Editing Steve (SSBU)

|image        = {{tabber|title1=Steve|content1=[[File:Steve SSBU.png|250px]]|title2=Alex|content2=[[File:Alex SSBU.png|250px]]|title3=Zombie|content3=[[File:Zombie SSBU.png|250px]]|title4=Enderman|content4=[[File:Enderman SSBU.png|250px]]|title5=Steve & Alex|content5=[[File:Fighter-steve-alex.png|250px]]}}

Steve is a fighter who possesses slightly below-average weight and unremarkable mobility. He has the shortest jump out of the entire roster, in addition to a peculiar crouch and crawl based on ''Minecraft''{{'}}s "sneaking" mechanic where he simply hunches over, neither of which are very useful in battle. In addition to this, his walk speed, initial dash, running speed, and air speed are all among the bottom 10 of the respective stats, with his initial dash in particular being the worst in the game.

 

Despite his strengths, Steve's attributes present flaws. His mobility is underwhelming, having among the worst ground mobility in the game due to the combination of poor run speed and the worst initial dash in the game (as opposed to most characters of this speed class usually having relatively high initial dash in contrast to their run speed). His aerial mobility is also unremarkable, having poor air speed and very low jump height, to the point where he's unable to reach the lower platforms of Battlefield without burning his double jump. Finally, despite being relatively short compared to an average humanoid character, Steve's crouch and crawl barely reduce his height and his hitstun animations leave him in an upright position, preventing him from ducking under attacks and leaves him vulnerable to being attacked.

Steve's ''Minecraft''-inspired playstyle can also leave him in troublesome situations. If he mines more materials than his inventory can fit, he will end up discarding resources that might have otherwise been valuable. This negatively affects Create Block, as it always prioritizes the weakest block first; weak blocks can be broken very easily by hitting them with attacks or hitting the bottom side of the block, making them less effective for edgeguarding or creating a blockade. Additionally, walling off a recovering opponent may not be an effective option, as damaging hitboxes can easily plow through weaker blocks without much trouble, and hitting Steve (or placing them near the build limit) will cause his blocks to break significantly faster. His tools can break if used up enough, forcing him to mine to collect materials and craft to re-upgrade them. Furthermore, getting KO'd results in Steve's tools reverting to wood (though he keeps resources already in his inventory), and mining for materials/crafting new tools can be difficult against faster opponents, who can constantly pressure Steve and deter him from gaining resources. His reliance on materials for the majority of his strongest techniques prevents him from repeatedly using them to a greater extent, due to the glaring downsides of running out of a specific material (ex. his down air and down throw accomplishing nothing with a lack of iron). Careless use of his resources will essentially leave him with almost no useful abilities: the time needed to mine can become very detrimental when fully depleted of resources, or when barehanded/using wooden or stone tools, as it takes a significant amount of time to fully replenish resources or dig for gold/diamond.

His lack of a conventional projectile and short attacking range demands he gets in close to dish out damage, upon which fighters more suited for close combat than Steve can leave him constantly juggled. Steve's recovery, while having amazing horizontal and vertical reach, is also limited in some ways due to his low jump height and airspeed. Elytra takes some experience to get used to, as its mechanics can make it difficult to angle, and it can also be cut short if he bumps into an object. Minecart can be used for horizontal distance, though it does not grant good distance without gold, and cannot be used without iron. (Although Powered Minecart also uses up redstone, it and TNT use so little that running out of redstone never happens without specific setup to do so.) His blocks cannot be placed too far out from the edges of the stage, and the block Steve is standing on deteriorates faster than normal, which can limit his ability to stall offstage due to him requiring materials. TNT can be used in niche situations since it gives Steve a slight vertical boost when dropped in the air, but it's usually not recommended due to its extreme resource cost.

Overall, Steve excels in a strange combination of close-up fighting, stage control, and fearsome edgeguarding, resulting in a large learning curve for players eager to pick him up. His toolkit gives him powerful overall abilities when mastered, some of which are not possessed by any other fighter in the roster; however, poor use of his resources can render him almost helpless and remove some of his best options, and his terrible mobility, compounded by a reliance on fairly linear options for approaching, means he faces an uphill battle against characters that outrange him, or are fast enough to weave around his defenses.

The majority of changes Steve received from updates were bug fixes focused on removing game-breaking glitches. Aside from these and an aesthetic change, Steve has only received two balance-oriented changes: version 11.0.0 slightly buffed his down smash by eliminating a blind spot close to Steve, and version 13.0.1 nerfed his up smash by reducing the hitstun of each multi-hit, making Block-canceled up smash follow-ups slightly harder. Ultimately, aside from making the game and character play as intended, Steve is mostly unchanged.

*Steve possesses a unique "resource" mechanic, which allows him to carry resources to build blocks, use certain moves, or upgrade his tools. The resources that Steve can possess are dirt, wood, stone, iron, gold, diamond, and redstone, all of which can be obtained through mining (detailed further below). Depending on the stage, dirt may be substituted with sand (such as on [[Tortimer Island]] and [[Coliseum]]), ice (such as on [[Summit]]), or wool (such as on [[Magicant]] and [[Living Room]]). All resources (except for redstone) are displayed above his in-game portrait, with a limit of 100 for block-building materials.

**Steve starts the game with 36 units of dirt, 18 units of wood, 3 units of iron, and 2/3 redstone, the latter two of which are replenished should Steve lose a life without sufficient said material in stock.

**Five tool materials exist: wood, stone, iron, gold, and diamond. Except for gold, each material mentioned is incrementally more powerful and durable than the last. Gold weapons are weak and fragile, but attacks with them are faster than those with weapons made from other materials, making them ideal for [[combo]]s, and outside of neutral attack, up tilt, and up aerial, gold weapons have greater knockback scaling than the other tool tiers. The typical damages of each tool type are:

*With continuous use, Steve's sword, axe, pickaxe, and shovel will use up durability points. Once all durability points for a set tool have been used up, it breaks apart and Steve can no longer use that tool. If Steve tries to use an attack that requires a weapon he does not have, he will perform a weak punch with minimal range instead. This prevents him from constantly brawling out at close range with his weapons, and every so often forces him to mine the ground for resources and craft new tools at a crafting table. The durability varies between tools made of different materials, with wood and gold being the least durable while diamond and iron are the most durable.

|neutralname=Sword ({{ja|剣|Ken}})

|neutraldesc=Steve quickly swings his sword in front of himself with short reach. He can repeat this attack by holding down the attack button, and can walk and jump, forward and backward, while doing this, making it functionally similar to {{SSBU|Mega Man}}'s Mega Buster and {{SSBU|Min Min}}'s [[Punch]]. It is one of the few neutral attacks in the game that cannot [[lock]], and the hitbox is unable to hit floored opponents unless their hitboxes are large.

|ftiltname=Sword ({{ja|剣|Ken}})

|utiltname=Axe ({{ja|斧|Ono}})

|dtiltname=Flint and Steel ({{ja|火打ち石と打ち金|Hiuchīshi To Uchigane}})

|dtiltdesc=Steve uses flint and steel to create a flame with a lingering hitbox in front of himself. The flame is a looping multi-hit attack, with the final hit launching opponents. If Steve uses this move at the end of a platform or near a ledge, the flame travels downward, allowing him to [[edgeguard]] and [[2 frame punish|2-frame]] opponents, although this is most effective on characters with underwhelming recoveries since the flame sends at a diagonal angle. While it has a long-lasting hitbox, it has very low ending lag, giving it solid combo potential. It can be used to trade with weaker projectiles as well. This move does not use up durability points. Can be reflected and absorbed. Due to being a projectile, Steve experiences no hitlag, however the projectile itself does, delaying later hits relative to Steve and causing the opponent to be trapped for longer if all hits connect, thus reducing Steve's effective ending lag.

|dashname=Pickaxe ({{ja|ツルハシ|Tsuruhashi}})

|fsmashname=Sword ({{ja|剣|Ken}})

|usmashname=Magma Block ({{ja|マグマ ブロック|Maguma Burokku}})

|usmashdesc=Steve places a magma block above himself before breaking it with his pickaxe. The move has a [[flame]] effect, possesses great vertical range, and hits multiple times, similarly to {{SSBU|Roy}}'s up smash. It has a ground-level hitbox in front of Steve that scoops opponents into the block, making it effective out-of-shield or against landing opponents. This scooping hitbox will only hit grounded opponents. However, with the exception of the initial grounded launcher hitbox, it only hits directly above Steve, and despite its animation, Steve cannot move until well after the move is complete as he automatically breaks the block afterwards, with the move having very high ending lag. This move does not use up durability points. The pickaxe itself can also deal damage. Despite its unorthodox animation, it is incredibly powerful for a multi-hitting up smash, KOing Mario at ground level of Final Destination at 102%.

|dsmashname=Lava Bucket ({{ja|溶岩バケツ|Yōgan Baketsu}})

|nairname=Sword ({{ja|剣|Ken}})

|nairdmg={{ShortHopDmgSSBU|2.72}}{{!!}}{{ShortHopDmgSSBU|3.4}}{{!!}}{{ShortHopDmgSSBU|3.74}}{{!!}}{{ShortHopDmgSSBU|4.08}}{{!!}}{{ShortHopDmgSSBU|4.59}}

|fairname=Pickaxe ({{ja|ツルハシ|Tsuruhashi}})

|bairname=Pickaxe ({{ja|ツルハシ|Tsuruhashi}})

|uairname=Axe ({{ja|斧|Ono}})

|dairname=Anvil ({{ja|金床|Kinshō}})

|dairdesc=A powerful [[stall-then-fall]] in which Steve drops an anvil directly below himself while standing on it. The move can be canceled, a first for a stall-then-fall; if it is canceled, then Steve will jump off of the anvil, but it will continue falling. The jump does not use up Steve's double jump. After landing, the anvil remains on the stage for a brief amount of time before disappearing, which can block opponents or be stood on. If the ground under the anvil disappears or is destroyed before the anvil disappears, the anvil will start falling again. The anvil has incredible knockback and high damage, being capable of KOing grounded opponents as early as 88%, making it the strongest down aerial in the game. It is also notoriously powerful for contesting against juggles or upward attacks, due to its damage giving it very high [[priority]], and its knockback being capable of KOing even earlier near the top blast lines. This move uses up one piece of iron and does nothing at all if Steve does not have any iron. If an anvil has been dropped recently, Steve cannot drop another until it disappears on its own, or after a short time if it is dropped offstage. The anvil counts as a projectile until it lands, even while Steve is riding it. Steve can mine a stationary anvil for iron, redstone and rare materials.

|grabname=Fishing Rod ({{ja|釣り竿|Tsurizao}})

|grabdesc=A tether-like grab using a fishing rod with a wide range. Grounded grabbed opponents are trapped within a fence while Steve holds them. Unlike {{SSBU|Isabelle}}'s similar-looking [[Fishing Rod]], it functions as an actual tether grab despite the lack of a grab aerial and tether recovery.<!--This is because the grab uses a secondary model that gets attached to the throw bone, which all tethers use and no extended grab uses.--> The grab itself starts up relatively fast, but has high ending lag; additionally, despite the hook being able to visibly drop past ledges like Isabelle's, it will not grab opponents if it does so. The hook also arcs as it's cast and can possibly miss smaller characters entirely depending on their position. This move does not use up durability points.

|pummelname=Grab Punch ({{ja|つかみパンチ|Tsukami Panchi}})

|pummeldesc=A punch. Unique compared to other pummels, being marginally slower but stronger than similar pummels like {{SSBU|Mario}}, but slightly faster and weaker than stronger pummels like {{SSBU|Bowser}}. He shares this distinction with {{SSBU|Joker}}, {{SSBU|Terry}}, {{SSBU|Min Min}} and {{SSBU|Pyra}} & {{SSBU|Mythra}}.

|fthrowname=Piston Thrust ({{ja|ピストンでふっとばす|Pisuton de Futtoba}})

|bthrowname=Fishing Rod Throw ({{ja|釣り竿で投げる|Tsurizao de Nageru}})

|uthrowname=Piston Thrust ({{ja|ピストンでふっとばす|Pisuton de Futtoba}})

|dthrowname=Anvil Crush ({{ja|金床でつぶす|Kinshō de Tsubusu}})

'''Craft (crafting table)''': Steve uses his resources to craft a full set of tools (sword, axe, pickaxe and shovel), restoring their durability. Steve starts the battle with wooden tools, with a crafting table appearing at his starting point. The most valuable resources are prioritized when performing this move; for example, if Steve has both iron and stone, then his tools will be upgraded to iron. When upgrading to a new tier of tools, a ''Minecraft''-styled progression bar appears above Steve, and Steve will flourish a new weapon after crafting completes. He is vulnerable to attacks throughout the upgrading animation but can cancel it during the early frames. The crafting table itself is considered a background object and will not interrupt player movement. It also has 30 HP, can be damaged (and thus cause [[hitlag]]), and can be destroyed by Steve or his opponents. If destroyed, the crafting table will respawn at Steve's location following a few seconds, and Steve can also summon the crafting table to his location by pressing the special move button while shielding, which uses a small amount of resources; if he does not have sufficient resources, he will not be able to spawn or move his crafting table. When summoned, it will have its HP restored. If multiple Steves are present, then they can use each other's crafting tables as well as their own.

|usdesc=Steve dons an elytra and propels himself forward, upward, or downward with a firework rocket. During his initial burst, Steve has a damaging [[hitbox]]. The mechanics of this move appear similar to ''Brawl''{{'}}s [[gliding]] mechanic, with Steve being able to control his trajectory while gliding. Its maximum horizontal distance is extremely high, but its vertical distance is poor in comparison without proper usage.<ref>[https://clips.twitch.tv/FastBusyCroquetteDBstyle-QPyutQDvwYLndeqB Elytra Recovering from the Bottom Blastzone]</ref> He is also able to turn around during the [[startup]] of the move, but he cannot change directions or cancel the move once he starts flying. The elytra falls off after a few seconds of flight or if Steve hits a solid object in mid-glide, leaving Steve [[helpless]]; he can also cancel the move by pressing the shield or special attack button, though this will also put him in freefall. This move does not use up durability points.

{|class="wikitable"

{|class="wikitable"

!Move!!Durability cost

! Sword attacks (except for Forward Smash)

| 2

| 9 (Wood), 18 (Gold), 14 (other materials)

! Axe attacks

| 5.5

| 0

| 4.5

| 6.5

| 2.5 (per resource)

*'''Up taunt''': Jumps twice, and while in midair, punches three times. Due to Steve jumping the same height that his [[short hop]] covers, he can dodge some attacks with lower-reaching hitboxes. This gesture is often used in the ''Minecraft'' community as a greeting.

*'''Side taunt''': Pulls out and eats a Steak, with a small burp upon finishing.

*'''Down taunt''': Sneaks (crouches) three times while looking toward the screen. This is another popular gesture found in the ''Minecraft'' community, where players crouch repeatedly as a sign of peace, friendship, or agreement. It is also used to mock a player when losing or getting trolled.

{|class="wikitable" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1"

!Cheer (All versions except Korean)

|[[File:Steve Cheer SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Steve Cheer Korean SSBU.ogg|center]]

|Ste - vu! *claps 3 times* || Su - ti - vu!

{|class="wikitable" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1"

!Cheer (All versions except Korean)

|[[File:Alex Cheer SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Alex Cheer Korean SSBU.ogg|center]]

|Ale - xu! *claps 3 times* || Ale -- xu!

{|class="wikitable" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1"

!Cheer (All versions except Korean)

|[[File:Zombie Cheer SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Zombie Cheer Korean SSBU.ogg|center]]

|Zooommm - bie! || Zom - bie!

{|class="wikitable" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1"

!Cheer (All versions except Korean)

|[[File:Enderman Cheer SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Enderman Cheer Korean SSBU.ogg|center]]

|En - der - man! || Ender - man! *claps 3 times*

==In [[competitive play]]==

===Most historically significant players===

<!--This character has a ten player limit for this section. Before adding and/or removing a player, read these guidelines: https://www.ssbwiki.com/SmashWiki:Notability#%22Most_historically_significant_players%22_guidelines -->

''See also: [[:Category:Steve players (SSBU)]]''

*{{Sm|acola|Japan}} - Widely regarded as one of the greatest ''Ultimate'' players of all-time and was the best in the world in 2023 and the first half of 2024. He is known for his consistency even at the highest level of competitive play, having placed outside the top 8 at only 1 major while winning 19 other majors and supermajors, including some of ''Ultimate''{{'}}s largest events such as {{Trn|Umebura SP 9}}, {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2023}}, and {{Trn|Umebura SP 10}}, making him one of the players with the most major wins in ''Ultimate''.

*{{Sm|crêpe salée|France}} - Initially began as a {{SSBU|Wario}} player before picking up Steve in 2023, first as a co-main but eventually becoming his primary character in the following year. He is considered the best player in Europe in the first half of 2024, becoming the first player to outrank Glutonny on the [[European Ultimate Power Rankings]] and winning several events throughout the year, most notably the [[LumiRank 2024.2]] A-tier {{Trn|Ultimate Fighting Arena 2024}}. In addition, he had placed 2nd at {{Trn|95 Kings of Fields 4}} and 3rd at {{Trn|Game is Game}}.

*{{Sm|DDee|USA}} - A Steve and {{SSBU|Pokémon Trainer}} co-main who is considered one of the best Steve players in North America, as well as one of the game's best hidden bosses as he rarely travels outside of [[Georgia]]. Although he has only attended a handful of majors, he has placed single-digits at all of them, placing 5th at {{Trn|MomoCon 2022}}, 7th at {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2023}}, and 9th at {{Trn|Collision 2024}}.

*{{Sm|Miya|Japan|p=Honshu}} - Better known as a {{SSBU|Mr. Game & Watch}} player but also plays Steve as a secondary or counterpick, often using the character against players he normally struggled with when playing Mr. Game & Watch or to avoid the Mr. Game & Watch ditto. Although Steve is normally only used in a handful of games at majors, Miya has used Steve extensively in many successful tournament performances, most notably in his victory at {{Trn|DELTA 7}}.

*{{Sm|Quandale Dinglelingleton|USA}} - Best known for his performances in the early years of the post-pandemic metagame, especially his run to 9th at {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2023}}, his win over {{Sm|Zackray}} at {{Trn|Ludwig Smash Invitational}}, and his win over {{Sm|Light|p=Connecticut}} at {{Trn|Collision 2023}}.

*{{Sm|Onin|USA}} - The second-greatest Steve player of all-time. They were especially known for their performances in 2022, where they were ranked in the top 10 and were in contention for the best American player. They are the only non-Japanese Steve to win a major, having won {{Trn|Get On My Level 2022}} and {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2022}}. Although they were never able to reach the top 10 since, they often remain the second-highest ranking Steve player on global rankings and have seen multiple top 8 performances at majors and supermajors in the years since.

 

Leading up to release, there was a lot of speculation for how Steve would work in ''Smash'' due to his unique moveset compared to the rest of the roster. Many players saw a lot of potential in him, with several players going as far as to call him top tier or outright broken due to his block-creating and crafting mechanics, his glide recovery that works similarly to the infamous [[glide]] mechanic in ''Brawl'', and his high power. After his release, players had mixed reactions to his viability. Some players such as {{Sm|ESAM}} and {{Sm|MkLeo}} believed that Steve was potentially high tier due to his incredible edge guarding and a great combo game. On the other hand, players such as {{Sm|Dabuz}} believed his weaknesses, especially his poor mobility, would make him more of a lower-mid tier character.

 

Due to the [[COVID-19|COVID-19 pandemic]], Steve's initial representation in competitive play was online. Although most of his initial success came from {{Sm|Salem}}, Steve gradually saw a larger playerbase that met with consistently high placements online. Most notably, {{Sm|Jake}} won several large weeklies, defeated several top 10 online players, and was ranked 1st on 2 iterations of the [[Panda Global Online Leaderboard]].

Following the return of offline competitive play, Steve continued to see a strong presence at major and supermajor tournaments thanks to a thriving playerbase, with many ultimately ranking in the top 100. In particular, {{Sm|acola}} was widely considered the second-best player in 2022 while {{Sm|Onin}} notably 3-0'd {{Sm|MkLeo}} at {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2022}} and ultimately won the tournament. This has led many to consider Steve as not only the best character in the game, but also a character that's "broken"; this has resulted in Steve placing 1st on the first and second tier lists.

 

{{split|There is a lot of information on the ban that is both present and not present in the section (such as banned events), and even with cleanup the section will be rather large.}}

Due to the character's unorthodox playstyle and sudden rise in the metagame, many people began to argue that Steve should be banned. While this movement initially took a while to gain momentum, the discussion began in earnest in early 2022 with the sudden rise of players unknown prior to Steve's release, as well as the number of top player upsets by then-unranked players (such as {{Sm|Dabuz}} by {{Sm|yonni}} or {{Sm|Tweek}} by {{Sm|DDog}}). Discussion on Steve's ban heated up around the Summer of 2022 with the rise of {{Sm|acola}} and {{Sm|Onin}}, both of whom dominated their scenes and won multiple majors despite being relatively unknown players months prior. In particular, Onin's dominant victory at {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2022}}, which included a devastating 3-0 victory over {{Sm|MkLeo}}; acola's victory at his debut overseas tournament {{Trn|The Gimvitational}}; and the Steve ditto between the two players at {{Trn|Let's Make Moves Miami}} led many players to compare Steve to ''Brawl'' {{SSBB|Meta Knight}} and ''Smash 4'' {{SSB4|Bayonetta}}, two characters who dominated their game's respective metagames.

 

Proponents of Steve's ban argue that his ability to change a stage's layout with blocks and create near-unbeatable setups whether onstage or ledgetrapping has led to him being too strong with little viable counterplay. Some of his more notorious techniques include placing a block above the ledge and then using his Back Throw to either [[Stage Spike]] the opponent if they don't [[tech]] or guarantee a Forward smash if they do. This tech is called a Block Spike. Steve can also chain jabs across the stage to carry the opponent offstage or combo into a Forward Smash at the ledge, and using Down smash on his own TNT and buffering an [[Air dodge]] to avoid the explosion, covering most recovery options with a single move. Some of these players also argue that most players who saw success with Steve were "unknown" players prior to the character swap, and that their sudden burst of success proves that Steve "carries" his players. They pointed out how the metagame was being populated with Steve players - for example, Super Smash Con 2022 had 9 Steve players make top 64 while all other characters had 4 or less players<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/smashbros/comments/woohfu/top_64_character_representation_at_super_smash/|title=Top 64 Character Representation at Super Smash Con 2022}}</ref> - and that the character's increasing presence in the metagame was driving players away from the game.

 

On the other hand, opponents of Steve's ban argue that Steve's dominance in the metagame had been exaggerated or required more context, and that people have been developing counterplay in the matchup for a while. They also argued that Steve's dominance in the metagame was less notable than ''Brawl'' Meta Knight or ''Smash 4'' Bayonetta, pointing to how only two Steve players - {{Sm|acola}} and {{Sm|Onin}} were consistent top 8 threats. In addition, some players noted how most players who picked up Steve were younger players who either had less opportunities to enter tournaments prior or began playing during the online metagame; for example, acola had his start in the [[Smashmate]] ladder and began ranking highly well before his offline debut.

 

 

Despite the heated discussion, there was little effort toward banning Steve for most of 2022, with notable exceptions being the French regional {{Trn|CrocoCup 1}} and [[Tournament:Shockwave|Ultimate Shockwave]] testing out a Steve ban, among other characters, for a few of their tournaments in November and December.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/CrocoCorporated/status/1521540624469659649|title=Steve will be banned from CrocoCup #1}}</ref> However, the early-2023 discovery of [[Phantom MLG]]—a tech involving Create Block that allows Steve to escape out of a move and immediately follow it up with a counterattack—led to renewed and successful efforts to ban the character, with many organizers arguing that the tech was the breaking point for them. A few tournaments, including {{Trn|Collision 2023}} and {{Trn|MAJOR UPSET}}, made efforts to only ban the tech itself, or give out penalties to those who were accused of using the tech, however some players argued that banning only the tech was impractical, as it could be difficult telling whether a Steve player performed PMLG or just simply fell out of a move. By May 2023, 17 out of the 50 United States have banned Steve completely, while many other states have seen bans at a local level.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/LoopBarnard/status/1654190092951384064|title=Steve ban map in North America as of May 4th, 2023}}</ref> Bans were also exacerbated with {{Sm|Hungrybox}}'s decision to ban the character from his [[Tournament:The Coinbox|Coinbox]] tournaments,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/LiquidHbox/status/1631435704772317186|title=Steve is officially banned at the Coinbox for the foreseeable future.}}</ref> and many other tournaments would also announce a ban, including {{Trn|Gateway Legends 2023}}, {{Trn|Luminosity Makes Moves Miami}}, and {{Trn|Regen 2023}}.

 

However, many players also argued that PMLG's brokenness was greatly exaggerated, as multihit moves would effectively negate it,<ref>https://twitter.com/AcidArmyGaming/status/1650674954512244743</ref> the technique requires frame perfect timing, and said timing varies between moves as well as depending on staling.<ref>https://twitter.com/ChakkieWFT/status/1648421839637741568</ref> Others also noted how difficult it was to properly pull off in tournament - notably, [[UltRank]] issued a $35 bounty to the first three players who prove they performed the technique in bracket, with the bounty later raised to $100.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/UltRankSSB/status/1632856982741975041|title=UltRank's PMLG bounty}}</ref> The bounty remained unclaimed, and UltRank ended it after two months.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/UltRankSSB/status/1652911724297871360|title=The bounty's end}}</ref> In addition, the ban was not unified across all regions, as most scenes outside of North America did not institute a ban, with only a few notable exceptions such as Australia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/AusSmashSenate/status/1640187138204475395|title=Steve is Banned from Australian Tournaments}}</ref> In particular, Japan decided not to ban Steve, and the character remained legal during their Golden Week tournaments, which featured 3 supermajor events that had many international players in attendance.

 

Steve faces off against fighters who represent enemy mobs in ''Minecraft''. With the exceptions of Rounds 2 and 6, all rounds are stamina battles. The title is a reference to the [https://minecraft.wiki/w/Far_Lands/Java_Edition/Pre-Beta_1.8 Far Lands], a glitch that used to exist in both [https://minecraft.wiki/w/Java_Edition ''Minecraft: Java Edition''] and the [https://minecraft.wiki/w/Bedrock_Edition ''Bedrock Edition''] where land an extreme distance away from the starting point of a world formed large, fold-like cliffs due to overflow errors in the generation system. The final battle is against a giant Ridley and two tiny Endermen. If the player uses the Zombie or Enderman costumes, the opponents using this costume will not switch to a different one.

|1||{{Head|Steve|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Zombie}} (×6 (×2 Tiny)) [[Steve (SSBU)|Zombie]]||[[Minecraft World]] (Birch Forest, Night)||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Minecraft|Glide}}''||Horde Battle.<br> The two tiny Zombies represents the Baby Zombie variant. The stage is always set to nighttime, referencing how Zombies burn in sunlight.

|2||{{CharHead|Wario|SSBU|hsize=20px|color=Green}} (×4)||Minecraft World (Plains, Day)||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Minecraft|The Arch-Illager}}''||Represent Pillagers. {{CharHead|Villager|SSBU|hsize=20px}} and Giant {{CharHead|R.O.B.|SSBU|hsize=20px}} appear as CPU allies, representing a Villager and an Iron Golem, respectively.

|3||{{CharHead|Link|SSBU|hsize=20px|color=White}} (×3)||Minecraft World ([[Battlefield form]], Night)||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Minecraft|Clockwork Crafter}}''||Represent Skeletons. The stage is always set to nighttime, referencing how Skeletons burn in sunlight.

|4||Tiny {{CharHead|Pit|SSBU|hsize=20px|color=Blue}} (×3) and {{CharHead|Robin|SSBU|hsize=20px}}||[[Luigi's Mansion]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Other|Dragon Battle}}''||Robin represents an Evoker and the tiny Pits represent Vexes. The stage represents a Woodland Mansion.

|5||Giant {{CharHead|Kirby|SSBU|hsize=20px|color=White}} (×2) and Tiny {{CharHead|King K. Rool|SSBU|hsize=20px|color=Pink}} (×2)||[[Norfair]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Pikmin|The Keeper of the Lake}}''||The giant Kirbys represent Ghasts and the tiny King K. Rools represent Zombified Piglins. The stage represents the Nether.

|6||Giant {{Head|Steve|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Enderman}} Enderman (×4)||[[Find Mii]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Minecraft|Clockwork Crafter}}''||Horde Battle. Items do not appear.<br>The Endermen being sized up resembles their actual height in ''Minecraft''. The stage represents the End Pillars.

|Final||Giant {{CharHead|Ridley|SSBU|hsize=20px}} and Tiny {{Head|Steve|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Enderman}} Enderman (×2)||{{SSBU|Final Destination}}||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Minecraft|The Arch-Illager}}''||Giant Ridley represents the Ender Dragon. The stage represents the End.

Due to his status as downloadable content, Steve does not have a legitimate role in World of Light. Instead, he is unlocked for use in the mode after freeing 10 fighters from [[Galeem]]'s control. If loading an existing save file that meets this condition prior to downloading Steve, he is immediately unlocked.

Steve's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing {{SSBU|Classic Mode}} as Steve. It is only available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold, but only after Steve has been downloaded. Unlocking Steve in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and are purely aesthetic. Alex has a fighter spirit of her own, only available through the shop. Each fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces it with its artwork in ''Ultimate''.

Additionally, the Zombie and Enderman have attack primary and neutral primary spirits respectively, but they do not have fighter spirits.

SSBU spirit Steve.png|1,428. '''''Steve'''''

SSBU spirit Alex.png|1,429. '''Alex'''

SSBU spirit Zombie.png|1,430. Zombie

SSBU spirit Enderman.png|1,434. Enderman

==In Spirit Battles==

|{{SpiritTableName|Piglin|customname=[https://minecraft.wiki/w/Piglin Piglin]|size=64|dlcalt=y}}

|{{SpiritTableName|Villager & Iron Golem|customname=[https://minecraft.wiki/w/Villager Villager] & [https://minecraft.wiki/w/Iron_Golem Iron Golem]|size=64}}

|{{SpiritTableName|Ender Dragon|customname=[https://minecraft.wiki/w/Ender_Dragon Ender Dragon]|size=64}}

|[https://minecraft.wiki/w/Enderman Endermen]

Steve unlock notice SSBU.jpg|Steve's unlock notice after downloading him from the [[Nintendo eShop]].

SSBUWebsiteSteve4.jpg|Steve using [[Elytra]] near {{SSBU|Pit}} and {{SSBU|Dark Pit}} on [[Temple]].

*Steve is referred to within the game files with the codename "pickel". In Japanese, the loanword {{ja|ピッケル|Pikkeru}} ''pickel'' is used to refer to ice axes, deriving from the German word "Eispickel".<ref>[https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ピッケル ピッケル - Wikipedia]</ref>

**He also noted that every stage in the game had to be reworked to accommodate Steve's block-placing ability, which was a large portion of the fighter's programming workload.<ref>https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/10/every_smash_bros_ultimate_stage_has_to_be_reworked_for_minecraft_steves_inclusion</ref>

**Another development hurdle Sakurai and his team encountered while working on Steve was the issue of the Enderman costume unintentionally blending into stages with dark backgrounds. While attempting to remedy this issue, Sakurai would take screenshots of the Enderman in front of dark backgrounds and ask the development team to try and find it.<ref>https://twitter.com/KodyNOKOLO/status/1455935774088704000</ref>

*According to former ''Minecraft'' production director Daniel Kaplan, negotiations between Nintendo and Mojang for ''Minecraft'' content to appear in ''Smash'' began "at least five" years prior to Steve's reveal.<ref>https://twitter.com/Kappische/status/1311773807175180296</ref>

*Steve is the first fighter in ''Smash'' history to have a victory animation modified in an update (not including [[List of updates (SSB4)/1.1.1 changelog|an update in ''Smash 4'']] that universally improved slow-motion effects on sword-swinging animations). In version {{h2|List of updates (SSBU)|9.0.1}}, Steve's Up victory pose was modified so that the Steak disappears after he finishes eating it.<!--SmashWiki is not speculative. Do not add unconfirmed explanations for this change.-->

**Although the official reason for this change is currently unknown, many players noted that the position of the camera at the end of the pose gave it an unintentionally phallic appearance, with journalists reporting on it both before and after it was altered. Phil Spencer, the head executive of [[Microsoft]]'s Xbox division, was shown the pose and stated in response to the interviewer's speculations, "I assume that will be fixed."<ref>[https://twitter.com/stephentotilo/status/1319097009761112064 Stephen Totilo on Twitter]</ref>

**Steve is the second fighter in ''Ultimate'' to have their victory screens modified in some way via updates, the first being {{SSBU|Chrom}}'s victory theme being changed to fit the rest of the fighters from ''Fire Emblem Awakening'' in version {{h2|List of updates (SSBU)|3.0.0}}.

*Steve and {{SSBU|Byleth}} are the only fighters in ''Ultimate'' whose alternate costumes are displayed alongside their default costumes on the [[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site|official ''Ultimate'' site]], similarly to {{SSB4|Robin}}'s page on the [[Super Smash Bros. 4 Official Site|official ''SSB4'' site]].

*Steve and {{SSBU|Sora}} are the only DLC fighters in ''Ultimate'' who can [[crawl]].

**Steve is the only playable character to date without a unique [[tumbling]] animation, instead deriving it from his running animation, remaining upright; this reflects the way players are knocked back in ''Minecraft''. His running animation is also used when he is [[star KO]]'d as well as during certain cinematic Final Smashes such as [[Triple Wolf]] and [[Wario-Man]].

**Steve's swimming animation is identical to his walk animation, as in ''Minecraft'', and his drowning animation reflects the way players "sprint" underwater in ''Minecraft''.

**Steve simply falls to the side when KO'd by a weak attack in [[Stamina Mode]], [[crumpling]], or [[drowning]], mimicking the way players and mobs die in ''Minecraft''.

**When falling [[asleep]], Steve places a red bed on the ground and lies on it. When waking up, he collects it back into his inventory.

**In his [[perfect shield]] animation, Steve crouches and briefly wields a ''Minecraft'' shield.

**Steve's crouching and crawling animations are taken from ''Minecraft''{{'}}s [https://minecraft.wiki/w/Sneaking sneaking] mechanic. He also sneaks in his [[teetering]] animation, reflecting the fact that sneaking prevents the player from falling over ledges in ''Minecraft''.

**When landing from a fall of sufficient distance (roughly 73 units or 7.3 blocks), ''Minecraft''{{'}}s player damage sound plays, making him the only character with a unique long-distance fall sound. This sound cue is merely aesthetic.

**''Minecraft''{{'}}s eating sound effects play when Steve consumes a [[food]] item. This makes Steve the second character to make a unique sound when eating, following fellow third-party character {{SSBU|Snake}}.

**Steve's clapping animation resembles the "simple clap" emote exclusive to ''Minecraft: Bedrock Edition'', looped and with Steve's body turned to the side instead of facing forwards.

**Steve and Alex's eyes blink periodically, a feature not present in their home series outside of ''Minecraft: Bedrock Edition'' and ''Minecraft Dungeons''. Otherwise, their facial expressions never change, even while [[asleep]]. The Zombie and Enderman do not blink.

**When climbing a {{b|ladder|stage element}}, Steve idly glides up and down it while emitting ''Minecraft''{{'}}s own ladder-climbing sounds. He also crouches when stationary on a ladder, as the player does to remain stationary on a ladder in ''Minecraft''.

*Steve's alternate costumes each consist of a [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/304966181746638848/765761871159754772/Screenshot_20201013-222402_Discord.jpg single texture taken from ''Minecraft''], modified slightly for unknown reasons. This notably makes modifying them through [[file replacement]] extremely simple.

*Steve is the first playable character in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series to have originated from an indie game. {{iw|wikipedia|Markus Persson}} created ''Minecraft'' alone and served as its lead designer until its initial release in 2011, although his development company, [[Mojang AB]] (later "Mojang Studios"), became a subsidiary of Microsoft in 2014.

**Independently owned properties currently exclusively appear in ''Smash Bros.'' in the form of Trophies, Spirits, Assist Trophies, and Mii Costumes; an indie character has yet to become playable while still being independently owned.

*Steve is the only fighter to lack an [[idle pose]].

*If Steve picks up an [[Assist Trophy]] while walking, he can continue walking with it until he stops or performs any other action such as jumping. He, {{SSBU|Mega Man}}, and {{SSBU|Min Min}} are the only characters who can walk with an Assist Trophy.

*Steve, {{SSBU|Snake}}, and {{SSBU|Inkling}} are the only characters who cannot angle their shield by holding the special move button while shielding. In Steve's case, this is due to the shield and special button combination being used to spawn a crafting table near him.

[[Category:Third-party characters]]