Mortal Kombat 11/Sub-Zero

Sub-Zero #MK11_SUB
REDEMPTION Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei clan. Kuai Liang beat death to redeem his clan for the evil committed by Sektor and the Cyber Lin Kuei. He rebuilt the Lin Kuei and brokered peace with their Shirai Ryu rivals. Now, he hopes to finally close the book on sins of Lin Kuei past.
Data
Health	1000.00
Hitbox	Male

Overview Matchups

Introduction

Sub-Zero is an aggressive, mix-up oriented character who can also compete at range thanks to his signature Ice Ball and Slide. His kustom abilities compliment him well by improving his 50/50s (either giving him better rewards or reducing his risks) or improving his options for approaching opponents. He is a strong character at all skill levels, being easy to pick up for beginners and a viable character at the higher levels of competition.

Pros	Cons
Able to hit confirm both 50/50's into a full combo, an unreactable Overhead in online play Can win any projectile trade with Ice Ball, into a full combo Able to punish pokes and strings with greater pushback with ease thanks to Slide Highly mobile character who has an easy time getting in Has a 6-frame Down1 and a really good poke with Down4 The threat of an unreactable Slide in neutral is very scary	Has to commit to hit confirming his Overhead, often making it unsafe on block Slide is very unsafe on block, though the method of punish can end up being character specific Often can get out spaced by opponents with better, farther reaching buttons

Movement

• The distance of Sub-Zero's back and forward dashes are very good with the speed of his forward dash being some of the best in the game. The speed of his back dash is much slower, however.
• Sub-Zero's wave dashes are very lenient to input and are a great starter for any player interested in learning how to wave dash.
• The back and forward walk speeds are very good as well. Overall Sub-Zero is a highly mobile character.

Movelist

Normals and Strings

1

Straight Chop
1

The Left

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
20.00 / 3.00 / 0.30	High	8	2	15
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
11	6	0	0	-
Use for jailing, very good for staggering.

Chinese Ninja Warrior
12

The Right

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
30.00 / 04.50 / 0.45	Mid	9	2	20
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
13	18	0	0	-
Good auto shimmy, the mid will catch ducking opponents who were expecting a throw from the similar animation. The window to input the 2 here can be pretty tight.

Cold Encounter
124

And the Goodnight!

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
70.00 / 10.50 / 1.05	Mid	15	2	39
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	30	-4	-4	-
Causes knockdown, cannot be special cancelled. Extra safe on block with the added pushback if you need some space.

Axe Bash
B1

Ya got something on yer cheek there

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
30.00 / 4.50 / 0.45	High	14	3	26
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
17	6	-2	-2	-
Far reaching poke with good forward momentum. Good tool for whiff punishing or safely getting in. It is a high though so irresponsible use against ducking opponents can make you eat a D2 KB when you're not expecting it.

Icy Grave
B14

That something was your face

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
30.00 / 04.50 / 0.45	Mid	22	4	22
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
27	10	-4	-4	-
A solid mid to follow up the high, you only normally stop here for staggering on block. This is the only part of this string that can cancel into Ice Ball while grounded.

Frozen Over
B143

Roundhouse!

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
50.00 / 7.50 / 0.75	Mid	14	3	31
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
18	18	-7	-7	-
Causes knockdown, can be special cancelled. On hit during a combo this can be followed up with Slide ender. Can only be punished if the opponent has a 6-frame reversal, which many don't.

Low Back Hand
D1

He just backhanded your knees

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
20.00 / 3.00 / 0.30	Mid	6	2	18
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
17	13	-6	-6	-
It's a 6-frame jab that allows you to punish and challenge pressure in ways most of the kast aren't able to. Jail into your high starters if you get a hit with this attack. Cannot be canceled into special moves if Flawless Blocked

2

Palm Strike
2

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
30.00 / 4.50 / 0.45	High	8	2	14
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
12	22	1	1	-

Frozen Tundra
21

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
30.00 / 4.50 / 0.45	Mid	16	2	33
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
22	1	-8	-8	-

New Threat
212

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
70.00 / 10.50 / 1.05	Mid	23	2	29
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	18	-4	-4	-

Rising Axe
B2

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
50.00 / 7.50 / 0.75	Mid	14	3	26
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
17	35	-2	-2	-

Unchained
B21

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
70.00 / 10.50 / 1.05	Mid	28	2	32
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	16	-7	-7	-

Double Axe Slam
F2

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
30.00 / 4.50 / 0.45	Overhead	19	3	30
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
22	-3	-6	-6	-

Final Draw
F24

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
116.50 / 18.00 / 1.80	Mid, Mid	20	18	31
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	30	-19	-19	-
Placeholder Adds two hits: Hit 1 is 50.00 / 7.50 / 0.75, Hit 2 is 70.00 / 10.50 / 1.05. KRUSHING BLOW: Triggers if this KOMBO ATTACK is a KOUNTER or PUNISH Increases damage of the last hit from 70.00 to 240.00.

Rising Doom
D2

YEET

SUPER YEET

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
140.00 / 21.00 / 2.10	High	10	4	42
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	24	-9	-19	-
Lorem Ipsum KRUSHING BLOW: "Triggers if this ATTACK KOUNTERS or PUNISHES a HIGH ATTACK." Increases damage to 190.00 and launches for a full combo.

3

Lin Kuei Kick
3

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
50.00 / 7.50 / 0.75	High	13	2	23
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
19	14	2	2	-

Below Freezing
33

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
70.00 / 10.50 / 1.05	Mid	29	3	33
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	18	1	1	-

Shin Shatter
B3

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
30.00 / 4.50 / 0.45	Low	13	2	19
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
16	17	-4	-4	-
A fast low string starter when used interchangeably with the Forward2 overhead is what makes up Sub-Zero's 50/50 mixup game, his bread and butter gameplan. Has great forward movement and makes for a great shimmy option as a result.

Permafrost
B32

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
30.00 / 4.50 / 0.45	Mid	13	1	22
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
15	16	-6	-6	-
Able to react on hit into Ice Ball or Rising Ice Amp for a full kombo conversion. Since hit confirming with Forward has to be a commitment, the relative safety of B32 helps mitigate the overall risk Sub-Zero has to make while on the offense. As a result, only use F2 to condition the opponent to stop blocking low since B3 is the safer option.

Frosty
B321

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
70.00 / 10.50 / 1.05	Mid	10	2	20
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	45	-5	-5	-

Quick Kick
D3

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
10.00 / 1.50 / 0.15	Low	9	2	17
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
14	14	-7	-7	-

4

Roundhouse
4

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
70.00 / 10.50 / 1.05	High	19	2	18
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
25	16	2	2	-

Chilled Sweep
B4

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
70.00 / 10.50 / 1.05	Low	12	3	23
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	21	-4	-9	-

Brutal Kick
F4

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
90.00 / 13.50 / 1.35	Mid	25	4	93
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	38	4	-6	-
Lorem Ipsum KRUSHING BLOW: "Triggers if this ATTACK hits 2 times in a row or BREAKS ARMOR." Damage increased to 260.00.

Swing Kick
D4

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
30.00 / 4.50 / 0.45	Low	11	3	23
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
20	15	-9	-9	-
lorem ipsum Cannot be canceled into special moves if Flawless Blocked

Jump and Hop Attacks

Heavy Fist
J1

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
50.00 / 7.50 / 0.75	Mid/Overhead	12	5	31
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
46	-1	-13	-13	-
Can hit the opponent earlier into the jump due to lower angle of the attack's hitbox. Used less often because of the slower startup frames and doing less damage than J2.

Straight Punch
J2

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
50.00 / 7.50 / 0.75	Mid/Overhead	6	6	31
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
41	9	-8	-13	-
More horizontal hitbox and faster startup makes for a good air-to-air attack. Does more damage which makes this the more popular jump-in attack for Ice Ball combos.

Cold Boot
J3/J4

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
90.00 / 10.35 / 1.35	Mid/Overhead	10	6	31
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
45	23	-8	-13	-
More horizontal hitbox and faster startup makes for a good air-to-air attack. Does more damage which makes this the more popular jump-in attack for Ice Ball combos.

Frigid Strike
U+1/U+2

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
90.00 / 10.35 / 1.35	Overhead	10	3	31
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	29	-12	-17	-
Reaches farther than U3/U4 and is the more popular of the two Hop Attacks.

Cold Front
U+3/U+4

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
90.00 / 10.35 / 1.35	Overhead	10	3	31
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	29	-12	-17	-
Much shorter in reach than U1/U2 and is less commonly used as a result.

Getup and Flawless Block Attacks

Axe Swipe
U+2

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
50.00 / 7.50 / 0.75	Mid	11	5	21
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	49	-9	-9	1 OFF and 1 DEF
Launches opponent into the air for a juggle kombo. It is unsafe on block and has no invincibility unlike U+3 but otherwise a very good hitbox that cannot be ducked or low profiled. Fast Regen Rate (8.5 seconds).

Chilled Heel
U+3

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
90.00 / 13.50 / 1.35	Mid	10	3	21
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	15	-7	-12	1 OFF and 1 DEF
Invincible during the animation of this attack. Can only be punished if the opponent has a 6-frame reversal attack. The opponent needs to be a little closer to get hit unlike other U+3's but otherwise a serviceable getup/block attack. Fast Regen Rate (8.5 seconds).

Throws

Toward Throw
F+Throw or F+1+2

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
130.00 / 0.00 / 0.00	High	10	2	34
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	21	N/A	N/A	-
This throw ends within Sub-Zero's B3 range for a potential Low/Overhead mixup if the opponent stands back up from knockdown. The closer of the two throws and the preferred one for continued offense. Throw can be escaped with a 2 or 4 input. Damage reduced to 10.00 on Throw Escape.

Back Throw
Throw or 1+2

YEET

SUPER YEET

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
130.00 / 0.00 / 0.00	High	10	2	34
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	19	N/A	N/A	-
This throw launches the opponent away at near full-screen distance. Because Sub-Zero prefers Toward Throw, you can mixup the opponent with a KB-loaded Back Throw instead. Or if the opponent knows if the next throw would be a KB Back Throw, you can mix the opponent up by going for a Toward Throw instead. KRUSHING BLOW: Triggers if opponent failed THROW ESCAPE during the previous THROW. Damage increased to 300.00. Unloaded on Throw Escape. Throw can be escaped with a 1 or 3 input. Damage reduced to 10.00 on Throw Escape.

Special Moves

Ice Ball
DF1

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
N/A / 16.20 / 0.30	High	28	N/A	N/A
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	104	-16	-16	-
Does 45.00 damage if opponent was frozen already during the kombo, first hit does no damage but stuns the opponent for a combo extension. Cannot be amplified without the Deep Freeze kustom ability.

Slide
BF3

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
70.00 / 18.75 / 1.87	Low	11	14	30
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
22	29	-20	-20	-
A very fast, low-profiling forward moving attack that lets you whiff punish from far away. Great for checking movement and going under projectiles and high attacks. It is unsafe on block so don't be too reckless. A nice gimmick to check the opponent's reactions is to cancel this out of F2 to create a challenging overhead to low mix.

Slide Amplified
BF3, Amp

YEET

SUPER YEET

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
146.00 / N/A / N/A	Mid	13	5	36
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	9	-4	-4	1 OFF
Amped Slide's Krushing Blow is a vital part of Sub's gameplan and something that the opponent must respect and break away from. Cannot amplify if Slide is blocked. Opponent can Breakaway from Slide before the Amplify catches them. Use if you need the side switch or need the extra damage or stacks for Krushing Blow, otherwise save your meter for your other specials. Normal Meter Regen Rate (10 seconds) KRUSHING BLOW: "Triggers on the THIRD AMPLIFIED Slide to hit." With Krushing Blow Held Check set to ON, this activates at the player's discretion after previously landing at least two successful amplified Slides. An amped Slide is considered successful after the grab animation is activated. Throwing the opponent into an Arctic Trap counts as a successful amped Slide while the opponent using Breakaway to avoid the grab does not. Deals a total of 319.00 damage on its own.

Fatal Blow

Chill Out
BLK + SC

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
340.00 / 15.00 / 1.50	Mid	25	3	42
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	16	-23	-28	FB Charge On Hit, 10 Sec CD On Miss
Absolute robbery after a confirmed F2 or B2, 3, massive unbreakable damage after Freeze > J2 > S4, on top of the regular shenanigans that Fatal Blows enable.

Kustom Abilities

DEEP FREEZE

"Modifies Ice Ball. Can amplify Ice Ball Special Move. Absorbs other projectiles."

2 Slots, No Conflicts, No Requirements

Deep Freeze
DF1 Amp

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
50.00 / 16.25 / 1.62	Mid	6	N/A	N/A
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	110	-15	-15	1 OFF
Does damage while stunning, turns into a mid projectile that destroys the opponent's projectile. Great counter-zoning tool and adds new combo opportunities, most importantly off F2. Normal Meter Regen Rate (10 seconds)

RISING ICE

"Adds Rising Ice Special Move. Leap upward with rising ice spikes."

1 Slot, No Conflicts, No Requirements

Rising Ice
DB3

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
60.00 / 17.50 / 1.75	Mid	21	10	21
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
31	38	-24	-24	-
Causes knockdown and launches opponent away. Typically used amplified to extend kombos. The meterless version is only really used to add an additional launch in the corner after landing an amped Rising Ice.

Rising Ice (Amplify)
DB3, Amp

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
80 / 17.50 / 1.75	Mid	6	10	21
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	53	-24	-24	1 OFF
Causes knockdown and pops opponent straight into the air. Allows you to continue your kombo, vastly increasing Sub-Zero's overall damage potential. Normal Meter Regen Rate (10 seconds)

CREEPING ICE

"Adds Creeping Ice Special Move. Cause ice spikes to rise from the ground."

1 Slots, No Conflicts, No Requirements

Creeping Ice
DF4

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
60.00 / 17.50 / 01.75	Low	23	7	28
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
35	3	-13	-18	-
While punishable on block, this is still a viable stagger between ending the string without Creeping Ice and amplifying Creeping Ice, making it harder to punish when the opponent anticipates the other two possibilities.

Creeping Ice Amplified
DF4 Amp

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
58.50 / 14.50 / 1.45	Low	18	21	23
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	23	-8	-8	1 OFF
Causes knockdown on hit. Despite being -8 on block, the pushback makes this very difficult to punish. If Sub-Zero has meter he can be safe on any string or threaten to be safe on any string. Also useful tool for chip-killing for adding three in total extra hits to your blockstring. Normal Meter Regen Rate (10 seconds) Has a Flawless Gap: Occurs between DF4 and DF4 Amp

Cold Shoulder

"Replaces Slide. Shoulder Charge the opponent."

1 Slots, No Conflicts, No Requirements

Cold Shoulder
BF3

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
90.00 / 21.30 / 2.13	Mid	16	7	30
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
36	16	-20	-20	-
Causes knockdown on hit. Differs from Slide in being shorter in range, doing more damage and keep the same side. A kounter or punish with this attack and then amplified triggers the Krushing Blow. Rarely used due to the attack being a Mid instead of a Low and the harder to utilize Krushing Blow.

Cold Shoulder Amplified
BF3 Amp

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
90.00 / 12.50 / 01.25	Mid	17	3	40
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	18	-22	-22	1 OFF
If only the Amplified hits, it will not trigger the Krushing Blow during a Kounter or Punish. The Cold Shoulder itself must hit. Normal Meter Regen Rate (10 seconds) KRUSHING BLOW: "Triggers if this Attack is a KOUNTER or PUNISH." Does 267.5 damage on KB alone.

Frigid Storm

"Adds Frigid Storm Special Move. Create a large ice construct that is pushed towards the opponent."

1 Slots, No Conflicts, No Requirements

Frigid Storm
DF2

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
80.00 / 20.00 / 2.00	Mid	36	30	5
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	19	-8	-8	-
Has a fairly high vertical hitbox, but its long startup animation makes it fairly useless for pressure or kombos and reactable in a zoning context.

Death-Cicle Barrage

"Adds Frigid Storm Special Move. Create a large ice construct that is pushed towards the opponent."

1 Slots, No Conflicts, No Requirements

Death-Cicle Barrage
DB2

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
108.80 / 40.00 / 04.00	Mid	36	25	34
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	0	-22	-22	-
Does 88.81 damage initially, then 108.8 total soon after as damage over time. While Sub-Zero does do a stepback during the startup animation it can still be fairly easy to punish due to the -22 frames on block. A great tool for closing out matches due to the DoT on hit and shredding the opponent's health on block down to Last Breath. This move does a larger amount of Block Damage than most other attacks Sub-Zero has.

(Air) Polar Axe

"Adds (Air) Polar Axe Special Move. Throw Ice Axes downward at the opponent."

1 Slots, No Conflicts, No Requirements

(Air) Polar Axe
(air) DB2

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
80.00 / 20.00 / 2.00	Mid	20	18	16
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	4	-17	-17	-
Flutters Sub-Zero in the air, suspending him at his position in the air for a short period of time during the attack animation. Great for checking your opponent's attempts at anti-airing you. The projectile itself has great horizontal reach, allowing you to hit the opponent from a great distance away. Lets Sub-Zero compete with zoners without burning Offensive meter with Deep Freeze. The animation can sometimes extend Sub-Zero's hurtbox vertically causing him to get hit by projectiles unless you've completely cleared them when you jumped. You can especially notice this in mirror matches as the freeze can lead to eating a combo if you mess this up.

Arctic Trap

"Adds Arctic Trap Special Move. Create an orb of ice that will freeze the opponent."

2 Slots, No Conflicts, No Requirements

Arctic Trap
DB4

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
N/A / N/A / 00.00	Mid	41	N/A	N/A
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	109	-11	-11	-
Hard to set up do to its long startup, but often either at a safe distance away from the opponent or while the opponent is knocked down. When used successfully it can extend kombos and/or keep the opponent trapped in the corner. Unable to recast while already active

Banned Abilities

NOTE: Ground Ice is currently disabled for competitive play. You may still use it in casual matchmaking and all PVE modes.

GROUND ICE "Adds Ground Ice Special Move. Create a hazardous zone that can freeze."

2 Slots, No Conflicts, No Requirements

Ground Ice
DB1

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
70.00 / 0.00 / 0.00	Unblockable	49	0	0
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
44	88	0	0	-
Freezes the opponent's legs, giving you a free mix-up. Best used as a set up after winning a knockdown. The opponent can use their Wakeup U3 to stop you if they're close enough.

Ground Ice (Amplify)
DB1 Amp

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
0.00 / 0.00 / 0.00	Low	2	85	0
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
N/A	60	-54	-54	1 OFF
Increases the range of the ground ice but now becomes crouch blockable.

Strategy and Kombos

General Tactics

• Sub-Zero has one of the best shimmy and whiff-punish capabilities in the game due to his high mobility and plethora of forward-moving buttons such as Back3, Back1, Forward2 and Back2. This combination allows him to walk or dash in and out of the opponent's effective range and force a whiff for a whiff punish or a block check on them since both his Low starter and Overhead starter move Sub-Zero forward.
• Even at farther distances Sub-Zero can block check your opponent with Slide, which is pretty much unreactable at most distances. Coupled with the space control of Ice Ball that also wins any projectile trade with a full-screen combo confirmation, Sub-Zero can condition the opponent into ducking and crouch blocking at farther distances which can help shape the pace of the game to your advantage.
• If the opponent is frozen while standing, a popular strategy is to use the [B14] string for a standing reset with 10 frames of hit advantage for continued pressure instead of knocking down the opponent. [B32] is also a useful string for standing resets after freeze with 16 frames of hit advantage.
• If you want to better enforce the Overhead/Low mixup game, you may want to consider slotting either Deep Freeze or Rising Ice for your variation. Either of these two Equipped Abilities allow you to convert your Forward2 overhead into a full combo, and Rising Ice lets you do more damaging combos in general. Mixups that do more damage will weigh more heavily on an opponent's mind.

Popular Variations

Creeping Ice, Rising Ice, (Air) Polar Axe

• An overall well-rounded variation. The combination of Creeping Ice for added safety, Rising Ice for added reward from 50/50's and the (Air) Polar Axe for space control and counter zoning should give any player the tools to seize an advantage at any distance or opportunity with their opponent.

Rising Ice, Deep Freeze

• A variation that focuses especially on getting Sub-Zero within mixup distance of their opponent. Deep-Freeze gives the player multiple projectile speeds to anti-air with as well as counterzone. Rising Ice is used to maximize a player's overall damage potential from any hit once they are at their ideal distance.

Universal Kombos

[Midscreen] B14-DF1, Jump 2, B143-BF3 (223.98 dmg)

• Amplify Ender: BF3 Amp (264.23 dmg) [KB: 361.34 dmg]
• Replace Starter: B32 (223.98 dmg)
• Replace Starter: 12 (213.98 dmg)

[Midscreen] B2-DF1, Jump 2, B143-BF3 (196.68 dmg)

• Amplify Ender: BF3 Amp (232.36 dmg) [KB: 318.44 dmg]
• Replace Ender: D2 (186.08 dmg)

[Midscreen] D2(KB), B2-DF1, Jump 2, B143-BF3 (347.35 dmg)

• Amplify Ender: BF3 Amp (375.89 dmg) [KB: 444.75 dmg]

[Corner] B14-DF1, Jump 2, B2, D1, B32-BF3 (224.77 dmg)

• Amplify Ender: BF3 Amp (260.76 dmg) [KB: 347.59 dmg]
• Replace Ender: 124 [KB: 308.08 dmg]
• Replace Starter: B12 (224.77 dmg)

[Corner] B2-DF1, J2, 2, D1, 124 [KB: 285.28 dmg]

Variation Kombos

[Midscreen] F2, DF1 Amp, J2, B143, BF3 (251.69 dmg)

• REQUIRES: Deep Freeze
• COSTS: 1 OFF
• Amplify Ender: BF3 Amp (294.06 dmg) [KB: 396.27 dmg]

[Midscreen] F2, DB+3 Amp, B2, DF1, J2, B143, BF3 (283.51 dmg)

• REQUIRES: Rising Ice
• COSTS: 1 OFF
• Amplify Ender: BF3 Amp (315.71 dmg) [KB: 393.39 dmg]
• Replace Starter: B32 (299.33 dmg)
• Replace B+143 with 124: [KB: 351.51]