Mine / Craft / Create Block

Mine / Craft / Create Block (, Mine / Craft / Create Block) is Steve's neutral special move in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Overview
Steve's neutral special when on the ground (but not near a Crafting Table) is Mine (, Mine). Steve uses either a shovel, axe, or pickaxe depending on the terrain to "mine" resources from the ground or wall, which are used within the rest of his moveset. Wooden surfaces are mined with an axe; stone and iron surfaces are mined using a pickaxe; and miscellaneous surfaces such as dirt and sand are mined with a shovel. If Steve has no available tools, he will mine with his bare hands at a slower rate. The available resources are dirt, wood, stone, iron, gold, diamonds, and redstone, the frequency of which will vary based on the terrain — in general, materials matching a stage's physical composition are most likely to appear (e.g. wood in Kongo Jungle). On certain stages, dirt may be replaced with sand, ice, or wool, which is purely an aesthetic difference. On Battlefield and Ω form stages, the resources gained are determined by a special, "neutral" set and do not vary based on terrain; however, the tool he uses does vary, corresponding to the stage's normal, non-Battlefield or Ω form terrain. This means that while the difference in stage does not affect his resource pool, mining on stone/iron and wood surfaces still affect his ability to use his pickaxe- and axe-based attacks, respectively. If Steve doesn't have enough room in his inventory for a mined material, it is immediately discarded.

When next to a Crafting Table, his neutral special is Craft (, Craft). This can be used to restore the durability of Steve's sword, shovel, axe, and pickaxe, as well as upgrading them to higher material tier (in the order of wood, stone, iron, gold, and diamond) with the most valuable material being prioritized. Weapons don't need to be crafted individually, as all of them are crafted at the same time. If the most valuable material is equal to what Steve currently has, he will repair his tools instead of crafting new ones, which for some materials is cheaper in cost. The Crafting Table itself spawns next to Steve at the start of a match, and can be destroyed by Steve or other characters (it has 30 HP, and attacking it inflicts half the freeze frames as usual). By pressing the special move button while shielding, Steve can summon the Crafting Table to himself, though this costs a small amount of materials. Summoning the Crafting Table destroys it and creates a new one, restoring its HP. If destroyed, a new Crafting Table can be spawned next to Steve by using the summoning method, or it will happen automatically after four seconds (if Steve doesn't have the necessary materials, it won't respawn until he does so). If the table reappears while Steve is not above solid ground, it will plummet and be forced to respawn again, wasting some materials. If multiple Steve players are present, any Crafting Tables present can be used by any of them.

When in the air, his neutral special is Create Block (, Create Block). Steve places a block under himself, which will stay for a certain amount of time before being destroyed, or can be destroyed by Steve or other players by either attacking or jumping into them from below. The durability of the block varies (from weakest to strongest: dirt, wood, stone, and iron). Steve will place whichever block he has that is the weakest. There is a limit to the area in which blocks can be placed, signified by a pink outline on one side of the block; blocks adjacent to the limit will last for a shorter time before breaking. The block limit is stage-dependant. By holding the special button while walking or jumping, Steve will continue to place blocks adjacent to other blocks. Attempting to place a block in the location of an existing block will replace the old block with the new one. The blocks lack an edge to grab, allowing them to edgeguard opponents by walling off ledges that could otherwise be used for recoveries, though the edge itself is not disabled and characters can still grab the blocked edge if they can get close enough. They can also be used as impromptu platforms to both aid Steve's own recovery and allow him to perform grounded attacks in unusual locations. However, Steve cannot place blocks if he lets go of an edge until he lands. It can also be used as a recovery option and is arguably one of the best recovery options in the entire series due to standing on the blocks allowing for regular jumps to be used over and over again, though the aforementioned block border means that it is useless when far away from the stage. Reckless block placement can also be used against Steve, as the character is not immune to any of the aforementioned applications of blocks and a smart opponent can either force Steve into a difficult to tech situation or gimp his own recovery depending on where and what type of blocks have already been placed.

When Steve is KO'd, he gains enough iron to leave him with at least three. If he has more than 8 iron, its display bar will lose its piece-by-piece markers and no longer increase in size.

If Kirby copies Steve, he uses an unbreakable iron tool to mine, and can only mine materials that can make blocks (dirt, wood, stone, and iron). He cannot craft tools or own a Crafting Table. When a Ditto copies Steve, a crafting table will appear for the Ditto.

When a Stage Morph occurs, all blocks are destroyed before the transformation begins. The dirt, sand, wool, or ice in Steve's inventory will change to the new material appropriate for the new stage if applicable.

Data
Blocks lose 0.02 HP per frame, or 1.2 HP per second. This is multiplied by 8 (to 0.16 per frame, 9.6 per second) if a character is standing on it, or it is at or adjacent to the block border.

Techniques
Steves's Mine/Craft/Create Block, while simple in execution, holds numerous s. These tend to make use of glitches and unexpected interactions with other mechanics for expanded movement and recovery options that can surprise the opponent. These techniques all have unique uses and execution, although they vary in viability.

Phantom block reverse
A phantom block reverse (PBR) is an advanced technique unique to Steve which allows him to turn around mid-air. This is done by inputting a turnaround-B during any of the last 9 frames of another action's endlag. If done successfully, Steve will turn around in midair once the action is done, granting him the ability to utilize his forward or backward aerial regardless of his orientation while airborne. Notably, this technique can only be utilized with a turnaround-B, as Create Block cannot be B-reversed. Furthermore, the "action" which precedes the PBR is not limited to aerials; it can be done with special moves such as TNT, Minecart, or even grounded moves performed on blocks which break.

Turnaround block cancel
A turnaround block cancel (TBC) is another advanced technique unique to Steve which allows him to turn around mid-air, similarly to PBR. After inputting Create Block, there are 5 frames before a block is actually placed. During these 5 frames, the move can be cancelled with any aerial. If a turnaround-B is performed with Create Block then immediately cancelled, Steve will turn around in midair before performing the aerial. As such, the main difference between PBR and TBC is that PBR is used to turn around after an action is performed, while TBC is used to turn around right before an action is performed. In general, the two techniques have different use cases depending on the situation.

Block no-impact landing
A no-impact landing (NIL) refers to an advanced technique in which certain characters are able to bypass landing lag through precisely double jumping just below platforms. This allows characters to be immediately actionable once on the platform, which allows for utility in general movement and combos. Despite having niche use for some characters, particularly in Melee, Steve in Ultimate is able to utilize NILs extremely well due to his ability to NIL via blocks which he creates.

There are multiple subvariants of NIL, each with a varying difficulty of performance and utility. NIL1, or a 1-block high NIL, is easy to perform as it is simply a shorthop followed by a block place. NIL1's utility is generally limited to low/mid-percent combos. NIL2, a 2-block high NIL, is by far the most useful variant of NIL, yet is also extremely difficult to perform. It requires a short hop immediately followed by a double-jump block place; however, the window for a successful NIL2 is only two frames, making it one of the hardest inputs to consistently achieve in Ultimate as none of the inputs may be buffered. NIL2 has extensive utility in terms of kill-combos, as it allows for Steve to ladder the opponent upwards for very early up-smash kills. Additionally, at medium-high percents, up-tilt can true combo into NIL2 up-smash for a consistent kill setup. NIL3, a 3-block NIL, is fairly easy to pull off consistently as it can be achieved by inputting a fullhop up-air followed by a buffered double jump up-air and block place. NIL3 is not as versatile as NIL2, yet the aforementioned consistent setup makes it useful when carrying out up-air ladders. Finally, NIL4 is likely the least applicable of the four variants, yet it can be used at high percents in very niche up-air combos.

However, combos are not the only area in which NILs are useful. Steve can rapidly chain multiple NILs in order to elevate quickly to cover opponents, and can use NILs to quickly place blocks used for various setups. Steve can instantly shield after a NIL in anticipation of an opponent's aerial approach, opening the door for counterattacks. In addition, NILs can be used in tandem with s to significantly elevate Steve's options in any given situation. Overall, mastery of Steve's NILs is crucial to optimal gameplay as it significantly expands Steve's options in any given situation.

Mine-block cancel
A mine-block cancel refers to an advanced technique exclusive to Steve which allows him to significantly improve the frame-data of many of his ground moves. If Steve is mid-action while on a block that breaks, the move will immediately cancel, and Steve will return to an actionable state. Furthermore, Steve can manually mine blocks which he is standing on by using his neutral-special while atop them; this mining action can be canceled by a second neutral-special input. As such, by rapidly double tapping neutral-special while atop a newly-created block, Steve will slightly mine the block such that it is in an almost-broken state. From there, Steve can input almost any ground move, and the hitbox will come out just before the block is broken, cancelling all endlag and massively improving the safety of his moves. A particularly effective move to pair with MBC is Steve's down-tilt: as the move is a projectile, it will continue to stay active even after the block breaks and Steve returns to an actionable state. Landing an MBC down tilt affords Steve enough advantage on hit to follow up with any combo starter to build up percentage, or even a forward smash to take stocks at high percentages. If the opponent shields the down tilt, Steve can follow up while the opponent is in shield for a shield break combo.

Feather falling
When a character is put into tumble, they are locked out of fastfalling even after exiting hitstun until the character jumps, airdodges, or undergoes an action. Steve can bypass this caveat by pressing neutral-special right before the character exits hitstun and enters the tumble state. For an unknown reason, this will not buffer a block place; rather, Steve will be left fully actionable following hitstun, and can immediately fastfall. Kirby can also featherfall through inhaling Steve and copying his neutral special, and arguably benefits more from the technique than Steve.

/gamemode 1
/gamemode 1 refers to an advanced technique in which Steve is able to float in the air indefinitely while remaining in a grounded state, named after Steve's ability to float midair when in Minecraft's creative mode. This technique can be performed by building a block on the ground and standing right next to it, then using Steve's up-taunt and cancelling it with a very short walk forward. To gain the correct walk distance, it is advised to cancel the walk with any move that stops momentum, such as down smash, immediately after inputting the walk. If done correctly, the block will eventually break and Steve will remain in a grounded state despite being in the air. This likely occurs as a result of a strange interaction with Steve's up-taunt and the block, as he jumps during the taunt and shifts his collision upwards despite still being grounded. This floating state will immediately cancel if Steve moves horizontally or jumps again; however, he can still attack, shield, spot dodge, grab and use throws. It is also cancelled if Steve gets hit or blocks any attack. Interestingly, if Steve is hit by a downward meteor smash while in this state, he will bounce off the air beneath him as though it were the ground. The applicability of this technique appears to be limited; however, it may be useful in ledgetrap situations as Steve may avoid getup attack options while remaining fully actionable, without needing a short-lived block underneath him.

Phantom Major League Gaming
Phantom Major League Gaming (often referred to as the acronym PMLG) is an advanced technique that allows Steve to cancel hitstun entirely under certain conditions. To start, Steve must perform the phantom block technique while airborne. If Steve is then hit by an attack that doesn't send him into the tumbling animation, the hitstun received can be canceled by any action. This technique is incredibly useful, as it effectively breaks the rules of the game by allowing players to avoid accountability and simply opt out of being punished. Given that this technique does not negate the endlag of the opponent's move, said opponent would be completely helpless if Steve turns a PMLG into a combo. These implications were enough for some major tournaments and competitive regions to ban Steve outright, as only banning the PMLG would be difficult to enforce. However, the PMLG has proven to be easier said than done, with documented evidence of a Steve player successfully pulling off a PMLG in a real game yet to surface. This lack of development has led to many regions unbanning the character, though the technique is a contentious topic to this day.

Origin
As evidenced by the title of the game, the main gameplay of Minecraft focuses on mining materials, and crafting them into different items. The different terrain can be hit with the player's fist, tool, or weapon, creating different materials to be placed in their inventory. The player must then use a Crafting Table (which they create with four blocks of any type of wooden planks) to be able to create different weapons, tools, and other items to use at their disposal. The mining animation is directly based on Minecraft, as well as the "pop" sounds that play when collecting materials.

The player may also place blocks onto the terrain itself, allowing for various types of buildings to be created. However, unlike in Ultimate, blocks can only be placed adjacent to other blocks and cannot be placed in midair without the use of commands.

Trivia

 * According to Masahiro Sakurai, every stage in the game had to be reworked to make use of Steve's block-placing ability.
 * Steve's blocks do not align to the grid, appearing to be only 0.95 meters to a side instead of 1. This is because the grid lines correspond to 1.07 units instead of 1.
 * Steve's blocks do, however, align perfectly with the tiles in the Super Mario Maker stage and the blocks in the Golden Plains stage.
 * Craft is the only neutral special move in the series that Kirby cannot copy, as he does not spawn a Crafting Table, nor can he interact with others.
 * This is excluding Gun Special, KO Uppercut, and Limit Break Blade Beam, which require special meters that Kirby does not copy, as well as Pikmin Pluck, which is mixed with Pikmin Throw when copied by Kirby.
 * Despite some other stages having terrain with ice in them, such as ice blocks in Super Mario Maker and Stage Builder, Summit is the only one to give ice blocks.
 * However, the aforementioned two stages with icy terrains use dirt instead due to them having random changes.
 * There is a rare animation for Crafting where Steve will craft a tool unsuccessfully, only to look at his empty hand.
 * The easiest method to play this animation is to parry an opponent's attack and immediately try to Craft.
 * Masahiro Sakurai revealed in a YouTube video that this move underwent several changes during development:
 * Sakurai suggested blocks be visible no matter the background, using Dracula's Castle as an example for its particularly dark vignetting.
 * The crafting display was initially in front of the player, and was changed to behind the player as said player should have visual priority.