But just in case...……
3d) Ice Ball / Ice Freeze will be his Standard neutral special. He will take the pose and position just like Mortal Kombat 1 and the Ice Ball will look just like that. in pieces of shards. Once they hit an opponent, instead of being sealed in ice like Lucas PK freeze, the opponent will turn blue, give off a freezing que, and be frozen right in place just like the Mortal Kombat and not like Super Smash Bros. This will give Sub-Zero an easier time to follow up with huge combos and now that you have ice freeze, at 0 % things like: jab 1,2 / F Tilt ( hold forward 1 ) / Neutral special / U Tilt become true combos. and there would be plenty more. This move would have a lot of utility to it. If the opponent is frozen mid air they will break out of it but will tumble out of their animation into helpless state for a few moments. If you freeze them before completing an attack, Their attack gets canceled out. you can only freeze once per true combo.
3d) Side Special would be his Signature slide and this attack in Mortal Kombat was his signature move in order to end combos and super smash bros is no different. as soon as you are done stringing your normals together, cancel into the slide to finish off the fancy combo. Slide is not really a good kill move and won't kill until well over 130 %. It is a pretty simple attack use to follow up for slightly more damage and maybe punish 2 frames near the ledge if you time your travels right. Other than, great combo ender. Don't spam it though. It does not go through Shields!!!! About 11 %
3d) Down Special should be his Ice Clone and it works exactly how you think it does. You can hide behind it and zone your opponent with Ice Freeze or Slide them. However, Ice Clone can be destroyed by a project. It will shatter and absorb impact but your gonna have to use it wisely. One out at a time. If the opponent touches it, they will freeze. You can go off stage and plant an Ice Clone around the ledge to gimp recoveries. Or use it to trap opponents and force off the ledge you want. If you want to create an interesting shape with the Ice Clone’s hit boxes, perform a normal attack and quickly cancel into Ice Clone. For example: F Tilt cancelled into Ice Clone will look like a roundhouse kick. It can not be cancelled from special of course. To make it cool, there is a small percent chance that your Ice Clone will come out in the forms of a Snowman, Shao Kahn statue, or penguin.
3d) Up Special is going to be different compared to using on the ground and in the air. It is an ability from Mortal Kombat 11 called Rising Ice. His recovery will be decent but not all that good. It will lack horizontal movement and really only shoots up. However, it will be an amazing out of shield option to stop pressuring opponents. In the air, it will simply shoot a gust of Ice from below to propel himself upwards so that’s something. I think the hit boxes on the gust deserves to freeze people but that up for debate. The ground version will launch the opponent upwards and can be cancelled to end combos. Does around 12 %
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4E.) Additional Special ( Inputs )
The Mortal Kombat franchise utilizes directional inputs in order to achieve different commands and Sub-Zero will be no different. This feature alone will make him a truly unique character to the franchise, Much like The Hero, he will have more specials to work with so I decide to add them here before I get into the Final Smash and extra fun thing below this portion of the move list.
4e) ( Down, Down, Special button ) will unleash his move ground freeze. Over the generations, ground freeze either: froze the opponent or made them slip and fall. I want this move to make opponent slip giving every smash character a unique animation to represent this. What makes this interesting is that it will cover a decent amount of the stage. It will have the long startup animation in Mortal Kombat 11. So chance are you might not slip them for a combo. But upon doing the move, the full patch of ice lingers causing players to slide instead of slip or trip. This can mess up with the way the opponent attacks as they loose traction when it comes to walking and running. make the ledge slippery by spraying it causing the opponent to loose the grip of the ledge faster than Normal. Does no damage
4e) ( Down, Forward, Special Button ) Will perform a move in Mortal Kombat Creeping Ice. This is were Sub-Zero plants his fist into the ground and creates a small ice pillar of it. This move will have decent shield not back and will be a great get off me tool when opponents are on you. The move hit close to the ground so it is a terrible anti air but good every else. He can enhance the move in Mortal Kombat and despite not having meter here, you can do it too. Simply mash the special button to get the same results of an enhance creeping ice from mortal Kombat 11. Does decent damage roughly 12 % + 8 %
4e) Cold shoulder ( Forward, Down, Forward, Special ) will be almost like Banjo wonder wing. Sub does a charging Shield like bash that essential works like Slide. The difference here is that this move will neutralize projectile attacks and strike the opponent. So in a way it might be slightly more useful than slide and can be a combo ender. enhance the move by quickly pressing Special on direct hit, other wise missed timed will cause the opponent to just fly off instead. Sub-Zero does a barrage of Ice hits with his Axe like Mortal Kombat 11. All in all it will be a decent kill move since I feel like Sub-Zero will lack those overall.
4e) Lastly frigid storm ( forward, quarter half circle, special ) he creates this orbital Ice stone that travel kind of like Mega Man's leaf shield but side ways. It will have decent knockback and to be honest, will just serve as a decent projectile. That's all I can say about the move except it will have some start up but overall it will have good shield pressure so that must be a plus right. yes!!!
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Final Smash: Sub-Zero Will turn into the an ice Sculpture like in Mk9 and then charge at his victim. I don't know if this is too much for Smash but all you see next is the stage and a black background like a fatality. Then, Shao Kahn voice will say Finish him/her ! After that Sub-Zero who is a decent steps away will freeze the opponent and from that range, Slide in, Duck then uppercut them so hard they shatter into a million tiny pieces and Sparkles. No gore or anything like that. The announcer will then Say Fatality with Sub-Zero hand raised like in the older Mk days. it will in seconds go back to the battlefield with the opponent just bursting into smoke like when you run out of stamina. So it only attacks one opponent but it will instant kill.
* This is it, I think I'll add in more things to this like how his stage will be the Pit ( It's references )
* His Smash attacks which will be his Strongest moves
*Block animations ( will be from the old Mk games 2 hand guard )
*And Soundtracks
But I hope you guys like it ( fill free to add on )
(I can see some fun images alongside Ice Climbers)