The Super Smash Bros. Ultimate community has been implementing a ban on Minecraft's Steve, banning both the character and players who main him from competitive tournaments. The community has been in an uproar about Steve's usage in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate since the end of February, due to a hitstun cancel technique that many quickly cited as an unfair advantage. The ban has finally started being implemented, after the results at the competitive Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament, Smash Ultimate Summit 6.Minecraft's Steve was added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate back in October 2020, and he was initially hailed as a highly anticipated and beloved addition to the roster. His inclusion was so shocking, that it literally broke Twitter for a couple of hours from the sheer amount of people trying to send out their reactions. His move set was also widely praised, as it was incredibly faithful to the mechanics of Minecraft. This, however, also shook the metagame to a significant degree, and with the game no longer being updated full-time, competitive players have come to resent the character and have pushed for the character's ban.This was due to the upset victory from a young Japanese Steve main, acola, where the 16-year-old prodigy managed to beat several Smash Ultimate professionals at Smash Ultimate Summit 6, such as MkLeo, Tweet, and others, to win the whole thing, greatly upsetting many viewers. Many pointed out that the character's counterplay had been countered, and that both the player and character's playstyle haven't been fully optimized yet, and is causing this many headaches and grief. As a result, the character has been already been banned in tournaments that take place in the state of Michigan, Australia, and Venezuela.
The character ban is still being greatly discussed within the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate community, with a potential ban being announced at another tournament, CEO 2023. Tournament organizer Alex Jebailey stated that he'd be using the DreamHack San Diego tournament as a "test study" to see if Steve warrants a ban. Jebailey states that if Steve wins at the tournament, then he'll be forced to ban the character from offline tournaments.
The Super Smash Bros. franchise has a history of broken characters, with Ultimate being no exception. Dragon Quest's Hero was being banned when it was added to the game in 2019, with several DLC characters afterwards being targeted, including Steve. Some have compared the situation to when Bayonetta was added in the fourth game, to which she had dominated the competition over professionals when she wasn't outright banned. Others hope for a last minute patch for the game that will address all of Steve's overwhelming advantages, but it remains to be seen if such an update is in the cards.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now exclusively on Nintendo Switch.
