The time has come! Let’s answer the question of what the difference is between the Sub-Zeros and who is the best? To save myself some typing please note the abbreviations below and the links to the original Character Spotlights
Lin Kuei – LK
Sub-Zero – SZ
Cryomancer Sub-Zero – CSZ
Grandmaster Sub-Zero – GSZ
We’re including LK in this because he is basically just the cannon fodder version of Sub-Zero.
How are they the same?
All Sub-Zeros have a similar move set though the combo finisher often varies.
All Sub-Zeros are part of the Martial Artist team.
With the exception of LK, all Sub-Zeros have Ice Ball as their 1st special attack. Even LK has a weaker, non-freezing, version of Ice Ball.
LK, SZ, and CSZ all have team health boosts for Martial Artists.
CSZ and GSZ share the same X-Ray Attack.
Round 1 – Stats
GSZ wins handily with the highest overall stats. Then the order is CSZ, SZ, and LK. No surprises here, Gold will always be stronger than Bronze. However, compared to CSZ, GSZ has the overall higher power stats (Health and Attack) while also having overall higher average stats (Health, Attack, Toughness, and Recovery). It’s no contest.
Round 2 – Tier Standing
So what about how they fare in individual tiers (Gold, Silver, Bronze). For Sub-Zero it’s almost the same order. LK has a four way tie with the lowest stats in the Bronze Tier. SZ ties with Jacqui Briggs for power stats and is the third lowest overall average. CSZ is about the middle of the Gold characters while GSZ is near the top. That makes GSZ the winner of this round, followed by CSZ, SZ, and LK.
Round 3 – Special Attacks
Again, GSZ wins this round. Klone Toss does massive damage and is essentially unblockable. If it doesn’t outright obliterate its target then at the very least they will be left severely weakened and if GSZ gets his X-Ray attack off he’ll have a defense bonus afterwards.
CSZ is a close second. Cold-Blooded is a grapple attack, which makes it unblockable, and it’s very stylish as well. CSZ shares the same X-Ray attack and defense bonus.
SZ comes in third but only because of his third special attack, something the bronze tier doesn’t have. Otherwise his special attacks are nothing great and he shares Ice Ball with everyone else.
LK loses here because of lacking a third special, but for his tier his second special attack is actually decent.
Round 4 – Passives
I’m giving this one to CSZ. While everyone except GSZ gives health bonus, CSZ gives the most and it’s a hefty 30% increase to health for Martial Artist teammates. That’s a good boost.
SZ comes next with a 15% health boost. Why SZ before GSZ? I’ll explain in a moment.
GSZ can essentially resurrect with his “Ice Decoy” but it’s a passive I care for the least. It’s good for maybe recovering from a mistake but it’s an extremely defensive passive that I find less than useful for most modes. It’s best use is maybe on a defensive team in Faction Wars, otherwise it’s something I’d rather not rely on. However, he doesn’t come in last because of LK.
LK actually comes in last because a 5% health increase is next to worthless. It’s maybe one extra hit and even at the bronze tier it’s not useful because health stats are so low to begin with.
Round 5 – Value
CSZ wins this round handily. His base cost is 275 souls and he does pop up in the Kombat Pack, which means he can be had for 150 souls or less if the Kombat Pack remains on sale. However, he also shows up in the Kard Pack, though he’s rare. That means he can be had for as low as 30,000 Koins! Considering he is a decent gold pull, that’s an extreme value.
Next up is actually LK. He’s as cheap as bronze cards get and he has the appropriate stats to show for it. However, he does pop up in Alliance Packs from time-to-time meaning he can be found for 500 Alliance Points. In my mind, Alliance Points are the cheapest of the 3 currencies, making LK one of the best values for your virtual buck.
Coming in next is GSZ, who is a whopping 330 souls if you buy him outright. He’s top tier so he might be worth it, however he also shows up in the Kombat Pack, which would still cost less than half his base total regardless of whether or not the Kombat Pack is on sale.
Last is SZ, whose base cost is only 35,000 Koins but he’s bottom tier and it shows. Plus if you pull him in a Kard Pack you are only saving 5,000 Koins.
Overall –
Let’s tally the scores
Cryomancer Sub-Zero (CSZ) – Winner in Round 4 and 5 with 4 points for each round. 2nd place for Rounds 1, 2, and 3 with 3 points for each.
CSZ Total – 17 points
Grandmaster Sub-Zero (GSZ) – Winner in Round 1, 2, and 3 with 4 points per round. 3rd place in Round 4 and 5 with 2 points per round.
GSZ Total – 16 points
Sub-Zero (SZ) – 2nd place in Round 4 with 3 points for that round. 3rd Place in Rounds 1, 2, and 3 with 2 points each. Last place in Round 5 with only 1 point to show for it.
SZ Total – 10 points.
Lin Kuei (LK) – 2nd place in Round 5 with 3 points for that round. Last place in Rounds 1, 2, 3, and 4 with 1 point each.
LK Total – 7 points.
CSZ wins overall by providing a better value and a better team boost. He’s a strong all-round character who comes in solidly middle tier for a gold character. He’ll be quicker to fuse than GSZ, which means you’re more likely to have a stronger CSZ in the short-term than GSZ.
GSZ simply has the best stats, best standing, and best moves. He’s the only non-team booster but his passive is specialized and less useful which prevents him from sweeping all categories. GSZ is a good defender in Faction Wars and a decent attacker but is more specialized than CSZ. Even unfused, once he’s levelled up he can solo most towers in Battle Mode.
SZ is just a weaker Silver tier character who doesn’t even provide a very good value. He provides a decent boost to a Martial Artist team but that’s about it.
LK doesn’t quite sweep the bottom for all rounds but comes close. He’s one of the weaker bronze characters without much to show for it but does provide a decent value.
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