Minecraft Steve has been facing intense criticism in the competitive Smash Bros. community for his campy playstyle, spammable minecarts, and excessively long and punishing combos. However, a new combo has emerged that further highlights the brokenness of Steve’s design.
Introducing ‘CRUD’ – C-stick Reverse Uptilt after Dash. This movement mechanic significantly expands Steve’s punish game, allowing him to execute devastating 80 percent combos on almost the entire Smash cast with just a single down throw.
Performing the CRUD combo is relatively simple. After a down throw, initiate a dash, then reverse your direction using the C-stick and begin the bread and butter combo with an up-tilt. With some practice, this combo can be consistently executed in training mode and seamlessly integrated into gameplay.
The implications of this new tech are enormous. Being able to deal 80 percent combos is already deadly, but when executed by a defensive powerhouse like Steve, it becomes frustratingly difficult to counter. If Steve is ahead in stocks, this combo provides a way to punish desperate and unsafe approaches. On the other hand, if Steve is behind, it grants him a comeback mechanic to swiftly dismantle defensive players relying on their shields. Essentially, it forces opponents to play flawlessly against Steve, treating him like a grappler due to the severe beatdown they will face if caught in a grab.
This development is undoubtedly going to stir up controversy within the competitive Smash scene.
Steve has been under scrutiny for quite some time now. Not too long ago, the discovery of Phantom MLG in mid-February added to the list of concerns. This technique, unique to Steve, allows him to cancel knockback and hitstun, enabling him to tank hits and counterattack with punishing combos. This discovery sparked a campaign to ban Steve from major tournaments and events such as Let’s Make Moves Miami 2023 and Coinbox.
While some tournaments have taken a more conservative approach, allowing Steve to remain tournament-legal but discouraging intentional use of Phantom MLG, this relies on players’ good faith and overlooks the other aspects of Steve’s design that make him a menace in competitive play.
It comes as no surprise that Steve is even more broken than initially believed. While his blocklaying and crafting mechanics provide a unique and enjoyable casual experience, his overwhelming strengths in competitive play overshadow that “fun” factor. He possesses an excessive number of combos for a character who is supposed to be defensive, especially considering he can walk while executing several of his combo-starters. If his offensive capabilities were adjusted to be less overpowering, it could be genuinely enjoyable to find openings in his fortress and attempt to rush him down while he’s mining.
However, as it stands, a single mistake from Steve’s opponent allows him to put them at kill percent, resulting in matches taking significantly longer and potentially leading to timeouts.
While Steve’s fate has not been officially decided yet, it is highly likely that the Smash community will continue to push for more events to ban him in the near future.
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Source: DOTESPORTS
