I have spent a lot of time pondering the necessity of icequake because,
@Law Hero you're absolutely correct in saying that Icequake's mobility is incredible. The ability to get it on zoners is great and is really its main selling point. The other usage for it is that many people will try to take their turn back after a blocked string (ex: B121), so I will often jump back into ice quake to catch them attacking. However, this gimmick only works when playing against people who arent very patient. Most good players I fought shut down any overuse of the dive kick. Even if the low version is safe, you still forfeit your turn and against a good player, that can mean death.
I also want to add to
@scarsunseen 's point, I find that the B.Auger+Auger variation struggles against proper full screen zoning. Both augers are slow and both dont reach full screen. However, the strength comes when you are in range and you trade with one of them. This guarantees that you can now control the flow of the zoning game because the opponent's recovery is so long. Ive been practicing wave dashing to get in more quickly. Anything to put the chips on my side.
Ultimately, the question is, does B.Auger make up for the loss of mobility and honestly, given Frost's range, F2, good dash speed, I find that it is worth it. Although, I must admit, a heavy zoner is a pain in the ass to deal with
Yup! I'm just skipping the B1 before the b.augers. If you read breakaway after ex-BF1 augers, hit them with B2-b.augers before they fall down. It puts them at the perfect range for the b.augers again. Then it's about 20-25% every time they get hit with a follow-up b.auger on oki. I don't think this variation really leads to big combos, but more-so easily-accessible resets and spacing tools. If I could rank Frost's different variation potential, this custom one would be high up on the list.
My B3 BnB is: B32D2, B1-BF1(amp), then right into b.auger setup. With this starter, ending with B1-BF1(amp) puts them at the perfect distance for BF1-KB or more b.augers. You'll be around +22 if I remember.
Yea its combo potential is essentially AA damage. It shines with setups like you mentioned.
I noticed a lot of people delay wakeup after a breakaway (probably because thy just lost all their defensive meter lol), and unless they are constantly pressing buttons, the KB might miss. Im tempted to try B2>B.Auger if I read a breakaway. Theoretically, the B.Auger would get there roughly at the same time as they have to get up and if they press a button, they eat another combo and if they block, then they can get grabbed or more pressure.
My B3 BnB is very similar to yours but I do B32D1 > B12~BF1(amp), then setup.