Kindred
Let Be Be Finale Of Seem
Let me preface by saying I really want to be proven wrong here. I also really want to play this variation because it reminds me of Cyber Sub Zero and it was initially going to be my main.
IMO, NRS put a bandaid on a severed leg with this variation. Its biggest problem is still the lack of damage.
Playing around in the lab, I noticed that a lot of strings, upon hit confirm, would leave the opponent at a perfect range for a close bomb and a subsequent grab (B22~DB2B, 22~DB2B, 13~DB2B, etc). Pair this with her lack of a combo extender, like the Microburst, and it feels like NRS meant for Frost-Byte to be played purely as a bomb set up character. Perhaps they were thinking that people would be frozen multiple times in a round, granting her map control and damage.
If your bomb connects, you have 2 options. Go for damage with something like B31D2 > 13~BF4 , granting you 185 dmg, or go for another set up with B31D2 > B31~DB2B, while doing 124 dmg. This shitty damage is even more perplexing when you realize that if they werent frozen to begin with, the dmg is at 234 and 152 respectively. Why so much scaling? Probably because NRS thought it was going to happen a lot.
Given her shitty damage, it would be wise to continue with another set up to get the opponent stuck in our loop. Despite the range buff, this is still easier said than done.
What are the options of the opponent faced with the set up?
The lack of a reliable way of extending combos makes the variation still shitty. The lack of a combo extender also means a restriction on what you can do with KB combos (midscreen and corner), it means flawless blocking U2 will only get you 166 dmg with U2 > B31~BF4 vs the 250 dmg that Ice Machine gets.
When they gave Cyber Sub-Zero bombs (talking mainly MKX here), they didnt take away his iceball. He did less damage than his peers but he was able to inflict damage often because he had good mixups & staggers. Frost doesnt have mixups, doesnt have a reliable combo extender and so has to rely on grabs and gimmicks to inch her way to victory.
There is a similar scenario with the WSL variation of Liu Kang. WSL does less damage than the other variation but liu Kang's button allow you to open up opponents more easily. A lot of good staggers, a lot of useful strings that can be made extra safe with an amplified fireball. What he lacks in damage, he makes up for in how often he opens up the opponent. Frost-Byte doesnt have that type of pressure, nor does she have a buff so that we say "ok her dmg isnt great but that buff really makes up for it".
What about her corner game? Ice machine is a monster in the corner, Frost-byte not so much. You throw a close bomb and it still goes too far to use as a set-up. Sure you can do B2~close bomb, and then go in for a grab. However the people I play against can react to the 104f start up of a bomb and they know that a D2 (KB) makes the bomb disappear from the field.
I was really hoping they would do more to make this variation viable but as it stands, I find that it's still shit. Making the Bomb take up one space instead of 2 would've been great but honestly, I think just giving her the microburst instead of the arctic barrage would have solved a lot of her problems.
I'm going to continue labbing and using it because I really hope I'm wrong. I hope we will find some crazy way to compensate for her lackluster damage.
IMO, NRS put a bandaid on a severed leg with this variation. Its biggest problem is still the lack of damage.
Playing around in the lab, I noticed that a lot of strings, upon hit confirm, would leave the opponent at a perfect range for a close bomb and a subsequent grab (B22~DB2B, 22~DB2B, 13~DB2B, etc). Pair this with her lack of a combo extender, like the Microburst, and it feels like NRS meant for Frost-Byte to be played purely as a bomb set up character. Perhaps they were thinking that people would be frozen multiple times in a round, granting her map control and damage.
If your bomb connects, you have 2 options. Go for damage with something like B31D2 > 13~BF4 , granting you 185 dmg, or go for another set up with B31D2 > B31~DB2B, while doing 124 dmg. This shitty damage is even more perplexing when you realize that if they werent frozen to begin with, the dmg is at 234 and 152 respectively. Why so much scaling? Probably because NRS thought it was going to happen a lot.
Given her shitty damage, it would be wise to continue with another set up to get the opponent stuck in our loop. Despite the range buff, this is still easier said than done.
What are the options of the opponent faced with the set up?
- If they keep blocking, you grab them and they get frozen.
- If they wake up with a string, it will hit you but they still get frozen.
The lack of a reliable way of extending combos makes the variation still shitty. The lack of a combo extender also means a restriction on what you can do with KB combos (midscreen and corner), it means flawless blocking U2 will only get you 166 dmg with U2 > B31~BF4 vs the 250 dmg that Ice Machine gets.
When they gave Cyber Sub-Zero bombs (talking mainly MKX here), they didnt take away his iceball. He did less damage than his peers but he was able to inflict damage often because he had good mixups & staggers. Frost doesnt have mixups, doesnt have a reliable combo extender and so has to rely on grabs and gimmicks to inch her way to victory.
There is a similar scenario with the WSL variation of Liu Kang. WSL does less damage than the other variation but liu Kang's button allow you to open up opponents more easily. A lot of good staggers, a lot of useful strings that can be made extra safe with an amplified fireball. What he lacks in damage, he makes up for in how often he opens up the opponent. Frost-Byte doesnt have that type of pressure, nor does she have a buff so that we say "ok her dmg isnt great but that buff really makes up for it".
What about her corner game? Ice machine is a monster in the corner, Frost-byte not so much. You throw a close bomb and it still goes too far to use as a set-up. Sure you can do B2~close bomb, and then go in for a grab. However the people I play against can react to the 104f start up of a bomb and they know that a D2 (KB) makes the bomb disappear from the field.
I was really hoping they would do more to make this variation viable but as it stands, I find that it's still shit. Making the Bomb take up one space instead of 2 would've been great but honestly, I think just giving her the microburst instead of the arctic barrage would have solved a lot of her problems.
I'm going to continue labbing and using it because I really hope I'm wrong. I hope we will find some crazy way to compensate for her lackluster damage.
