Introduction *The guide needs to be adjusted for S3

This guide attempts to cover most of the things you need to know about learning Steve in Tekken 7. It won’t go too much into depth, but gives you a good understanding of the character if you decide to go through it.

Steve is quite unique character to the game since as a boxer majority of his movelist consists of punches to which the first 2 buttons 1 and 2 are used for while 3 and 4 are mostly only used to transition into stances with Steve having only 2 kicks in his entire movelist (of which the other is terrible).

As a character Steve is considered to be one of the best in the game and only got better on Season 2 thanks to his new godlike rage drive that you can combo on hit for 79 damage (without walls!) and few useful buffs most notably Flicker jabs’ mid extension becoming safe, but using him efficiently getting the most out of him can be quite hard and requires plenty of practice and memorization of his options of which there are a lot of. In general Steve is a more poke heavy offensive character that relies in his counterhits to deal damage with.

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Punishment

Steve’s punishment is more on average level as while he has really good, well damaging fast options from both standing and crouching, he severely lacks fast launchers so the amount of moves he can launch punish are limited.

Standing

1,1,2  H,H,H  10f  -7/+4/+4
1,1,2~f3 dck  -3/+8/+8

The 10 frame punisher for Steve that deals 29 damage, is safe on block and gives you the option to go for dck at +8. One of the best standing i10 punishers in the game so abuse it whenever your opponents pops out barely unsafe moves.

2,1  H,H  12f  -5/+6/+6
2,1~f PAB +3/+14/+14
2,1~b FLK   +3/+14/+14

12 frame punisher that deals less damage than 1,1,2 at 26 but gives you an option to go for both FLK and PAB afterwards which leaves you at +14 on hit.

b1,2 H,H  13f  -5/+19/+19
b1,2~f PAB -6/+5/+5

13 frame punisher that deals same amount of damage as 2,1 but reaches slightly farther. While you can cancel it into PAB you don’t necessarily want to since it leaves you at +5 instead of whopping +19. Interestingly this is one of the few moves where cancelling the move into a stance makes it less safe.

df1,2 M,H  13f  -6/+3/+5

Another 13 frame punisher that deals 1 damage less than b1,2 but has ever so slightly longer range making it the only way to punish some moves that are -13 on block but which give you pushback. If this doesn't reach then you are out of options.

1+2 (Rage Art) H  13f  -3/KND/KND

Steve’s Rage Art is also i13 which is important to keep in mind when on rage. Since it’s so fast this makes it one of the better Rage Arts in the game. It has decent range on it hitting roughly at the same distance as df1,2.

df1+2 MM  14f  -12/KND/KND

14 frame punisher that is the go to punisher to punish certain moves that are highly unsafe but give you huge amount of pushback like deathfist. Hits from range 2.5, deals 28 damage and knockdowns the opponent.

F1+2,2  MH,M  15f  -13/KND/KND

15 frame punisher that unfortunately isn’t a launcher but gives you 42 damage and a knockdown so it’s a good replacement for one. Doesn’t have as good range as df1+2 but still hits on range 2.

b2 M  17f  -13/CS/CS

17 frame punisher that is Steve’s fastest launcher out of stances, but even so, hit confirming it can be tricky, it doesn’t give much damage and gives a mediocre wallsplat at best that you may not get a full wall combo from.

uf2 M  22f  -14/KND/KND

The fastest launcher at 22 frames Steve has that allows you to go for his regular combo route. Generally you only want to punish lows that stagger with it.

Crouching

ws1,2  M,M  11f  -13/+3/KND

The fastest option Steve has from crouching (when excluding dickjab) at 11 frames. Gives 32 damage which is really high for 11 frame low punisher.

FC df2 M  18f  -15/Launch/Launch

The fastest launcher Steve has from crouch coming out in 18 frames. Decent launcher but it launches the opponent forwards so you have limited options after it.

uf2 M  22f  -14/KND/KND

The same 22 frame launcher as from standing, since this is uf move you can also use it from crouch. As said before, use it to punish lows that stagger for higher damage than what you get out of FC df2.

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General stuff

Throws

The two throws you want to use on Steve are ff1+2 and qcb2+4. Additionally you have throws from both FLK and PAB but since these are the only throws from their respective stances, if your opponent knows this, he can easily break both of them with 1+2 whenever he sees you go for a throw from these stances. SWY1+2 is good but only on wall.

ff1+2  12f  20f break with 1+2

Throw that must be broken with 1+2, it can be pretty useful since it comes out of ff meaning you can do a deep ff and then press 1+2 to catch them off guard. Deals 40 damage.

qcb2+4  12f  20f break with 2

The other useful throw Steve has that must be broken with 2. Deals the same damage as ff1+2.

Punch Parry

b1+2  2f  Absorbs 1h/m hit

Steve’s parry that catches both high and mid punches and sends the opponent on the ground with the 1 extension it has, while also giving a guaranteed d1+2 for a total of 41 damage. Since the parry effect kicks in early you can use it to parry certain string enders that you normally couldn’t interrupt otherwise but since this only parries high and mid punches, if the string has kick or low ender on it you are going to be hit with it.

Hit confirming the 1 followup is hard so it’s better to always input it after using the move since it has so much recovery on it that nothing comes out if you press 1 during the move when missing the parry.

If your opponent does nothing on ground, you can pick them up with d2,1~f3 dck 1 into Sonic Fang which gives you overall 59 damage but this is not guaranteed and can be avoided by waking up properly.

Okizeme

d1+2 (opponent down)  L  17f  -11/+2/+2

This is your main move to use that hits grounded. It’s decently fast low at i17 and is only -11 on block. The biggest drawback of the move is its poor range as it only hits on range 1.5 making it whiff after certain moves like ff2 from max range.

db2  L  26f  -12/+1/KND

The other low that hits grounded but generally you only want to use it when it’s guaranteed after a move as it’s really slow and if your opponent decides to rise up with getup 3 you are going to get floated and juggled if you opt to go for it as an oki.

ff2  M  14f  -13/KND/KND

Mid that only hits grounded if your opponent is face down in your direction, if he has his legs pointing at you it won’t hit and it also only hits from point blank distance. From range you need to hold your second f for a small amount of time to get a deeper dash in before pressing 2, but if you hold it for too late the opponent has time to rise and avoid it; this mostly only applies when ff2 knockdowns from max range and you want to go for another one to hit them on ground.

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Stances

Steve has 6 stances in total that all are important in certain parts of his game. Flicker is used as a defensive stance while Peekaboo and Ducking are for applying offense and Albatross gives you a mid-low mix up from long range distance. Weave that includes both Left Weave and Right Weave, as well as Sway are the more evasive stances for Steve.

Flicker

Flicker is Steve’s defensive stance you can enter manually by pressing b3+4 and can transition into after certain moves that can cancel into it. Whenever Flicker is entered, during its animation Steve is constantly blocking so if your opponent hits you with a High or Mid move during it, it will be blocked. When you block a move in Flicker however Steve will automatically exit the stance.

Note: In training mode due to a bug in the game's code, if you record an option using FLK stance and play against it, when the opponent goes into FLK, it doesn't have blocking properties on it.

Transitioning into Flicker from moves makes them generally safer and allows some unsafe moves to become safe so it’s an important part of Steve’s game. Since this stance is more for making moves safe the options you get from it are limited.

Flicker transitions

To get to FLK you mostly want to transition into it from moves instead of manually entering it. The more useful moves to cancel to FLK are the following:

1,2,1~b  H,H,H  10f  -1/+5/+5

2,1~b[nbsp ]H,H  12f  +3/+14/+14

b1~b  H  13f  -1/+9/CS

qcf1~b  M  16f  -3/KND/KND

LWV 1~b  M  15f  -3/+8/+8

FLK Moves

FLK 1_1,1_1,1,1  H,H,H  12f  -9/0/0

FLK (1_1,1_1,1,1)~b  H,H,H  12f  -4/+4/+4

These are the so called Flicker jabs. You can do up to 3 of them in a row by inputting 1 but generally you only want to keep it at one use the extensions afterwards. Since they are all highs they can be ducked but only if you duck the first part of the string. At any point of the string you can hold back to go back to FLK.

After the first hit, none of the options afterwards are natural combos unless they CH.

FLK 1,2  H,M  12f  -7/KND/KND

Mid extension to Flicker jabs that knockdowns on regular hit and gives guaranteed db3. This used to be very unsafe at -16 but on Season 2 it was made as safe as -7 on block so it’s a strong option to use from Flicker now.

FLK 1~b3+4 ALB  H  12f  +14/+25/+25

Transitioning into Albatross stance is another option you have from Flicker jabs. Since you are at +14 after blocked FLK jab into ALB, basically the only way your opponent can answer to ALB 2 is by sidestepping to the right in which case it becomes launchable, but since the step needs to be instant it requires a read. If your opponent ducks the first high he can launch the Albatross coming after though.

FLK 1,f1  H,M  12f  -5/0/KND

This used to be the mid extension to use from FLK but since the 2 extension is now safe, one could consider this to be now obsolete. f1 extension is however 5 frames faster than 2 so it can have its uses. On second hit CH you get guaranteed ff2 in if you are quick.

FLK 1,d1  H,H  12f  0/KND/CS

The main option you want to go from Flicker most of the time as the second hit knockdowns on normal hit and gives a guaranteed db3 for 51 damage overall. It is a H,H string however so if you duck the first high you can easily launch it.

FLK 2  M  18f  -5/KND/KND

Same as the 2 extension from Flicker jabs but alone it’s quite slow at i18. Gives guaranteed db3 on hit.

FLK b2  M  i27  -10/KND/KND

Steve’s go to power crush move; relatively fast, has crushing properties quite early and gives a guaranteed ff2 on hit for 46 damage. It’s -10 on block but not punishable due to pushback. Since it is a high though, you can duck and easily launch it. Since the move hits from all the way from range 2 it’s also useful to use outside of FLK by directly entering the stance from b3+4.

FLK b1+2  2f  Absorbs 1h/m hit

The normal punch parry that you can also use in Flicker.

Cancelling

db is the way to go if you want to manually cancel the stance, you can also do it with f but it’s more risky and not recommended.

You can also transition into weave stances by pressing 3 for the left weave and 4 for the right weave as well as go into dck with f3.

What to do on Flicker?

Basically you want to use FLK 1,d1 as long as you get away with it. If your opponent knows the Steve matchup knowing which moves lead to FLK and ducks expecting the high, you can use FLK 2 or FLK jabs’ mid extension with 2 that knockdown on normal hit or FLK1,f1 which is also a mid that comes out slightly faster.

If you are on - frames when transitioning into the stance, you can use the power crush or try to parry them with the punch parry or just simply end your turn and hold back to block or block low by cancelling the stance with db.

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Peekaboo

Peekaboo is the main offensive stance of Steve that gives you a lot of options to pressure your opponents with. You can manually enter the stance by pressing f3+4 or enter it after certain moves that allows you to cancel into it.

PAB transitions

Similiarly to FLK you generally want to enter PAB by transitioning into it from certain moves. The more useful moves to cancel to PAB are:

1,2,1~f  H,H,H  10f  -2/+4/+4

2,1~f  H,H  12f  +3/+14/+14

b1,2~f  H,H  13f  -6/+5/+5

FC df1  L  15f  -12/+2/+2

3 LWV 2~f and 4 LWV 1~f  M  14f  -1/+8/+8

PAB moves

PAB  1,2  H,H  12f  -2/+9/+9

The fastest option from PAB at i12, generic H,H jab string but since majority of the moves from PAB are slow it can be useful to continue the offense from PAB. On hit it’s +9 so if your opponent gets hit by it, you can easily continue mixing them up with PAB moves. It has 1 extension to it which is a Mid but since it is only a natural combo if second hit CHs and if it doesn't hit your turn is over, it's better to keep it at 1,2.

PAB 2  H(Absorbs 1 h/m hit)  14f  -3/+2/CS

This is a good option from PAB. Not only is it his second fastest option from PAB at i14, but is also a homing move and a CH launcher that gives great damage and has a built in parry on it so if your opponent hits you with a high or mid during the early frames of this move, they are sent to the ground. Unfortunately there’s nothing guaranteed you get afterwards. Because this move is a high however, your opponent can duck it and easily launch it.

PAB f2  M  18f  -13/KND/KND

Good option to throw out from range when in PAB. If it hits, you get guaranteed PAB d1 for 26 damage. Since it hits from all the way from range 3 and is relatively fast for such a move as well as crushes highs, it can be useful to throw out even outside of the stance by manually entering the stance with f3+4. f2 by itself is -13 but since it gives so much pushback the majority of the cast can’t punish it.  This move also has 1 extension on it which is safe on block but since you can easily interrupt it and even CH launch it if your opponent has a 15f or less move that launches on CH, it’s not too good to throw out.

PAB df1,1  M,M  15f  -10/+1/+1

M,M string from PAB that is quite fast at i15 but -10 on block so your opponent can punish this. The go to mid from PAB along with PAB df1,2. The full string is df1,1,2,1 which consist of 4 mids but because the third hit is only natural combo on second hit CH and it's -13 on block, it's not too great to use fully.

PAB df1,2  M,H  15f  -6/KND/KND

The better string from PAB df1 that knockdowns on normal hit and gives you guaranteed db3 for 48 damage overall. It’s safe on block but if your opponent ducks the second high it’s very easy to launch.

PAB df2  M  16f  -10/Launch/Launch

The fastest launcher from PAB as well as Steve's fastest launcher in general. To get the normal combo route out of this you want to exit the stance with ws1 but because of that, the damage you get from this launcher isn’t high.

PAB d1  L  15f  -12/+2/+2

The main low you want to use from PAB. It’s fast and can be pretty annoying for the opponent to deal with as it also high crushes.

PAB uf2  M  17f  -15/Launch/Launch

The other launcher Steve has from PAB. Crushes both highs and lows and gives good damage on hit but if it’s blocked your opponent can launch it since it’s -15 on block. Another great move to use outside the stance from manually entering it with f3+4 because it hits from range 2 and can catch your opponent off guard.

PAB b1,1,2,1  M,H,M,M  17f  -10/KND/KND

PAB b1,1,2,1~b FLK  -3/KND/KND

This is your go-to long string from PAB. Similar to df1,1,2,1 as it's only natural combo if the second hit is a CH, but what makes this better to use is the fact that you can cancel it into FLK which makes it safe on block at -3. Because it comes out so slow being i17 however, it can be tricky to find an use for it and all parts of the string manually exit the PAB stance afterwards. The second hit is high so your opponent can duck it and if you do the full string they can CH launch you for it so it's safer to leave it on the first 2 hits.

Cancelling

db to manually cancel out of the stance.

From PAB you can also transition into any other stance Steve has; 3 to go into LWV, 4 into RWV, b3 into SWY, 3+4 to ALB and f3 into dck. You may not necessarily want to do any of these but since your opponent wants to hit you out of PAB with their fastest moves, going into weaves can be useful when you are not too much into minus frames (basically only blocked PAB 1,2 and PAB2) to dodge and whiff punish their linear moves.

What to do on Peekaboo?

You have a lot of options to go to from PAB so you have more room to get creative opposed to FLK. You can use PAB d1 which is a great fast low poke that high crushes to annoy your opponent with and when they try block low, go for PAB df2 and launch them for it or go for the great 2 mid strings from PAB df1. PAB df1,2 gives a knockdown for guaranteed db3 for high damage but it can be launched on ducked high after blocking the first mid so mix in PAB df1,1 with the mid ender to make them not want to duck it. From range you can use PAB f2 which is a high crush and gives guaranteed PAB d1 on hit and a lot of pushback on block so if they try to punish it you can go for PAB 1,2 to whiff punish their punish attempt with, which is the fastest option from PAB and gives huge frame advantage at +9 on hit which allows you to continue your offense from PAB.

Whenever you get blocked on PAB your turn is essentially over but you can get one more hit in by using PAB 2 which has built-in M/H parry on it in the early frames of the move. Alternatively hold back to block in PAB or cancel the stance with db to block low.

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Ducking

dck is the other offensive stance Steve has and a powerful tool for both pressuring the opponent and closing the distance. You can go into dck by pressing f3 or f4 or go directly into it after some moves that allows to cancel into it. Generally you only want to go to dck after moves to makes them safe by cancelling dck with db,b and not for offensive purposes since dck moves come out slow. If you hold f3 or f4 you get an extended version of the same move that gives it new properties.

Going into dck itself is always a risk, as while you do crush highs during the dck animation, you are also vulnerable to both mids and lows during it.

dck1  M  19f  -7/CS/Launch

Mid with great range on it, hitting from range 3. Good option from dck due to its range and safeness. On normal hit you get guaranteed ff2 for 33 damage but you need to be quick to hit it. On CH it turns into a 60 damage combo but can be tricky to hit confirm.

ext_dck1  -7/KND/Launch

For the extended duck variation of dck 1 you get a KND on normal hit also giving out guaranteed ff2 but for easier time and higher damage. On CH you get the same combo out of it but for 5 more damage.

dck2  M  19f  -14/Launcher/Launcher

Launcher that is quite good as it crushes highs during most of its entire animation and hits from roughly the same distance away as dck1. However it’s -14 on block so you don’t want to use it too much.

ext_dck 2  -14/Launch/Launch

The extended version of dck 2 launches the opponent higher on hit which allows you to go for higher damage combos from it.

dck f2  H  15f  -7/KND/CS

Fast high that knockdowns on hit and launches on CH for high damage combo. It’s safe on block at -7 but you can duck and ws punish it. The drawback of this move is that it has poor range hitting only at range 2.

ext_dck f2  +5/CS/CS

On the extended version the high becomes safe on block and breaks the opponents guard giving you a guaranteed dck f2 afterwards for 21 damage and a knockdown. Additionally the move becomes a launcher on normal hit as well.

If your execution is on point you can also hold f after ext_dck f2 to continue dck, cancel the stance with db and use ws1,2 which also guaranteed after block and gives out more damage with 32, but the timing for this is very strict.

Cancelling

db to manually cancel out of the stance, You can do multiple dck’s in a row by inputting db in between them to close the range similiarly to wavedash (but slower). Also to make some moves safe you can transition into dck and cancel it with db,b.

b3 to go into SWY. There are barely any reasons however why you would ever want to do this so just ignore the option.

What to do on Ducking?

From dck you have plenty of options, not only can you use the 3 moves and their extended versions out of it but you can also go into dck to close distance, cancel the stance with db and go for crouch mix ups.

dck f2 is a good way to poke for a CH from medium range as the move comes out fairly fast and along with the extended version of this move, gives you some of the best damage Steve gets from any launcher. dck 1 is good for how long it reaches, is safe on block and gives you a full combo on CH.

When going into extended duck, it becomes a mixup between getting your guard broken with ext_dck f2 confirmed into dck f2 for 21 damage and KND or trying to duck it and getting hit by ext_dck 2 instead for full combo.

From dck canceling the options you can opt to go for are ws1,1 (M,H safe but duckable) and ws1,2 (M,M unsafe at -13) for the fast i11 moves, ws2 for an i14 CH launcher, FC df1 for a fast 15f low that automatically transitions into PAB and FC df2 to launch highs on crush confirmation.

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Albatross

ALB closes the distance quickly and gives you a mix up between a low and a mid punch. During its animation you are vulnerable but you can’t interrupt it on reaction since the ALB animation isn’t long enough for that and if you use it near its max range your opponent can’t do much about it. You can manually go into ALB by pressing 3+4.

You also have the option to go for the second roll by pressing either up or down which increases the range and damage. On the second roll instead of rolling forward, Steve rolls to either left or right depending on your input, which means you can evade moves with it if your opponent tries to hit you out of it but not reliably so.

ALB 2  M  23f  -8/KND/KND

ALB d_u 1  M  49f  -8/KND/KND

Mid punch that comes out quite quick and deals 22 damage hitting from range 3.5. The second roll extension increases the range and makes it hit comfortably from range 5 and hits for 34 damage.

ALB d2  L  34f  -12/+1/KND

ALB d_u d1  L 58f  -12/KND/KND

Low punch that comes out quite slow but is a high crush. Deals only 17 damage on hit but 30 on the second roll extension which is a respectable amount.

The ranges are around the same as for ALB 2 but on the second roll only if you roll to the left since on d2 you automatically move to the left (and right on second roll) during it. Rolling into right makes the move more evasive since d2 moves into right itself after second roll but gives it less range while rolling to the left gives it more range since you compensate for the move’s own movement with it.

Cancelling

You can’t manually cancel this stance but can go to PAB by holding f which can be an useful option.

What to do on Albatross?

Basically you only have 2 options, either you hit them with the mid or low and go for the second roll for more damage but more risk as well or don’t. Since the low comes out quite slow however, you can quite effortlessly fuzzy guard both options and punish the low if it comes out, but if your opponent mindlessly does this every time when they see ALB stance, what you can do instead is to transition into PAB and hit them with the mid options like PAB df1,2 which is i15 and gives guaranteed db3 for 49 damage on normal hit to catch them ducking.

From ALB, db3,2 can be an alright option to go for as well if your opponent respects the stance since the move's weakness is its poor range to which you can compensate by going to ALB to quickly close the distance and using db3,2 afterwards, but naturally, even if the low is i10, after ALB into nothing you can be hit out of it easily if you go for a followup.

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Weave

Similarly to sidesteps you can use weaves to dodge attacks either to the left or to the right side, look for the whiff and punish them with the options Steve gets from it afterwards. However because WV animation is long and unlike for sidesteps, you can’t block during it, if your opponent doesn’t press anything when you go to WV, they can easily punish the stance near the end of its animation which is why you don’t want to use it often, on wall it becomes useful option however. To manually enter WV, you can go into LWV by pressing 3 and into RWV by pressing 4.

LWV 1  M  15f  -10/+1/+1

LWV 1~b  -3/+8/+8

LWV1,1  M,M  15f  -13/KND/KND

Mid punch that has poor range on it hitting only on range 1 and while unsafe on block at -10, it can be made safe by entering into FLK making it -3 on block. The 1 extension is also a Mid but unsafe at -13 so it’s mostly useful as a punisher and on walls where it wallsplats and is the go to move for wall combos.

LWV 1,f1,1  M,M,H  i15  +3/+7/CS

LWV 1,f1,1~b FLK  +4/+8/CS

M,M,H string that you can directly transition into FLK which makes you +4 on block. However because the last hit is high your opponent can duck it and hit you out of FLK. Also if you hit the move from near its max range your last high will whiff making it quite unreliable as a FLK transition.

LWV 2,1  M,M  14f  -8/+4/KND

LWV 2~f PAB  M  -1/+8/+8

The better M,M string from LWV since it’s safe on block at -8 but like for LWV 1,1, the first hit only hits from point blank distance with range 1 being its max distance and the string is only natural combo on CH. After the first hit you can also go directly into PAB which is one of the better transitions into the stance.

RWV 1,2  M,M  14f  -13/Launch/Launch

RVW 1,~f PAB  -1/+8/+8

Similar to LWV 2,1 but the second mid launches on hit and CH which is why it’s unsafe on block at -13. This is not a natural combo however as your opponent can block the second hit after first hit and punish it on block, so you don’t want to use it too much. If the first hit is a CH, the second hit is guaranteed and leads to high damage combo giving you 76 damage. After the first hit you can again choose to transition into PAB.

RWV 2  M  15f  -13/KND/KND

The only move from WV that gives you a decent range with it hitting from range 1.5 but it’s also unsafe at -13. Great option on wall together with LWV1,1 since it wall splats.

Cancelling

You can cancel with b3 to go into SWY or with f3 to go to dck after the animation ends but these are kind of useless.

What to do on weave?

Like for sidestepping, you basically go to weave to evade your opponent’s move and to punish them with the options you get from it afterwards. For punishing what you generally want to use are LWV1,1 and RWV2 as well as LWV2 and RWV1 transitioned into PAB for PAB mix ups at +8. Weave itself is a big commitment because your opponent can easily punish you during the weave animation.

The only way you can cancel the animation is by going into weave moves, which is what you want to do when aiming to use the moves from weaves that lead into FLK or PAB, but naturally the earlier you cancel the animation the less evasion it gives. LWV1 into FLK and LWV2 and RWV1 into PAB are the more useful stance transitions you get.

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Sway

Lastly the final Stance Steve has is Sway that by itself evades highs but is the least useful out of all his stances as the 2 normal options you get from it are mediocre and you can’t cancel the stance into any other stance. It does become a scary option near wall thanks to the throw he gets out of it however.

SWY 1  M  16f  -1/+6/KND

Mid punch that knockdowns on CH for guaranteed d1+2 giving out 42 damage.

SWY 2  M  17f  -18/CS/CS

Launcher that has absolutely terrible range on it only hitting on range 0 but crushes highs. If it doesn’t hit it’s largely unsafe at -18 and you will get launched for it.

SWY 1+2  31f  14f break with 1+2

The throw option you get from Sway that pushes your opponent, and which outside of walls is more or less useless since it’s only +1 after throw, is really good on wall since it gives guaranteed 1,1,2 for 32 damage if it pushes you into the wall and on long push you get guaranteed qcf1 for a wall splat and damaging wall combo from a resplat. You can break this throw with 1+2 but you only have 14f window to do so which is quite small.

When you have your back against the wall you can also do this throw while holding back to switch sides.

What to do on sway?

Generally you don’t really want to use this stance much outside of wall. SWY 1 is decent since it hits for 26 damage and gives out guaranteed d1+2 on CH for good damage but it’s slow at i16. Since SWY 2 has such a terrible range on it, basically the only use for it is to punish highs that it crushes. If you go to SWY, see the stance evade a high and confirm that the opponent is going for another high, preferably from a jab string, then you can use SWY 2 to counter it which does give you the most damaging combo Steve gets without walls at 80 damage, but you need to be very sure they are going for a high, as if they block this you are on the air the next second.

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Main moves

1,2,1  H,H,H  10f  -3/+3/+3

1,2,1~f PAB  -2/+4/+4

1,2,1~b FLK  -1/+5/+5

i10 Jab string that allows you to go directly into FLK or PAB. Unfortunately the last hit is only natural combo on CH and when blocked you are on negative frames even if you go to stance after it. Still a decent move and the fastest transition to both PAB and FLK.

2,1  H,H  12f  -5/+6/+6

2,1~fPAB  +3/+14/+14

2,1~b FLK  +3/+14/+14

The better alternative to 1,2,1 that is less safe by itself being -5 on block but when canceled to either FLK or PAB it becomes +3 making it one of the better frametraps for Steve, but it does come out 2 frames slower at i12.

f2,1  M,H  21f  -5/-1-1

f2,1~f PAB  0/+4/+4

f2,1~b FLK  +1/+5/+5

Not a good move to use regularly and is mostly used in combos becuase it’s really slow at i21, but because Steve takes a step forwards during the move, it hits as far away as range 3 and you can cancel it to both PAB and FLK. The second hit is high so it can be ducked after blocking the first hit but since it comes out so fast, if you go directly into FLK (or PAB and hold back) it isn't punishable. Alright move to throw out occasionally from range.

df1  M 13f -2/+5/+5

df1,2  M,H -6/+3/+5

The usual generic fast mid coming out at 13 frames, which is a pretty good df1 move. It also has high extension with 2 which is good (but naturally duckable) and can be used to punish -13 moves that other punishers don’t reach.

df2  M  16f  -11/+6/CS

One of the best moves Steve has and a big part of his general gameplan. It’s a homing mid that launches on CH and has pretty good range at around range 1.5 and while -11 on block by itself you can make it safe by duck cancelling it (which you should do whenever it’s blocked). The only downside to this move is that it’s rather slow at i16. You want to throw this move out regularly to make your opponent scared of stepping you but deliberately so.

df1+2  MM  14f  -12/KND/KND

Sonic Fang. The main whiff punishing tool, as it’s fast at i14 and has great range on it hitting at range 2.5. The move is unsafe at -12 on block but if you pop it off near the max range, it’s hard for majority of the cast to punish you due to pushback, however you need to be careful not to whiff this move as it’s easily launchable if you do that.

d1  L  16f  -13/0/0

One of Steve’s main low pokes coming out in 16 frames, but since it is 0 on hit and CH, you can’t comfortably continue your offense after connecting it. Crushes highs and you can stay in crouch after the move by holding down.

d2,1  L,M  17f  -11/-5/0

Great low, mid string that high crushes and while by itself it’s -11 on block, it can be made safe by duck cancelling which is what you should always do. What’s annoying about using the move is the fact that Steve has 2 d2~1 moves (that are kind of useless) so you want to either press 1 real quick after d2 or delay 1 after confirming that d2 hit to not pop off the wrong move.

db2  L  26f  -12/+1/KND

More damaging low, but really slow coming out in 26 whole frames. The move however has great range on it as it hits from range 2 so it can be used as a ranged low poke and it crushes highs and is only -12 on block, but due to its slowness, it's easily seeable so you don't want to rely on it.

db3,2  L,H  10f -7/KND/KND

L,H string that comes out in 10 frames, knockdowns the opponent, and gives guaranteed ALB d2 afterwards for 43 damage overall. This move would be really good if it weren’t for its completely terrible range. The low whiffs already at range 1 so you need to be really close to hit it and if you whiff it, your opponent can duck the high and launch you for it, as well as when they block the low itself. High risk, high reward move you want to throw out once in a while when in correct range but not to be too predictable with.

This move also has uf3,2 variation to it where Steve jumps into the air to close the distance before doing the move but since it can be seen from the moon, it’s more likely that you get the low blocked and your ass launched than it working.

b1  H  13f  -14/+2/CS

b1~b FLK  -1/+9/CS

Another one of Steve’s main moves being i13 high that launches on CH for full combo making it very effective as a CH poke. It’s unsafe by itself at -14 on block but when cancelled into FLK it becomes as safe as -1 on block. Because of this whenever using this move, you always want to cancel it into FLK.

b2  M  17f  -13/CS/CS

Evasive launcher that crushes highs and is the fastest launcher Steve has outside of his stances coming out in 17 frames. The problem with using this move is that you want to do instant FLK 1,d1 to screw afterwards (to turn the opponent back forwards to get a good wall splat) and it’s hard to hit confirm, gives only 60 damage and even then the splat you get isn’t great so you might not get full wall combo.

uf1  M  19f  -6/+5/+5

Great low crushing mid punch to close the distance with as it hits from range 2. Safe on block at -6 but you can get floated by using it since you are in the air during the move.

uf2  M  22f  -14/KND/KND

Similar to uf1 but launches on hit. Slow at i22 but gives good damage if you connect it and the low crush properties makes it one of the more useful launchers Steve has outside of stances but it can be easily floated.

uf4 does the same job as Steve’s hopkick but it’s literal trash so there’s no reason to use it over uf2.

ff2  M  14f  -13/KND/KND

Good move to hit from distance since it hits from range 3, is a mid and fast at i14 (if inputted perfectly, i15 more realistically). If it hits, it knockdowns the opponent and you get guaranteed another ff2. The move however is -13 on block and puts the opponent on crouch so you will get punished (and even launched by some of the cast) for it if it doesn’t connect.

qcf1  M  16f  -10/KND/KND

qcf1~b FLK  -3/KND/KND

Decent Mid as it has surprisingly good range hitting at range 2.5, comes out in 16 frames and while unsafe at -10 you can make it safe by going into FLK making it -3. Especially scary option in wall since it wall splats and you can backdash and resplat for high damage.

wr2  M  20f  +9/KND/KND

One of the better while running moves in the game since it jumps on the air making it a low crush and leaves your opponent at +9 on block (yikes) meaning you can do whatever you want to them afterwards, db3,2 and df2 being 2 of the better options. However since it does jump it can be also be floated. Hits as far away as range 4 but since it’s wr move it’s easy to step if you are using it predictably.

FC df1  L  i15  -12/+2/+2

Solid move since it’s an i15 low that high crushes and goes directly into PAB making it one of the more useful transitions into the stance but since you need to be in FC state to hit it, you need to be more creative in your ways of using it not to make it look obvious. Go into it after holding d after d1 and db2 or after dck cancel while mixing it up with the 2 Mid ws moves when in crouch.

ws2  M  i14  -7/+4/Launch

The other of the whole 2 while standing moves Steve has, a Mid that launches on CH and comes out in 14 frames. Great CH poke when on crouch.

Rage Drive df2+3~f3 dck  M,M  14f  +15/JG/JG

Steve's 2nd Rage Drive he got on Season 2 which is insanely good. It's like Sonic Fang but launches the opponent and allows you to transition into dck at +15 on block which makes both dck 1 and dck 2 uninterruptible and only blockable (except when the RD hits from its absolutely max range) and on hit leads into a high damage combo.

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Combos

In general Steve’s combos can be quite hard to learn at first as you may have up to 5 stance cancels in a single combo making his combos look really intimidating when written down, but since these are basically simple motions such as pressing b to go to FLK or f3 to get to dck or cancelling duck with db, if you keep on practicing them you have them down in no time.

The combo route Steve goes to is generally similar in all launchers so you don’t need to memorize many different routes but since you have plenty of options post-screw it keeps Steve’s combos refreshing to perform.

From uf2,CH df2, CH PAB 2 and a Low Parry you get

 f3 dck1 df1,2~1~b FLK f3 dck f2~f3 S! dck db dash df1,2~1~b FLK f3 dck 1 (65_66_67_48)

Generally you want screw your opponents with dck f2 since it gives you the most options afterwards as you can both cancel it with db when holding f3 to go for high distance wall carry combo shown above or go into ext_dck 1 which gives you few additional things you can do after it.

ext_dck 1 itself wallsplats from a juggle so if you are close to wall after the screw you can use the move to splat and go for your wall combo afterwards. Also to keep on mind, if you are right next to wall after screw and have no way to splat with you can still use this move to wallhit and get guaranteed df1+2 afterwards since it recovers quite fast.

ext_dck 1 into dash and df1+2 gives you the most damage and the best wall carry but to get df1+2 to hit from ext_dck1 you need to do a precise mini dash before hitting Sonic Fang to get both hits of the Sonic Fang to hit which can be tricky. Even though this does give you the biggest wall carry, it can be quite hard to do the wall combo afterwards when a long distance away.

ext_dck 1 into uf1 gives you less damage but leaves the opponent right next to your feet which allows you to go for an okizeme afterwards. While nothing is guaranteed from here, d1+2 hits for 16 damage and beats all the wake up options except for waking up by holding db. On Forgotten Realm uf1 also breaks the floor so on this stage this route leads to the best damage you can get. On floor break itself you can just use the Sonic Fang ender and go for the wall combo or if you are next to wall with no way to wallsplat, you can go for df1 to wallhit with and use Sonic Fang after it.

ext_dck 1 directly into rage art (1+2) is also something you can do when on rage. It gives the easiest time to get Rage Art from since you don’t need to do a deep dash and the damage you can get from this is more or less equal to other routes with a screw into dash.

And that more or less covers your options post-screw.

From ext_dck 2~f3, ext_dck f2~f3, CH b1~b FLK and CH dck f2~f3 you get

f3 ext_dck1 df1,2~1~b FLK f3 dck f2~f3 S! dck db dash df1,2~1~b FLK f3 dck 1 (69_76_68_73)

This is basically the same as the previous combo route but after these 4 moves you can replace dck1 with ext_dck 1 which gives you slightly more damage. After dck f2 and ext_dck f2 you can’t go for ext_dck 1 into uf1 ender however because if you go for ext_dck 1 instead of dck 1, because the opponent falls face forwards after the hit, while you are inputting the extended dck, you push him to the left making you go off-axis which makes uf1 in the end to whiff. If you are off-axis to the left when starting the combo however, you can still go for it.

From PAB uf2, CH ws2 and CH RWV1,2 you get

df2~f3 dck 1 df1,2~1~b FLK f3 dck f2~f3 S! dck db dash df1+2 (69_66_76)

Since these moves launch the opponent into air you can’t go for dck 1 afterwards as it won’t hit. df2 into dck 1 is the most damaging follow up you have but won’t allow you to go for ext_dck1 after connecting the screw since you are too far away for it to connect so from these launchers you can only get Sonic Fang as an ender.

For PAB uf2 you can use b2 instead as a followup to get to the normal combo route for more damage and allowing you to go for ext_dck 1 options, but if you hit the move from its max range, df1 will whiff after b2 so going for df2 into dck1 followup is the more safe option.

From dck 2 you get

b2 df1,2~1~b FLK f3 dck f2~f3 S! dck db dash df1+2 (59)

The combo is the same as the one before it otherwise but you need to use b2 instead because this launches the character higher in the air and makes df2 into dck 1 whiff on smaller characters.

From SWY 2 you get

df1 df1,2~1~b FLK f3 dck f2~f3 S! dck db df1,2~1~b FLK f3 dck 1 (72)

This is the same combo as the regular one but since SWY 2 has so much recovery on it you need to replace dck 1 with df1 instead.

From FC df2 you get

f2,1~b FLK f3 dck f2~f3 S! ext_dck 1 df1+2 (57)

From this launcher it’s hard to get good damage from because after f2,1 followup you more or less have to screw straight after it. You can get 1 damage more than what this combo gives you from 2 different ways, but for the easiest time you can screw with dck f2, go into ext_dck1 and do Sonic Fang ender without the need to dash.

You can also use df2 into dck1 followup as well which gives more damage but if you hit FC df2 from its max range, your df2 will whiff.

From PAB df2 you get

db ws1 df1,2~1~b FLK f3 dck f2~f3 S! dck db dash df1,2~1~b FLK f3 dck1 (58)

This the same as the regular route but to cancel PAB stance after PAB df2 connects, you need to input db and then replace dck1 with ws1.

Note: This is also the same combo you get after blocked slide as well as from CH getup 3.

From b2, CH dck 1, CH ext_dck ,1 CH df(1),2~1 and CH FLK (1),d1 you get

b3+4 FLK 1,d1 S! dash df1,2~1~b FLK 1~b3+4 ALB 2 (60_60_65_64_67)

This is the only time when you can’t go for any variation from the regular route because if you do, your opponent will have his back against you which doesn’t give you a proper wall combo. To turn them back forwards you need to screw straight after these moves which is why you want to do instant FLK 1,d1 as a follow up here. After early screw you get the most damage when you dash into df1,2~1 cancel it into FLK 1 and cancel that into ALB 2. ALB 2 doesn’t however give you a good wallsplat so if you are near wall you want to use dck 1 after df1,2~1 instead.

When your opponent has his back against you, you get

2,1~f PAB uf2

and then go for you regular PAB uf2 combo from here. Your opponent can't do anything to block the uf2 in this case.

df2+3 Rage Drive

When you are in rage you get access to the new Rage Drive that you can cancel for dck for huge amounts of damage. Your go to combo from here is

f3 dck f2~f3 S! ext_dck 1 df1,2~1~b FLK 1~b3+4 ALB 2 (79)

Once again you can replace FLK 1 into ALB2 ender with dck1 after df1,2~1 if in correct range for it to hit the wall.

Certain moves that give you a guaranteed hit afterwards also give you RD when on rage:

From FLK b2, ext_dck1, f(2),1~2 and df(1),2~2, you get

dash df2+3~f3 dck 1 df1,2~1~b FLK f3 dck f2~f3 S! dck db dash df1+2 (88_82_81_81)

Hitting RD in here after the initial move is the tricky part since you need to do a precise mini dash before inputting it.

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Mini combos

Since majority of Steve’s launchers are so slow, he can’t rely on launching his opponents as easily as other characters which makes his mini combos a very important part of his gameplay to deal damage with and there are a lot of options that you need to memorize to maximize the damage output of the character.

Below are all the moves that give out a guaranteed hit afterwards

FLK 1,d1, FLK2, PAB df1,2 and CH ws(1),2  >  db2

ff2, FLK b2, dck1, ext_dck 1, f(2),1~2 df(1),2~2 and CH FLK (1),f1  >  ff2

db3,2  >  3+4 ALB d2

b1+2,1 and CH SWY 1  >  d1+2

PAB f2  >  PAB d1

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Wall game

The useful moves you have that wallsplat on wall are the following

qcf1~b FLK  M 16f  -3/KND/KND

3 LWV 1,1  M,M 15f  -13/KND/KND

4 RWV 2  M  15f  -13/KND/KND

df1+2 (from range)  MM  14f  -12/KND/KND

b1,2  H,H  13f  -5/+19/+19

FLK b2  H  14f  -10/KND/KND

PAB f2  M  18f  -13/KND/KND

ALB 2  M  23  -8/KND/KND

Wall Combos

qcf1 W! f2,1 df1+2 (50)

f2,1 into Sonic Fang is the easiest to do from combos since f2,1 hits from range 3.

qcf1 W! f2,1~b FLK f3 dck 1+2,1,2,1,2... (58)

From f2,1 you also get Steve’s gattling gun which deals the most damage from wall but is hard to input and easy to drop so most of the time not worth the extra effort for 2 extra damage.

qcf1~b W! 3 LWV 1,1 df1+2 (56)

The main wall combo you want to do which gives the most damage outside of gattling gun. From combos LWV 1,1 can however be hard to hit if you wall splat from long distance away and sometimes even impossible, so in those situations go for f2,1 into Sonic Fang instead for less but guaranteed wall damage.

After qcf1 without FLK cancel and ALB2 you can backdash and resplat with LWV3,1,1 for higher damage wall combo.

qcf1 W! backdash 3 LWV 1,1 W! 3 LVW 1,1 df1+2 (64)

To hit 2 LWV 1,1 in a row however, you need to be both off-axis to the right and to cancel the weave animation instantly or otherwise your Sonic Fang won’t connect properly. This makes f2,1 into Sonic Fang the preferred option after a resplat.

Another option to get wall damage is to use SWY 1+2 which is a pushing throw. It can be broken with 1+2 but it has only 14f window on it for the opponent to do so. If you get pushed to the wall you get guaranteed 1,1,2 for 32 overall damage.

SWY 1+2 1,1,2 (3+29)

If you get a deep push into the wall when your opponent is around 1 dash away from the wall, you get guaranteed qcf1 for full wall combo. From this move you can also hold up or down to turn the opponent 90 degrees either to the right or left or hold back when having your back against the wall which switches sides. If you get a wallhit after either of these you also get guaranteed qcf1.

SWY1+2 qcf1 W! backdash 3 LWV1,1 W! 3 LWV1,1 df1+2 (3+64)

SWY1+2~u_d_b qcf1 W! backdash 3 LWV1,1 W! 3 LWV1,1 df1+2 (3+64)

For an easier time you can also splat with b1,2 after these options which is easier to confirm and gives you only 3 damage less compared to qcf1 or 1 more when incapable of connecting 2 LWV1,1 in a row.

SWY1+2 b1,2 3 LWV1,1 df1+2 (3+61)

SWY1+2~u_d_b b1,2 W! 3 LWV1,1 df1+2 (3+61) 

Also when near wall on rage, the most damaging move you get that wallsplats is Steve's original Rage Drive with df3+4,1+2 which leads into really high damage combo. Since the move has 5 hits on it in total that push the enemy forwards, it splats from surprising ranges, even from 7 dashes away from the wall.

df3+4,1+2 W! 3 LWV 1,1 df1+2 (94)

However since you first need to go in to the dampsey roll before unleashing the punches, the Rage Drive comes out very slow and while you completely crush highs during the entirety of the dampsey roll animation, you can be effortlessly hit out of it with mids or lows even when instantly canceled, so it's up to you whether or not you want to risk wasting your Rage doing this or leave it for the more solid df2+3.

What to do on wall?

The 2 evasive Stances come quite useful on wall while not exceedingly good otherwise. While pressuring your opponent on the wall you can go to SWY which itself evades highs and mix in the throw with 1+2 which comes out fast, is hard to break on reaction and leads into guaranteed 32 damage with 1,1,2 on wall hit or into a full wall combo on long push giving out qcf1 or b1,2. If they try to ws punish the throw by ducking it you can mix in SWY1 that is a Mid and gives guaranteed d1+2 on CH for good damage. Alternatively hit them with fast moves that are barely negative on block and when your opponent thinks it’s their turn, go for weave to evade their option and punish from either direction with LWV 1,1 or RWV 2 for a wallsplat.

Going into FLK with 1,2,1, 2,1 or b1 is an useful option since you have FLK b2 which is a powercrush that wallsplats for high damage and you can also go from here to FLK 1~b3+4 to transition into ALB on +14 on block which makes ALB 2 uninterruptable and leads into high damage on hit thanks to the ability to resplat after it. Both can however be launched on duck so you need to mix in FLK 2 and FLK1,2 to hit them with the mid that knockdowns on normal hit and gives guaranteed db3 for good damage.

b1 itself doesn’t splat but on CH but you can go directly into LWV 1,1 into Sonic Fang for 56 damage making it useful move to poke for CHs on wall as well. From b1 you can also use the 2 extension with b1,2 that became a wall splat on Season 2 and which is your fastest move that splats being i13, but since it's a H,H string, it can be ducked and ws punished so you don't want to be too transparent in your ways of using it. If your opponent does something risky on wall that leaves them at least on -13 you can punish them with this move and confirm it into high damage wall combo.

From range 2 you can use qcf1 which is safe at -3 on block when canceled into FLK and gives a resplat for high damage.

From range 3 you can use ALB 2 or PAB f2 that crushes highs to fish for splats.

If your opponent turtles on wall you can break their guard with ext_dck f2 into dck f2, cancel the stance with db and hit them with ws1,1 into Sonic Fang for 53 damage. The usual ext_dck mixup works here as well but instead of ext_dck 2, you can use ext_dck 1 to wall splat with.

When on wall, db3,2 also becomes a major threat since when your opponent has his back against wall he can’t backdash out of its poor range and since it can’t knockdown the opponent as far with the wall behind you, you can use db2 as a guaranteed okizeme after it instead of the usual ALB d2 to get some more damage in.

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Feedback?

If you think I missed something essential or something I said needs to be corrected, leave a comment below and I'll update the guide if necessary. The more tech that gets shared, the better the guide becomes. Thanks for reading!