Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup is decided by whether Dark Samus can keep Steve from mining, rebuilding walls, and stabilizing around the crafting table long enough to reach stronger gear. If Steve gets to prepare safely behind blocks, minecart and upgraded tools suddenly become much harder to contain, so projectile pressure should be used to deny setup time first, not just to stack raw damage.
The frame table shows that Jab, Dash Attack, Forward Smash, Up Smash, Down Smash, Neutral Air, and Down Air are all clearly punishable by Up B (4f), OOS Uair (8f), OOS Fair (9f), Grab (10f), OOS Nair (11f), or Up Smash (11f). Dark Samus should take those exact punish windows, then immediately reset back to the outer layer instead of brawling inside Steve’s preferred scramble range.
At the same time, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Up Air, Forward Air, and Back Air are barely punishable or not punishable at all, and forcing a shield answer there only feeds Steve’s vertical strings and block generation. Against those safer options, it is more stable to retreat through air drift, missiles, and forward-air space control so the next landing and mining spot are already restricted.
The win condition is not simply breaking blocks forever, but denying the body enough quiet time to mine, keeping the equipment gap small, and controlling minecart, jump, and Up B recovery routes together once Steve is cornered. The longer Dark Samus owns the outer space, the less room Steve has to create the matchup’s special chaos.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Dark Samus OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab | 4 (Gold: 3) | -10 / (Gold: -9) |
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| Up Tilt | 6 (Gold: 4) | Punch -4 | Wood -3 | Stone -3 |Iron -2 | Gold -1 | Diamond -1 |
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| Down Tilt | 12… | +5 |
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| Dash Attack | 8 (Gold: 8) | Punch -15 | Wood -13 | Stone -12 | Iron -12 | Gold -10 | Diamond -10 |
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| Forward Smash | 13 (Gold: 10) | Punch -22 | Wood -20 | Stone -19 | Iron -18 | Gold -15 | Diamond -17 |
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| Up Smash | 8… | -11 |
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| Down Smash | 8… | -34/-16 |
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| Neutral Air | 4 (Gold: 3) | -10 (Gold: -9) |
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| Forward Air | 8 | Punch -8/-8 | Wood -8/-7 | Stone -7/-7 | Iron -7/-7 | Gold -8/-7 | Diamond -7/-6 |
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| Back Air | 12 | Punch -8/-8 | Wood -7/-7 | Stone -7/-7 | Iron -7/-6 | Gold -7/-7 | Diamond -6/-6 |
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| Up Air | 4 (Gold: 4) | Punch -4 | Wood -3 | Stone -3 | Iron -2 | Gold -1 | Diamond -1 |
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| Down Air | 20 | -14 |
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| Neutral B | ** | — | ||
| Side B | 18 | ** | ||
| Up B | 28 (Ground) / 23 (Air) | ** | ||
| Down B | ** | ** | ||
| Grab | 13 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 16 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 17 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- When Steve starts mining or rebuilding blocks, do not wait only for a full Charge Shot. Use Charge Shot and missiles immediately to interrupt the setup first.
- After blocking Jab, Dash Attack, Forward Smash, Up Smash, Down Smash, Neutral Air, or Down Air, punish cleanly with Up B (4f), OOS Uair (8f), OOS Fair (9f), Grab (10f), OOS Nair (11f), or Up Smash (11f).
- Against Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Up Air, Forward Air, and Back Air, do not force in-place shield punishes. Use retreating air drift and projectiles to limit the next landing and mining spot instead.
- Do not treat block breaking as the final goal. Once the wall is broken, be ready to threaten the body with Fair, Grab, or the next ledge sequence immediately.
- At ledge, do not overfocus only on minecart. Cover jump, standard getup flow, and Up B routes together with missiles, Fair, Up Smash, and Charge Shot.
Actions to Avoid
- Standing in front of a wall waiting only for a full Charge Shot and giving Steve uninterrupted mining plus gear upgrades.
- Swinging out of shield at every Up Tilt or Up Air and volunteering for the next vertical string and block layer.
- Backing up forever because of minecart and giving Steve total freedom over center, the crafting table, and mining spots.
- Breaking blocks and then failing to threaten the body, which only hands Steve a free rebuild window.
- Rushing for kills inside point-blank scrambles and abandoning Dark Samus’s real strength in outer-space control.