Analyzing Warriors, The Moves: The Underwater Clinch by Frostkit

Frostkit analyses one of RiverClan’s signature battle moves.

Hello! It’s Frostkit, here to criticize Warrior Cat moves. Today the Underwater Clinch. (This is my second installment)

The Underwater Clinch is a unique RiverClan move. You firmly grip your opponent, splash him under, let him breath, then plunge back until opponent surrenders. There are some minor and major problems with this one. Read on!

1. Breath: The whole point of the Underwater Clinch is to keep your opponent underwater let them breathe then hold them underwater again. But this is a flaw. For the Underwater Clinch, you would be firmly “holding” the cat underwater, keeping him from attacking you. While this may seem like an advantage, it actually puts you at a disadvantage. See, when you lift the cat from the water while holding his flank, you also expose the front paws of the cat, and this brief moment can allow the cat to unsheathe his claws and give you a fatal slash. What about holding him higher up? Well, you would have to use more energy, and scrunch your arms in to get a boost. This will only expose the head, but since it is very close, you could be killed by a bite. Also, do you think it’s easy to swim with a senior warrior on your paws. Drowning is a bad price to pay to defeat a senior warrior.
2. Strength: Like I said, you have to be very strong to actually pull off this move fatally. Even the smallest slip could release your opponent and sometimes drown you. And as everyone knows, that’s not good. The strength of a cat is one of the factors that make a good warrior, and a good, strong warrior is a very reliable guy. Back to the topic, even though you may be strong, there are bigger problems.
Depth: This is associated with strength. This is something leaders and warriors really must think about. The depth. If it is too shallow, the opponent, while under, can push from the ground, launching himself out of your paws, and on top of you. If it is too deep, you will intimidate the other cat, but you are putting yourself in huge danger. You see, you can’t feel the ground, as the lake will deepen profusely. Both cats will drown if you lose the energy to tread in your hind paws, and as your paws are occupied, you are guaranteed to die. In the middle will not work either as it will be sloping down into deeper waters, and it will be hard to get a paw grip.

These are the major and minor flaws the Underwater Clinch holds. Be sure to read Part 3, the Night Ambush, pointing out the things about ShadowClan’s special move that are not acceptable. Froststar out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!