Hungrybox might be banning Steve from future Coinbox tournaments due to newfound broken tech that has the Smash community frustrated.
The Smash community is torn over Melee God Juan "Hungrybox" DeBiedma's Coinbox tournament possibly banning Steve from upcoming events.
Steve has been a controversial addition to the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster since he was first announced (and not just because he's a cringe Minecraft guy). Many have seen him as overpowered, especially after watching young players dominate tournaments with Steve.
While it was argued that playing Steve well still took skill and was seen as a bit of an art to pull off, the most recent (and final) patch solidified Steve as OP thanks to a newly discovered tech.
What is the new Steve tech in Smash?
Steve's new tech has been dubbed Phantom MLG by Steve main XCido. He explained on Twitter that this new tech allows Steve to immediately cancel the hitstun of any attack that doesn't put him into tumble.
Here's how to do it:
- Perform a phantom block during the end lag of an aerial by placing a block without landing on it and then doing a fail block animation
- When Steve is hit with an attack that doesn't cause the opponent to go into a tumble animation, Steve must press special to place a block again. This placement will fail but he will cancel at all hitstun
While it's easy to notice a Steve setting up a Phantom MLG but this tech can still lead to a death combo if pulled off, making it quite controversial. As more Smash players caught wind of the situation, some pros felt it wasn't a big enough issue to be a consistent concern. But others, like Hungrybox, felt it may be worth banning Steve from tournaments since he's possibly broken.
Hungrybox contemplates Steve ban from Smash tournaments
Hungrybox had taken note of the Steve tech early on and has been openly discussing the update on Twitter. This ultimately ended up with the Ultimate content creator announcing that Steve may be banned from Coinbox tournaments going forward.
On February 27, Hungrybox tweeted that Wednesday's Ultimate Coinbox will continue as usual. Then, he will announce his decision on Steve the day after, Thursday. He will be contemplating the inclusion of Steve in future tournaments until that point.
The Smash community has been torn about Hungrybox's decision. Some felt that Hungrybox was setting a dangerous precedence for other tournament organizers, making it more acceptable to ban entire characters. But others felt it was a smart idea to respond to broken techs and reiterated that Hungrybox can do whatever he wants in his own tournament. Some wondered, however, why Steve couldn't remain in the tournament and just ban the tech itself.
Either way, it's being seen as a very important moment in Smash's esports history.
Said one fan: "This is probably one of the most important days in Ultimate history. Choose wisely Hbox. No matter your decision you will receive an insane amount of backlash. Stay strong."