Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup gets dangerous fast if Steve only retreats and mines, because Luigi can use Fireball to cover the approach and cash out a huge close-range opening from one grab or scramble. The flip side is that Luigi’s midrange and recovery are much shakier, so once blocks force him to jump or swing first, the matchup becomes far easier for Steve to control.
Steve should usually avoid building only tall walls and instead sync short blocks with his own position to bend Fireball’s lane and Luigi’s dash angle. The table shows that Jab 1-3, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Dash Attack, the smash attacks, Forward Air, Down Air, Neutral B, Side B, landed Up B (1), and Down B are all punishable by OOS Nair (6f), OOS Uair (7f), Up Smash (8f), grab (10f), or OOS Fair (11f), so Steve does have real answers once Luigi commits.
The harder part is staying disciplined around Luigi’s safer buttons. Down Tilt, Nair, Back Air, Up Air, and Z Air are not the places to mash in place, because that feeds directly into Luigi’s close-range grab and Up B threat. After blocking those moves, it is usually better to shut down the next route with block extensions, retreat timing, cart pressure, or a delayed grab instead of forcing an immediate punish.
The real win condition is not mining for its own sake, but repeatedly sending Luigi to the edge and making every recovery miserable. If Steve keeps stage control, narrows the return route with Down Tilt, Down Smash, Fair, Dair, and ledge Up Smash, and only mines after the reset is secured, he can win without ever giving Luigi the single close-range opening he wants.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Steve OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 2 | -13 |
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| Jab 2 | 3 | -12 |
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| Jab 3 | 6 | -19 |
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| Forward Tilt | 5 | -18 |
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| Up Tilt | 5 | -15 |
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| Down Tilt | 5 | -2 |
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| Dash Attack | 4/8/12/16/25 | -17 |
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| Forward Smash | 12 | -18 |
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| Up Smash | 9 | -20 |
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| Down Smash | 6/14 | -20/-12 |
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| Neutral Air | 3 | -3/-5 |
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| Forward Air | 7 | -9 |
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| Back Air | 6 | -5/-6 |
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| Up Air | 5 | -2/-4 |
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| Down Air | 10 | -8/-8 |
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| Z Air | 14 | -2 |
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| Neutral B | 17 | -17 |
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| Side B | 22 | -23 to -13/-10 |
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| Up B (1) | 8 | -79/-99 |
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| Up B (2) | 6 | ** | ||
| Down B | 10…/40 | -40 |
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| Grab | 14 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 16 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 17 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not rely on mining alone. Use short blocks to bend Fireball lanes and dash angles so Luigi has to jump or swing first before he reaches close range.
- After blocking Jab 1-3, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Dash Attack, the smash attacks, Forward Air, Down Air, Neutral B, Side B, landed Up B (1), or Down B, punish immediately with OOS Nair (6f), OOS Uair (7f), Up Smash (8f), grab (10f), or OOS Fair (11f).
- After blocking Down Tilt, Nair, Back Air, Up Air, or Z Air, avoid mashing in place. Cover the next route instead with retreat timing, block extensions, cart pressure, or a delayed grab.
- Once Luigi is at the ledge, do not rush back to mining. Keep squeezing the recovery with Down Tilt, Down Smash, Fair, Dair, and ledge Up Smash.
- Protect your crafting table and resources while refusing long close-range shield pressure. The highest priority is denying Luigi that one grab starter.
Actions to Avoid
- Continuing to mine in place after Luigi is already inside burst range and giving away a free grab starter.
- Repeatedly hitting Luigi’s shield at point blank and volunteering for Up B or grab mixups.
- Swinging immediately after every blocked Down Tilt, Nair, Back Air, Up Air, or Z Air and getting pulled back into close-range scrambles.
- Chasing too deep offstage, losing stage position, and giving up both the ledge trap and the crafting table.