[Trexmaster]

The major issue I see with it is that it's giving a base class a free pass on a hit check without even requiring a main class stipend for it.

You spend an item slot and pass a trivial infliction check and get to ignore a major defense entirely. As to why I say it's trivial: if the person you want to freeze has high status res (80+, enough for a failure chance even with ski + wil), odds are they don't have amazing evade. Even if they do, notably high Phys/Mag Def AND evade are rare, especially combined with status res. Most people don't stack multiple high defenses outside pure tank (phys/mag def + crit evade) or dodge tank (evade + passable phys/mag def), and even in these cases being able to disable one of their defenses is a big deal, even if only for one hit.

Used ineffectively it isn't that big a deal, no, but it's been stated how it could be used efficiently. If your opponent's only defense is their evade, you'll likely be able to deal enough damage to secure a win if not set yourself up to win. If they relied on evade whatsoever it still strips one layer of defense, it's just a matter of how well your build can take advantage of a 4 (or 7 if you're a dullahan or boxer, 10 if you're both) momentum opportunity where your opponent lacks evade.

In a one on one scenario it's more difficult to set up a lethal situation with it, but the utility of Frozen is on par with Buster Cannon (and you can stack the two). I just don't think it should be given to any Duelist who pays an accessory/badge slot to be able to ignore one of the (prior) most effective defenses against their damage. As if Evade wasn't easy enough to trivialize, having such easy access to Frozen (not to mention the cheapest momentum-wise source of Frozen in the game accessible to PCs) where it matters the most seems like overkill.