SSBU/Steve/Strategy

Gameplan Summary

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Neutral

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Disadvantage

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Stages

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Tips and Tricks

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Preface
Now, you're probably here to find advice on how to fight Steve. If you don't know how Steve's gameplan works, you will be beaten easily, and you will still face an uphill battle when you do know the ins and outs of his moveset, thanks to it's excellent strength. However, you will at least understand why Steve players do X thing or Y thing, and be able to act in each situation accordingly. Yes, Steve will recognise this and attempt to outplay this counterplay, and you will have to adapt accordingly- but such is the beauty of fighting games.

Having matchup knowledge won't necessarily make fighting Steve more 'fun' (I also do not find fighting this character 'fun', alas life is unfair). But hopefully you can win more matches against Steve with this knowledge.

This writeup will also not include the possible use of PMLG, WGT OWADIO

Fighting Steve
Steve's goal is to mine as many resources as he can while playing keep-away, then apply strong pressure using his resources. This gameplan puts it up to you to close in and hinder his resource collection, a hard task considering Steve's excellent close-range game and ability to set up walls through. He has 2 main resources (iron and materials) to manage in order to maintain this pressure; without either, he suffers. A lack of iron severely hinders Steve's ability to apply pressure, approach, and escape disadvantage due to and  being unavailable, leaving him with his abysmal base mobility and generally stubby range, while lacking materials makes Steve unable to repair his tools, make new ones, or use. He also can't afford to get KO'd when he has almost no resources left, as he will only get 3 units of iron on respawn. Further enhancing his disadvantage woes is his shield: Steve is very vulnerable to being shield poked due to a bugged shield.

In short, Steve's whole gameplan is very dependent on all of his resources. In order to fight Steve, you must first attack his resources. This means you have to be patient, letting Steve waste his resources by waiting him out and keeping out of his burst range. Make Steve use up his resources, and go in for the kill once he tries to replenish them. His 1st stock is the most important stock, and determines how the rest of the match will be played out.

Unique Mechanics

 * Resource Meter
 * Iron
 * Gold
 * Materials

Steve relies on his Resource Meter for almost everything:, , , , , and maintaining his tools. Each move uses a unique resource- be it iron or materials. Be sure to read up on how his meter works on (Placeholder), as fighting Steve will require a solid understanding of how each move works, and how Steve manages his resources while using said moves.

Dealing With Normals
Steve has many rewarding normal moves that convert to high damage on hit. Moves like and  are fast, strong pressure tools up close, and lead to high damage conversions. Thankfully Steve's range on these moves are quite mediocre despite their disjoints, and his movement stats are atrocious: walk speed, initial dash, running speed, and air speed in the bottom 10s and the worst initial dash. Stay out of the range of these moves, and outrange these moves if you can. Most Steve players knowing this will use moves like and  in order to create opportunities, which burns his Iron resources. At some point, Steve will run out of resources and be forced to retreat to mining. This is your biggest opportunity move forward and pressure Steve. Knowing what tools corresponds to which attacks is also important- Axe attacks are his upward hitting anti-air attacks, Sword and Pickaxes are horizontally hitting attacks. When these tools break, know that Steve will get a severely degraded moves for the broken tool, and you can attack him from those angles much more easily while they are broken.

If Steve manages to get you off stage from his combos, he'll almost always have time to replenish his resources. However, if you manage to deal the Iron moves he throws at you and he overextends, Steve can be left in a bad position.

(Placeholder) FAir BAir how to deal with - autocancel windows insanely hard to whiff punish, UTilt Jab - How to deal with shield pressure from these moves, obvious punishing of high endlag moves like DTilt, USmash


 * Place Block

Place Block's use in combos will not be discussed here

(Placeholder) Block Setups- common walls used when mining- how to approach these walls and deal with these situations. Explain characteristics of blocks - blocks 1 block above stage can be ran through 
 * Mining

(Placeholder) Mining timing - how steve tries to mine safely, how to approach (ref to block walls above)- stages and how they play a part in how to deal with his mining. Special scenarios - certain mining spots and how they give better mats - anvil, tnt, stage spots 
 * Crafting/Upgrading Tools



All of Steve's attacks and mining use up the durability of Steve's tools. Once used up, Steve must craft new tools, as almost all of his punch moves have horrible range, losing even more range on Steve's already mediocore range. Which tool that Steve crafts depends on the resource available, with the highest quality resource being prioritised. Wood tools may have more consistent combos due to a lower SDI modifier, but their horrible durability means Steve usually wants to switch to a higher quality toolkit as soon as he can. Listed below are the advantages/disadvantages of each material type (excluding Diamond), and how prioritised they are for Steve.
 * Stone tools have a good balance between damage and durability. They are cheap materialwise, stronger than Wood while having greater durability. Highest priority other than Diamond.
 * Gold tools have faster frame data and allow Steve to very quickly mine materials. Steve will use this when he wants to get as much materials and Iron. The drawback is Wood level damage and horrible durability- tools being brittle as Wood. They are also quite expensive resource wise, requiring 4 Gold that could have been used for instead.
 * Iron tools while the 2nd strongest tools have a significant drawback - their material cost to craft. 4 Iron is required to craft a set, which could have been saved for and  instead. You will see Steve never craft Iron tools unless they have a good surplus of Iron or are unaware of this.

Upgrading tools to diamond level is effectively Steve's win condition - higher damage output, higher material output from mining and more durable tools. You will want to prevent Steve from having the opportunity to mine Diamond in the first place. Diamonds are always mined at fixed intervals - 1 in 30 materials for Neutral terrain, 1 in 28 materials for Wood terrain, 1 in 22 for Stone terrain, 1 in 33 for Dirt terrain and 1 in 15 materials for Iron terrain. If Steve mines diamond, fret not- he still has to find the time and opportunity to craft diamond tools. Steve will usually try to avoid crafting diamond tools if they are at a high percentage to get the most out of the diamonds he mined- this means that he will be unable to repair his tools as the most valuable material is prioritized when using a Crafting Table. Tools are reset to Wood after a stock is lost, so Steve will always try to attempt crafting diamond tools when he is at low percents. 
 * You will often see Steve craft Diamond tools at the start of a new stock so as to abuse the invincibility period from spawning to safely craft - run into them to push them away from the Crafting Table. This will catch them off guard and prevent them from crafting Diamond tools, while wasting their spawn protection.
 * Crafting Table

The placing of a Crafting Table requires materials: 2 Wood, 4 Stone or 1 Iron. It will prioritise the lowest cost material. It is important that when you have the chance to, break the Crafting Table. Although the number might seem small, Steve cannot afford to keep making Crafting Tables without returning back to mining for materials. Because the table automatically respawns every 240F (4s), Steve will keep burning materials if he is offstage, putting even more pressure on him to return to mining ASAP. This is especially important on Stone stages, since it makes up a majority of Steve's material source, and spawning a Crafting Table with Stone is the most expensive.

 Steve's Minecart has armor (8.4%) protecting Steve's lower body. However, it doesn't protect Steve from attacks that are aimed towards his upper body. At mid-far ranges, aim to attack Steve with direct attacks from above (around a 45 degree angle) to bypass this and if there isn't enough time to do so, jump away to reset the situation. If Steve uses Minecart at point blank range, it is VERY punishable on shield- you have up to 16F to decide Steve's fate OOS. Most Steves that are aware of this will try to space Minecart to avoid this, so roll in as a counter. Steve will be unable to punish this option no matter what as his fastest options will always be shielded in time.

With Gold, Minecart gets powered rails and is even stronger, becoming harder to react to due to its speed. Steve can only use with Gold however, which has a lower rate of getting mined than Iron. Powered Minecart needs to be respected more compared to base Minecart, so try to go for less risky options when challenging it.
 * Although technically possible to hit Steve with projectiles while he is in Minecart, Minecart's invincibility during startup means that Steve can use this to armor through the projectile- even as damaging as 's or . Transcendant projectiles also do not work against the Minecart.
 * Rolling towards empty Minecart is not favorable - Steve can use to punish this option if he uses Minecart at a height (which he usually does), though it does burn up his Iron.
 * Rolling away from empty Minecart is also ill advised- it will cause you to get caught by the command grab.

Sometimes you will also see Steve mains place blocks down and then place a. The Minecart then bounces off the blocks and run over the already placed rails. Don't get baited by this, wait out the situation on a platform or jump over it. While possible to hit Steve out of the minecart, it's best to let Steve stay between the blocks: Remember, as long as he is seated, he isn't mining for his win condition.

Lastly, DO NOT get grabbed by empty Minecart (grabs grounded opponents only) - getting grabbed at medium-high percentages by almost always results in Steve getting an extremely advantageous scenario that will lead to your stock taken. Delaying a mash could potentially help to bait Steve out into thinking you'll land onstage instead of offstage, but know that the cards are heavily stacked against you. A tragedy, but such is life.

 Anvil is punishable on shield if done from slightly above a character's shield - there is a noticeably big gap between the initial falling hit and the landing hit. If Steve drops this from a further height, roll to avoid the Anvil. Anvil also counts as a projectile, so characters with reflectors can use this against Steve. (Placeholder)

 Although an extremely potent ledgetrapping tool, TNT is a resource expensive move: everytime Steve uses TNT, it burns up a good chunk of his materials. It works by taking up '50' points worth of materials: 2 for each Dirt, 5 for each Wood/Stone and 10 for each Iron. Using this forces Steve to give up a good portion of his blocks, or Iron that could be used for or  instead. Dealing with Steve's TNT ledgetrap setups will be discussed in the disadvantage section.

Other than its use as a ledgetrapping tool, Steve can also use this as a desperate last attempt when recovering to stall offstage long enough for a spawned Minecart to fall into the blast zone and despawn, allowing him to use another. However, it is still very expensive for Steve to use, and combined with breaking the, will chunk away at his materials.

Advantage
So you've gotten past Steve's setups and sent him into disadvantage. Now is the time to pressure him as hard as posssible. Due to Steve's horrendous grounded and aerial mobility attributes, he is very susceptible to being juggled and is usually easy to combo. Knowing this, Steve will usually have to burn his resources in order to get out of disadvantage state. In the air, Steve will either use Blocks to stall or drop Anvils to discourage you from juggling him. Either option force him to burn up his materials, and it is not always possible for Steve to use blocks depending on his position. Don't let Steve have stage position, and always try to push him to the edge. When cornered, Steve will try to go for a Minecart or use delayed SH to create space, so be on the lookout for that as well and punish accordingly.

When pressuring Steve's shield, try to space your attacks so you don't get hit by Footstool - its a 4F, powerful OOS option that can kill. Without Iron however, Steve loses this option, and must rely on his SH OOS aerial attacks. Though they come out decently fast, their range is quite middling, and Steve can be punished for being predictable. Because Steve has a bugged shield that is very susceptible to shield pokes, Steve will often have to roll away from shield pressure, or risk getting his shield broken if he holds shield. Keep the pressure up on Steve if he rolls, and prevent him from mining resources.

When Steve goes offstage, he might try to place a bunch of blocks as a platform and occasionally mine the stage to gather resources (or when he is close to mining Diamond). This is often referred to as 'Planking'. Not every character is able to effectively challenge this, as Steve can use, or  in order to cover above him. The most optimal thing you can do in this situation is to target his Crafting Table, as it will drain his resources even further and pressure him to come back to stage.

Disadvantage
Steve gets immense reward off landing hits, converting into highly damaging combos or sending the opponent offstage to set up for edgeguards/ledgetrapping. During these scenarios, Steve gets time to safely mine a few more resources or upgrade his tools/craft and start his setplay.

Dealing with TNT Ledgetrapping
is one of Steve's best ledgetrapping tools - it covers almost every option on ledge, and is one of the reasons why Steve is extremely strong at ledgetrapping. Once offstage, there are a few considerations you can make before grabbing ledge to reduce your chances of being hit by it.
 * If your character can avoid the ledge, do it if you see Steve place down a TNT. TNT is very resource expensive for Steve to use, and he is forced to commit to it as a ledgetrap option.
 * If possible, use a suitable projectile (e.g: 's Fireball, 's Laser) to hit TNT before grabbing ledge. A good amount of hits can move the TNT and ruin the setup.
 * If forced to recover low, recover ASAP to minimise the time Steve has to setup.

Should you recover low and on the ledge, there are 3 common TNT setups that Steve will use to ledgetrap. Other setups will be listed here(ty XCidoClipDump)


 * -|Platform TNT=
 * Only applicable on BF and SBF due to platform height

Steve places TNT is on a platform close to the ledge. From there, Steve is able to the pressure plate from below. This covers jump on reaction, and covers roll, getup attack and neutral getup by standing out of most characters good burst ranges (even characters with good burst range like 's isn't safe at the ledge) See GiMR's video for information and specifics
 * If Steve doesn't react fast enough, Jump and Neutral Airdodge to avoid the TNT explosion. You'll still be in disadvantage, but in a much better position or above Steve depending on your character.
 * Fake ledgejump, drop from ledge and jump ASAP, but immediately regrab ledge and buffer an option. This will fake Steve out to the TNT too early if he overreacts to movement.
 * Do not do Neutral Getup and shield the explosion. The TNT will lock you in shieldstun, allowintg Steve to waltz in and your shield, causing your shield to break and thus causing you to lose a stock.
 * Predictable options will get you easily punished. Self explanatory.
 * -|GiMR Ledgetrap=


 * If your character has multiple jumps or a large jump + good aerial hitbox, you can attempt to challenge Steve when he's on, then find your way around TNT if Steve backs off far enough. Ensure you mix up your aerial attacks as Steve can shield if he expects your attack.
 * Some characters can avoid certain aspects of this ledgetrap, and even escape it. Refer back to the first bullet point if Steve expects this in the matchup.
 * Do not panic buffer options - you will get hit and either suffer high damage or lose a stock. Watch the video to know what options are safe, and which are not.
 * Do not wait on ledge for too long, as {[clr|aerial|Anvil}} can cover you waiting on ledge for 3-4s. If you wait out your invincibility, Steve will be happy enough to take that stock you held so nicely for him by spiking you.

Steve places TNT with its pressure plate directly on the ledge. He will wait for you to get close, then attempt a ledge trump when you grab ledge. Steve then ledge drops and does a, both hitting the you and the TNT - the TNT will be sent into your face if you got ledge trumped.
 * -|Ledge Trump > TNT > Up Air=


 * Buffer your options IMMEDIATELY - getting ledgetrumped means that you are guaranteed to get hit by the strongest part of TNT.
 * Your best option to get back on stage with a ledge option is to ledge jump into neutral airdodge (if it isn't staled) or if your ledge jump is very high.
 * Drop down from ledge and attack Steve when he tries to ledge trump you, or when he does an . Ensure that you can get back to stage, and don't hit the TNT.
 * If your airdodge is staled, do a ledge roll to minimise the punishment. Continuous airdodges will mean that TNT will hit with its sweetspot in your airdodge's endlag.

Dealing with Steve's combos
(Placeholder) SDI Axe tools SDI Sword Tools material multiplier

Character Specific Options
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Other Tips & Tricks
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References/Resources for Fighting Steve
Steve Counterplay / Matchup Guide by Omuatsu - a VERY comprehensive guide

THE DEFINITIVE MINECART COUNTERPLAY GUIDE by RockManSSB

HOW TO ESCAPE EVERY STEVE COMBO WITH SDI by RockManSSB

Document from AcidArmy

How to SDI Steve's most important moves by @BocchiTheBlock

Beating Steve: A Play-by-Play Analysis by RockManSSB

How TOP PLAYERS DESTROY STEVE in Smash Bros! by Dabuz

A list of edgeguard/ledgetrapping setups Steve has by XCidoClipDump