SSBU/Steve/Techniques

Steve

Overview

Combos

Setplay

Tech

Strategy/Counterstrategy

Matchups

Resources

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Steve is a complicated character with deep moves and mechanics.
As such he has a lot of tech, some very useful while others not so much.
In the following sections, we will try to list Steve's techs in order of importance for each section.

General Techs

Block Techs

No Impact Landing

No Impact LandingShortform: NIL

Easy - Hard
(depending on the variant)

No Impact Landing or NIL for short, is a general tech in smash ultimate referring to situations where characters become grounded without experiencing any soft landing or hard landing lag.
Steve Can Place a Block in order to NIL on command and in various positions.
This makes NIL a very strong and flexible tool and movement option in the kit of Steve which allows for very creative and varied uses, from extending combos to setups to platform pressure.

NIL1 to NIL4 refer to the height gained after using NIL from a grounded position, measured in blocks.
NIL1: Steve gains an elevation of 1 block. It's relatively easy to execute and can be done by doing a shorthop and then Placing a Block.
NIL2: Steve gains an elevation of 2 block. This is the most famous NIL variation and probably what someone means if they say NIL without specifying the type. It's relatively hard to execute, having a 2-frame window, and can be done by doing a fullhop and then double jumping and Placing a Block together on the 7-8 frame of being airborne. When Steve is in a state of Reduced Jump Height such as after the use of Uptilt or Jab, the double jump and Block Placement need to be delayed by 2 additional frames. NIL2 can also be done out of a shorthop but it's considered mostly useless since it's slower and as difficult as the fullhop variant.
NIL3: Steve gains an elevation of 3 block. It's medium on the difficulty scale to execute and can be done by either doing the NIL2 input and delaying the Block Placement a bit or by delaying both the double jump and the Block Placement.
NIL4: Steve gains an elevation of 4 block. It's the easiest by far to execute and the most common version, appearing in most of Steve's bread-and-butter combo ladders. NIL4 can be done by doing a jump -> delayed double jump -> Place Block and it's very easily timed out of Steve's Up Aerial.

There also exist a variety of ways to NIL with Steve that are less easily categorizable to one of the 4 aforementioned categories, for example, Steve can often NIL in midair depending on the positioning relative to the block grid, and since Steve didn't start from the ground it doesn't fit into any category.

Turnaround Block

Easy

Turnaround Block or TB for short, is an application of the universal tech Turnaround Special with Steve's Block Place.
Turnaround Block is inputted like any other Turnaround Special: flick the left stick in the opposite direction to the one Steve is facing, let it return to neutral and then press Special. When executed properly Steve will place a block in the opposite direction to the one he was currently facing.
Turnaround Block can be used in many ways, for example, to reverse Steve's direction during a ladder, and is the basis of the powerful TBC tech.

Turnaround Block Cancel

Turnaround Block CancelDo not confuse with PBR

Medium

Turnaround Block Cancel or TBC for short, is a tech that allows Steve to turn around mid-air and do a reversed aerial.
TBC works by utilising Turnaround Block and the fact that Steve can cancel a Block Place before the block comes out.
To TBC simply input a Turnaround Block and cancel the Block Place with any aerial or even airdodge.
TBC is a very strong tech with immense potential, allowing Steve to always threat a Forwards Aerial and a Backwards Aerial even if he is facing the wrong direction for them, and at a very low frame cost.

TBC and PBR are both techniques that allow Steve to reverse his direction midair and therefore are often confused with one another. The main difference between TBC and PBR is that TBC can be used at any time but must be cancelled with a move, while PBR can only be used out of endlag but allows Steve to turnaround immediately without using an aerial.

Phantom Block

Medium

Phantom Block or PB for short, is a unique and likely unintentional behaviour of Steve's Place Block when it is being buffered out of any lag or otherwise non-actionable state.
To do a PB as Steve simply buffer Neutral Special in the air after any lag, such as the endlag of an aerial, hitstun of a move, ledge jump, and more.
A Phantom Block behaves essentially as an empty move, when Phantom Block is pulled off correctly, the game will behave as if Steve did a move but nothing will happen and Steve will be actionable after 1 frame.
Phantom Block might appear useless but it's actually the source of numerous techniques: an immediate use of PB is to escape tumble without any lag, additionally, PB is behind techniques like PBR and PMLG.

Phantom Block Reversal

Phantom Block ReversalDo not confuse with TBC

Medium

Phantom Block Reversal or PBR for short, is a tech that allows Steve to turn around mid-air.
PBR works by utilising the fact that Steve can B-Reverse a Phantom Block.
To PBR simply input a PB and flick the stick to the opposite direction Steve is facing shortly after, making it B-Reversed. Since PB takes 1 total frame, Steve will immediately turn around mid-air and be actionable after a PBR.
PBR is a very strong tech with immense potential and makes Steve combo game even more open-ended and deadly.

TBC and PBR are both techniques that allow Steve to reverse his direction midair and therefore are often confused with one another. The main difference between TBC and PBR is that TBC can be used at any time but must be cancelled with a move, while PBR can only be used out of endlag but allows Steve to turnaround immediately without using an aerial.

Minecart Techs

The Diamond Minecart

The Diamond MinecartShortform: TDM

Medium

The Diamond Minecart usually referred to as TDM, named after popular Minecraft YouTuber DanTDM, is a tech that allows Steve to use Minecart in order to tank certain moves, usually projectiles.

During the startup (first 17 frames) of Minecart its health cannot drop to 0, meaning it can't be destroyed. This is different from normal invincibility such as the one on Palutena's shield, since Steve can still get hit by move after it hits the minecart.
TDM is the act of abusing this indestructibility in order to tank moves otherwise Minecart couldn't have.

TDM is most commonly used against projectiles and min-min's arms, since their hitboxes disappear after hitting something. Timing a TDM can let steve tank a Wolf laser, a fully charged Samus Charge Shot, a Zero Suit Samus Zair, and much much more.
Some projectiles, such as Pokemon Trainer's Razor Leaf, King K. Rool's Crown, Bowser Jr.'s Canonball, and more, are persistent, meaning their hitbox will stay even after hitting something and as a result, they can't be TDM'd through.

With proper spacing, TDM can rarely be used to go through regular moves. The Minecart must be spaced in such a way that the move only hits the Minecart but not Steve. When done correctly the Minecart will tank through the move and usually hit the attacker.