In a surprising choice for the second Fighters Pass, Minecraft‘s Steve was selected as the eighth new character to come to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. To some, Minecraft Steve may have been more of a meme than an actual character choice, and many figured there were too many factors preventing his inclusion in the game. However, considering how ubiquitous Minecraft has become in gaming history, Steve (and his many alternate character skins) has quickly become a more viable character pick as the years have gone on.
Now that Steve’s actually coming to the game, and fans have received a pretty good look at what his moveset will be like, it’s time to speculate how he’ll fit into the game’s competitive meta. Minecraft‘s Steve is certainly a wildcard inclusion, as he’s one of those special characters that has a moveset that’s entirely unique to both their own game and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a whole. Steve brings a whole bunch of new mechanics to his character specifically, which in turn could affect Ultimate‘s meta in interestingly strange ways.
At first glance, Steve doesn’t necessarily look like he’ll be a major threat. He’s got a fairly below-average jump height, has degradable weapons, and his frame data isn’t exactly the best. However, Minecraft Steve fits into the strange collection of characters in Ultimate who thrives on their gimmick moves rather than their raw frame data. Specifically his special moves, in the hands of the right player could be devastating. Steve is capable of gimping recoveries with blocks, ledge-trapping with TNT, and a litany of moves like his down-air anvil attack or down-tilt Flint & Steel for edgeguarding.
In terms of competitive scenarios, based on his moveset alone, players will excel with a defensive approach with Steve. The majority of Steve’s moveset (swords, axes, pickaxes,) are all based on crafting and leveling up in power, using the signature weapon types from Minecraft. Even though players can mine materials and move at the same time, the crafting table on every map remains stationary based on where Steve spawns it during a match. That means his high kill power will typically come from mining materials and crafting higher level gear. Steve also has plenty of defensive power with his spawnable blocks, which he can use to circle-camp opponents on stage.
Overall, as a defensive character, Steve does seem to have a lot of potent tools for Ultimate‘s highly defensive competitive meta. However, there’s a big caveat to his viability that could be seriously exploited by rushdown characters if players aren’t carefully. His mining and crafting gimmick easily could be a double-edged sword, meaning Steve players low on resources could be extremely vulnerable. Against an aggressive high tier character like Chrom or Joker, a Steve with low resources could easily become combo food and get punished hard for not mining properly and often.
That being said, any player that can micromanage his materials/crafting and knows great defensive tactics will enjoy Steve quite a bit. Steve’s ledge-trapping and edgeguarding options are incredibly powerful, and his normals are incredibly strong for playing keepaway. Steve players will just need to play exceedingly more careful against any characters who are quick and combo-heavy. Other than his side-special (the Minecart), Steve doesn’t have any projectile based attacks, so he’s not exactly a zoner. However, the tools he does have make Minecraft‘s Steve a character who excels with a defensive playstyle and is incredibly good at dealing with opponents’ recoveries.
Minecraft Steve joins Super Smash Bros. Ultimate‘s roster on October 13, 2020.
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