Hey guys, I don't plan on hopping in too often as I really want to hear from you guys rather than reaffirm my opinion in the comments. That being said, ice clone is 1/2 of a functioning move in 1/3 of what makes Sub-Zero a character. I think it's also important to discuss how Cryo and Unbreakable measure up to Predator as well to get the best answer either for or against my assessment.
I'll do my best and try to address that. Sub v Pred:
- Projectile department:
Sub ice ball is slow, punishable by everyone up close and does no chip dmg if blocked from afar (in fact it's the only projectile the does no chip, correct me if i'm wrong). You can also jump over it. EX version eats projectiles (but not the Pred's ones, they are too high up). Preds disks outo-track you, can catch you in the air, so no jumping, they do chip dmg, but are punishable up close just as Sub's snow ball. So it is no chip against chip (in favour of Pred), Preds projectiles prevent jump ins (which are godly in this game), EX ice ball will not eat them, they are too high up. They are both punishable up close though. When both projectiles hit however, you can combo off them.
- GM: his trapping tool is unreliable, disappears on block, pokes go through it, if you decide to cancel into clone in the corner you have to be prepared it will not work out because hitbox wasn't breathing in Sub's favour. In severe situations if you try to cancel into MB Klone, you might not only lose meter but also get punished. So basically clone is good as shield or sometimes projectile, but if you wish to make further usage of it, like cancel into it, you are risking. Hunter's traps stay on block, cover great range if you toss them mid screen and detonate (and Pred doesn't need to stay next to them to detonate it). So it's better keep away tool. Opponent gets launched and you can combo off it. Plus, Hunter deals more damage. His only minus so far is his mobility. Although bf4 covers big range, it's punishable by Sub. And we are yet to see what else can be done with Hunter's traps. He can also toss them from air. So far he seams to be better, mostly because he has CONSISTENCY. And Sub doesn't.
- Unbreakable: all Pred variations have dmg mitigating tools and when meter burned no chip damage, which is what ice aura is all about. The thing is Pred deals far more dmg then Unbreakable and has far more better anti airs (disks for example). I mean, no contest. Pred wins here hands down. Also SZ's Shield has too much recovery, and anybody who shoots 2 projectiles in a row is guaranteed to hit him on the second one.
- Cryomancer: if you wanna rush down character, any Predator variation is better. Cryo's hammer is slow, punishable (Pred's amazing d4), he struggles building meter, cannot even cancel normal hammer for it. Has useless air hammer. Warrior Pred is a b(e)ast if it goes for damage so far.
So far really no reason to stick with Sub-Zero other then character loyalty. Things might change in future, although for GM it is more about game mechanics messing his klone set-ups, and that might be pretty hard to repair.
