Gameplan
Notes
- Take to big stages like PS2 and Town.
- Dash attack will beat Steve's short hop if spaced.
- Anvil has a life of 2 seconds
- You can footstool Steve from anvil
- If Steve is still on anvil and hits your shield with it you can footstool OoS him after the landing attack
- Crafting diamond takes 10 extra frames
- Because of diamond taking almost a full second to craft (56 frames), once he respawns from angel plat on a stage with no plat in the middle and crafts diamonds his invulnerability ends as he gains diamond.
- Steve is committed to bair until he lands from even a full hop though is autocancellable a few frames after its active frames. If bair is unspaced its a guaranteed footstool
- Takes almost half a second (20 frames) after a crafting table spawns to use it
- Steve can d-tilt TNT on ground level and spotdodge to avoid the attack (why)
The Steve matchup is but a bunch of poking with d-tilt & f-tilt. Not much you can do to stop them from mining per se; both tilts go through blocks and sometimes plasma does too. If you're good at spacing f-tilt it shouldn't be the hardest thing to do. To start with minecart, jumping OoS works best to avoid that move on shield, although you can also nair it away if given the chance.
Off stage we basically lose if we're on the returning side. Not much to do on ledge besides be patient and Steve has a bunch of things to punish patience with.
You can get by if you play a more methodical and spaced advantage game, not letting them set up. You do have the ground speed to keep up with them, after all. Can try to hold center stage versus Steve and see how it works out, but you also have to realize as long as Steve has a wall between you and him he’s more likely than not the one in control of the situation, especially if the wall is in front of a platform so that you’re forced to either land on it or behind the platform; both are extremely obvious and easy to catch.
Remember the crafting table spawns about every 4 seconds, and can break it again in between your advantage time, not just in between taking his stocks. While he doesn't lose any resources the moment it's broken, he has to use them to make another table, more-so if it spawns again after falling off stage.
While you can use your fast moves to break the table, stop doing so the moment Steve becomes mobile on stage again, to avoid getting punished.
Still, advantage state breaks when people don't break it enough. If you happen to hit Steve far away from his table enough and you can't catch up to him in time to get a followup punish, then get at least one hit on the table and keep pushing advantage from there. It doesn't need to be broken every single time, but at the very least damaged enough for it to be broken next time. Doing this through the match will make him play disadvantage much more often.
There will be some times when you hit Steve in one direction, but the table's on the other side and can't be broken. It's more situational whether you break the table here, so if nothing else, continue edgeguarding him.
Breaking the table to this extent will also make Steve's planking unviable, as he has to use more other materials like iron to make anything at that point. That said, if he's planking and the table's on the other side of the stage, will need to go back and break it, albeit at the cost of stage control, but it also forces him to get back on stage which is ironically easier to fight than him mining on blocks off stage.
There's also some extra advantages of Steve being without resources, like extra hitstun; throw out an attack near the table, and it's out for a few extra frames, the usual. Hitting the table and him in the process also makes moves safer on shield.
Our moves vs craft table health-
- Rapid jab x2
- Dash attack x3
- D-tilt x4 or 5
- F-tilt x3 or 4
- U-tilt x5
- F-smash x2
- D-smash x2
- U-smash x2
- Nair x3
- Fair x3 or 4
- Bair x2 or 3
- Uair x3
- Dair x3
- Skewer x1
- Wing Blitz x2
Rapid jab, d-tilt, u-tilt, nair, fair, and skewer would be least consequential to stale here. Apparently the table doesn't stale moves though surprisingly.
Standing on blocks appears to cancel the end lag of skewer, after the animation at least which you can use against him like when he's on a platform.
Then there's using SPR to slam him against block walls or the side of stage depending on where he places his blocks, and while situational, it can be good if it catches him off guard. Another use is Steve going to ledge and mining with a wall which is a matchup check where if you jump over and use your multi-jumps to safely go over Steve if they try to up smash like they would for other characters who attempt, jump all the way over then side B them into their own wall, at ledge this will kill at 60% which also takes advantage of Steve's often shielding when someone tries to jump over said wall.
Plasma gets nullified if it hits the corner of a block, so just be aware. Other than that, it is recommended to pick stages with platforms (Battlefield and such) when possible, which makes it easier to avoid Steve's minecart, and don't try to shield it; just dodge it, though don't roll. Found that if you get caught in the cart even at high % and sent off stage with it, can roll your left stick quickly to mash out of it, and when you pop out of the cart, you still have your jumps that you can use to recover. If you hit Steve with a powerful attack first, it can destroy the minecart. D-tilt is good at covering it at a reactable burst range.
- If you see a Steve minecarting between two blocks, going back and forth against them, wait for them to break, unless at a range where you think you can punish beforehand, but is risky.
Otherwise, just disrupt him from mining as much as possible. Even if he shields, dodges, or jumps over your attacks or plasma breath, it still interrupts his mining process. That said, a grab/tomahawk grab is likely a safer option when close up. There's a lot of lag for them to switch out of mining, so your chances of landing an attack or grab are usually good, and if they jump, they don't go very high. When crafting, Steve can shield or jump before finishing, so a grab or SPR is a safer option.
- Skewering a Steve hitting the crafting table is relevant sometimes. Not needing to stale any other move helps. Only go for it though when you know he has a lot of mixups and won't react in time. Tilts also work if you need to quickly remove the table and reset (safely break the table with them though, don't constantly give up positioning but breaking it with your pressure), but the skewer one hit is nice.
Depending on the timing, you might be able to ledge jump over a ledge placed TNT explosion, and then do a landing aerial to continue disrupting his mining. Apparently doing a ledge getup attack cancels the TNT ignition too, while plasma ignites it. Also too, a beefy Wing Blitz up will displace a TNT at ledge and push it a little further back, making it go off. Just keep the pressure up which is his main weakness.
For more on counterplay to blocks in addition to above, you can walk or dash/run through ones that are one block above the ground; works for all block types (iron, stone).
- Steve standing real close to his blocks almost always means he's looking to punish your move.
- If they're a step or so away from their block wall, their ability to punish your moves varies by situation.
- If they're a good couple steps away from their wall (basically a burst range length), it's usually always safe to break the blocks unless you used a laggy move, so feel free to break the blocks.
- While your tilts can hit him past blocks as mentioned earlier, in which he can't punish if you happen to hit him, if he's shielding, you're better off spacing tipper to just break a block and get out of there.
- Also remember it takes 9 frames for Steve to get out of his mining materials animation. Take that bit of time to push against the blocks since his ability to punish you will be slower.
SDI up & away from Steve jab/f-tilt or d-tilt to avoid being sent off stage for a f-air spike (SDI fair on stage) or d-smash edgeguard. DI & SDI up versus up tilt ladders in the air (especially said ladder/NIL combo they do with blocks from 50% that leads to KO) while rolling away if on the ground (you can try making it harder for Steve by DI'ing to the side, but if they can react to that DI, then it'd be much harder or impossible to get out as they place a block left or right), and for his general combos including d-throw ones, mix up between SDI in and out.
When at high %, watch out for fair into up smash. Can tech the fair at that point, but tech away instead of neutral tech.
If you're both off stage but closer to the stage than Steve (like when occasionally going off for an edgeguard that isn't plasma), can also tech from his fair if still close enough to stage, preventing a spike.
When hit by the following Steve moves:
- bair and f-smash- DI up & in
- anvil dair- DI down & away
- u-smash- DI away
Can also just not SDI at times and go to ledge instead since ledge is your friend in disadvantage when it comes to getting away from certain combos like the Steve ones.
Speaking of d-throw, respect Steve’s grab range. Is a tether-like grab using a fishing rod, but unlike Isabelle's, it functions as an actual tether grab despite the lack of a grab aerial and tether recovery. Like some others of its kind, the grab itself starts up relatively fast but has high end lag (13 frames in startup and 29 in end lag), and despite the hook being able to visibly drop past ledges like Isabelle's, it will not grab opponents if it does so. The move does not use up durability points. The anvil from his d-throw does, though.
- Steve's shorthop fair and bair are different from the regular ones where he uses a sword, and the fair doesn't spike.
While Steve blocks delay his fall, making it hard to punish his landing and keeping him afloat from off stage, he can't mine like normal while he's on them. That said, watch out for his anvil dair which is a powerful KO tool; like Pac-Man Hydrant but stronger. Does a lot of shield damage, so don't use it if it's low, but if you do, aerial OoS; jump OoS after shielding first hit and nair. For a hard read, Wing Blitz will go through anvil in a juggle situation, and is a good callout when they’re at high %. Uair also works against anvil like with Pac hydrant.
For weaknesses, aside from low jump height without blocks, he has low mobility in both the air and on the ground (a floaty), along with his attacks not having much range, where we easily outrange him. He also lacks a good OoS option, at least from behind. His up smash is decent from up front, but the range is poor, so if you tilt Steve's shield from behind, you're usually safe. Also, if you destroy the crafting table when he's off stage, he can't plank endlessly.
Because of Steve’s low jumps and bad air speed & air acceleration, he also struggles against fullhop aerial mixups as he can’t really chase people in the air, nor does he do well against characters with decent options to minecart and can consistently harass Steve out of his range with mid range. Can also grab/SPR Steve out of shorthop minecart if timed right like Banjo Wonderwing.
- When Steve’s still inside the cart, it can be shielded as it has a normal hitbox when occupied and punishable with anything up to 16 frames OoS, though will have to get a read on when Steve might jump out of the cart in which it becomes a command grab.
If there’s a block 1 block in the air, can walk under it and destroy it, then jump through the rest of the blocks above it, which breaks down a ton of crazy builds. Just gotta be careful since most Steve’s will panic minecart or anvil in disadvantage. Minecart is invincible for the first 17 frames (hence why you can do well against it from a distance after it starts moving), but not Steve himself when it comes to close range.
Steve gets different tools/materials to mine for based on the stage. Smashville and Town & City is good because they'll mostly mine wood there. His blocks will be weaker as a result and be destroyed much faster; wood being weaker than stone, and a wooden sword breaks more easily too. If you make them craft better materials, that's less times they can use gold/normal minecart.
For PS2, Kalos, and Hollow Bastion, stone is the common material, so avoid these stages when possible. Plus, the latter two stages have a certain spot that mines material greater than iron; the two ends for Kalos and the center & platform for HB. That said, stages where you only get iron are bad for Steve like Lylat. PS2 is a lesser evil to Kalos and HB because it's harder to edgeguard you with the block; a hole between the block and the ledge even if they place it next to wall; same with Smashville. Could consider Kalos though to time out Steve. You can grab ledge through the side of blocks, so if your recovery gets stopped by them, it might still be possible to make it back; wood blocks being the easiest of course.
- Lylat is Steve's worst stage, so always pick if possible. While him only getting iron on this stage sounds terrifying on paper, he mines it extremely slowly, so you can casually break his walls faster than he can mine the iron to replace it. Also messes up his ledgetraps hard due to the slants.
Regardless, you want to break the crafting table more on PS2/Kalos/HB, because they have to use more stones for it, while they have to use less wood on SV/T&C. Wait until they have more stone though since they still start out with mud and wood at the start of the match. If they're sent off stage early, they may use TNT to get rid of their mud/wood, and try to use stones to create walls right after, or use their TNT as an alternate method of recovery to either delay having to use their minecart or be within a better range of using it. By breaking the table too early though, they don't have to do that, so wait till they have more material. Depending on the player however, some may just start neutral without getting rid of their weaker stuff, and for those Steve's is more beneficial to break the table early.
On BF/SBF, Steve can mine mud, wood, and stone, making him more OP. Also has a couple tactics exclusive to those stages; placing TNT on platforms & explode them with u-tilt (or u-smash on other plat stages), and mining off stage. TNT on plat also covers neutral getup, ledge roll, getup attack, but not waiting on ledge, so camp there. Can plasma them if they mine off stage along with breaking the table.
FD has the same material and mining order as BF/SBF, but the tools they use for mining is a shovel, whereas the former uses pickaxe to mine, and SV/T&C uses axe to mine. Shovel is a tool that's never used in neutral, so even if they use it to mine, it won't deplete the number that they can use in neutral, making it easier for them to mine. Even if it breaks, they'll have other tools to use in neutral on FD. Avoid this stage too when possible. That said, shovel breaking matters, as they get resorces slower when mining with their fists.
Platform stages are better in general since it allows you to run away from Steve more like when landing, whereas FD takes away from not only that but allows him to use anvil more freely. However, plat stages can help Steve with his u-tilt ladders. Regardless of stage, treat Steve's first stock as though it was his last, to minimize dealing with diamond Steve during any of your stocks.
Onto mobility, Steve can abuse A-landings, even with fair & bair. Don't try to punish that, you'll get reversed as they spot-dodge. If they use their aerials from a short height and land close to you, can grab OoS and maybe up smash, but good Steve's won't use those moves from the height they get the landing lag. Get away from their A-landing with a roll or jump, as shielding will only allow them to pressure.
For the 3 block wall, first counterplay is to challenge them when they're building the blocks. If you see them start to build a wall, just attack near the top of where the 3rd block would be (full momentum fullhop nair being good for this), hitting Steve in the process. With successful punishes, they'll run away after placing one block, minecart, or try to punish your move by placing one block and going for an aerial. Be ready to deal with them one by one and do mixups; go for whiff punish or corner them to the ledge with confidence. If they do manage to build a wall, is important to mix up the timing of going in, and the timing of destroying the wall. If you try to break it right away, they'll time their f-smash or minecart to punish you, so try not to get your timings read. Also watch if he does other setups like two blocks walls, or the staircase.
For more on minecart, attack from above or run away with jumping back; don't roll, because they normally minecart from double jump height, and then drop an anvil to hit where you're rolling. If you attack, be sure to check if they have gold or not. If they have gold minecart, multi-hit moves like our fair will be ineffective and they'll armor through. Some timely fullhop flickshot plasma may work as a mixup, as plasma destroys minecart with enough charge. A minecart that Steve is riding can be shielded, as it has a normal hitbox when occupied. The minecart has 8.4 HP and Steve himself has 60 knockback armor, though the minecart health can't drop to 0 during the first 17 frames before it starts moving. In terms of Plasma, a few or couple fireballs should do it in, and nair or bair if timed & positioned right. That includes sour nair, though a staled nair won't beat cart, so just be aware.
If you get caught in a minecart (a slow one), can delay mashing until near the blast zone to avoid Steve's fair spike, but even if you avoid it, he has blocks and anvil to edgeguard then, so usually if you're caught in minecart, you just get KO'd or combo'd with up tilt.
To account for PMLG or hitstun cancel, these are when Ridley's moves send Steve into tumble-
- Rapid jab: 0%
- Gentleman jab: 2%
- Dash attack: 0%
- Down throw: 19%
- Forward throw: 14%
- Up and back throw: 0%
- D-tilt: 0%
- F-tilt: 3% for tipper, 18% for sour
- U-tilt: 25%
- All three smashes: 0% (of course really)
- Nair: 12% for tipper, 21% for sour
- Fair: 18% for tipper, 24% for sour
Assuming all three hits connect for both versions of fair
- Bair: 15%
- Uair: 0%
- Dair: 0% for sweetspot, 7% for sour
For more on PMLG counterplay:
- Steve cannot PMLG out of true combos.
- For single hit moves, will usually want to weave away from Steve with your airdrift so anvil can’t hit and minecart can’t reliably reach, letting you do a potential punish. If he does a PMLG and minecarts from ledge jump though, can spot-dodge through it.
- Each different multi-hit aerial that they can PMLG out of (our f-air for instance) has to be frame perfect, and each different such move for the most part requires them to act out of a specific frame, not making it very realistic for them to do in practice, and even if they airdodge out of our f-air for example, they're frametrapped for us to punish.
- smoke = tumble = no PMLG
- The more range you have, the less effective PMLG will be, and we have plenty range.
Miscellaneous and frame data
Him getting diamond isn't that big a deal if you're at 20% and he's at 75% for instance, if it comes down to something like that. He still has to get through our nair and tilts.
People are way too afraid of diamond and over-respecting it. It's a dumb part of his kit, sure, but people go gorilla mode and think they have to just be in his face constantly when in reality a slow but consistent mid-range pressure like Ridley's usual gameplan is more effective. Get too close and you have to deal with Steve up tilt or whatnot.
- One interesting kill mixup is if Steve has a block above him but is below it and he’s at high %, can grab & d-throw him so he slams in to said block, and then finish off with a smash attack.
- If you see him approaching with a block, get out of there and don’t shield because he can melt it with d-tilt & minecart for pressure.
- Use a ceiling/wall tech when it comes to blocks. Unlike wall techs however, ceiling techs leave you unactionable until 25+ frames, leaving you free for a big punish. That said, when the Steve places a block diagonally above you like when you're cornered, expect him to try and grab, avoid it, and whiff punish him to knock toward the block instead; whiff punishing with fullhop nair followed by f-smash is good for instance. Even if they don't outright die from it, you're in a good position afterward.
- If you see Steve anvil dair and place a block next to himself, watch out since him attacking it gives him a big aerial boost which he can set up a combo off of.
If shielding an unsafe move, roll away/jump OoS, making his tether grab whiff.
Steve multihits- d-tilt (5 hits), u-smash (9 hits), d-smash (3 hits)
A good chunk of Steve's moves (jab/f-tilt, u-tilt, fair, bair, uair) require either about or at least 2 SDI inputs, but they have plenty frames of hitlag (varies) for you to perform said SDI's.
Skewer > d-tilt > insert followup here, for covering delayed getup
Steve's normals are mostly too safe on shield. His dash attack is punishable with nair and grab OoS though, except when he has gold and diamond. F-smash and d-smash are at least punished by our OoS aerials and shield grab too, while his up smash is -11, so can only nair OoS against it.
Landing aerials are all too safe on shield as you would expect, except anvil dair which is -14, but the main way you punish that as mentioned is jump OoS after shielding it, and then aerial. His up B has a hitbox, so shield that if he glides into you; same with point-blank minecart which is -16 on shield and thus can punish with OoS aerials, shield grab, and up smash.
Reminder that his ranged grab is 13 frames in startup and 29 in end lag, so can at least whiff punish with SPR and such. Mix in shield jumping, particularly Double Shield Cancel fullhop, to whiff punish such a grab. There's also moving away after shielding a safe move of his (d-tilt and such) which he may then go for a grab for you to whiff punish.
Ridley kill confirm:
- u-tilt > fullhop uair (87-95%)
- u-tilt double jump uair (88-103%)
Don't wait to u-tilt when he's slightly or anywhere above you because of anvil and maybe minecart depending on his resources, though if you expect them, can dodge and whiff punish Steve with u-tilt.
Major credit to smub and the collective Ridcord for a decent chunk of this info.
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