Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup is decided by whether Steve can bend Roy’s approach angles with blocks and positioning before Roy gets to loop jab, nair, and fair at point-blank range. Roy’s reward up close is enormous, but his tipper-side pressure is much less threatening, so every forced awkward approach matters.
The frame table shows jab, forward tilt, up tilt, dash attack, every smash attack, dair, Neutral B, and Side B are all punishable by OOS Nair (6f), OOS Uair (7f), Up Smash (8f), Grab (10f), or OOS Fair (11f). These are the spots where Steve can actually flip momentum, then turn the punish into mining time, cart pressure, or a corner sequence.
By contrast, down tilt, nair, fair, bair, and uair are not stable in-place punish spots. If Steve keeps swinging anyway, Roy gets to keep the landing trap and restart the dash-in. It is more reliable to respect those safe aerials, then cut the next entry with blocks, retreat, and upward coverage instead of forcing shield scrambles.
The win condition is to secure even short mining windows, push Roy to the ledge, and make recovery angles predictable for minecart, up smash, and aerial coverage. Roy’s recovery is dangerous if ignored, but still linear enough that Steve usually gets more from strong ledgetrap control than from overchasing offstage.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Steve OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab | 5 | -9/-12 |
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| Forward Tilt | 8 | -13/-16/-17 |
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| Up Tilt | 6 | -21/-25 |
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| Down Tilt | 7 | -3/-7 |
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| Dash Attack | 13 | -17/-21 |
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| Forward Smash | 13 | -27/-29/-32 |
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| Up Smash | 12/15/17/19/22 | -29 |
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| Down Smash | 6/21 | -46/-49/-30/-33 |
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| Neutral Air | 6/15 | -6/-6/-5/-6 |
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| Forward Air | 10 | -4/-5 |
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| Back Air | 8 | -5/-6 |
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| Up Air | 5 | -4/-5 |
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| Down Air | 16 | -9/-10 |
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| Neutral B | 21-260 | -15 to Shieldbreak |
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| Side B | 9 | -26/-16(air) |
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| Up B | 9/11… | ** | ||
| Down B | 8 (Start of Counter) | — | ||
| Grab | 7 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 10 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 11 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not mine in place in front of Roy’s direct dash path. Use blocks and body positioning together so Roy has to swing from weaker spacing first.
- After blocking jab, forward tilt, up tilt, dash attack, any smash attack, dair, Neutral B, or Side B, always punish with OOS Nair (6f), OOS Uair (7f), Up Smash (8f), Grab (10f), or OOS Fair (11f).
- After blocking down tilt, nair, fair, bair, or uair, do not force an in-place punish. Reset with retreat, blocks, and anti-air coverage and stop the next approach instead.
- After winning a punish, do not tunnel back into mining immediately if Roy is still in your face. Deny the re-entry first, then take materials or minecart space once the pace is under control.
- At the ledge, prioritize coverage over deep chases. Minecart, up smash, and aerials convert Roy’s readable recovery path into stocks more consistently.
Actions to Avoid
- Do not insist on raw mining with no structure and let Roy start his close-range offense for free.
- Do not miss punish windows on jab, tilts, dash attack, smash attacks, or Side B and give Roy repeated chances to run the same pressure back.
- Do not swing out of shield after every blocked dtilt or safe aerial and hand Roy more landing-trap momentum.
- Do not overchase offstage for the kill and abandon the ledgetrap that already covers Roy’s recovery well enough.