PMLG Blocks Future Competitive Steve Appearances

Phantom MLG could be the end(erman) of Steve

Now, we all know that Steve has been a pretty controversial character since his release. While the younger generation of smash players love him, a lot of veteran players have been less than impressed.

Already a force to be reckoned with given his command-grab-getaway-cart and obnoxious wall strats, the character has garnered much backlash from the community. In fact, discussion of banning Steve from the game has been talked about since his inception.

With the introduction of his latest hidden tech: the PMLG, players may finally get that recall on the block head.

So what exactly is PMLG?

Otherwise known as “Phantom Major League Gaming," it's a technique that allows Steve to utilize a “phantom” block to interrupt hit-stun sequences. YouTube Smash sensation, Coney, goes more in-depth on the technical side of the move as he was not convinced it was a ban-worthy offense at first.

In the past, we've seen some pretty absurd techniques in Smash that have caused chaos in the competitive scene. Remember the Ice Climber wobble in Melee? Or the infamous infinite dimensional cape in Brawl? 

Wild and as overpowered as those moves were, the characters weren't at the same ban risk as Steve. Ice Climbers and Meta Knight experienced "Tech Bans". Meaning, the technique of wobbling or disappearing indefinitely were such notable moves that anyone could see what was going on and report the move. 

Why can't Steve get a tech ban?

Because of this:

steve just turns this game into brawl where multihits dont work :) pic.twitter.com/SKrby5NM8z

— Phaethon (Connor) (@connorblossoms) February 25, 2023

Did you see it? Did you see it!? Right there!! That small "phantom" box below Steve's feet appears almost too quickly to be seen, and in some cases is even obscured by the opponents' body.

Due to the difficulty of which the tech is caught in gameplay, moderating a tech ban of the PMLG would make for some lengthy Ultimate tourneys. Add just the right amount of salt and sweat, and you could have someone holding up a match report with a false PMLG claim.

Ultimately (yes pun intended), Steve is likely to receive a permanent ban in the esports scene for the game. But I can't imagine he'd be removed from the mess that is online Smash Ultimate.

Update:

Surprise! During the time it took for me to write this article, Steve has already received two state based perma-bans for competitive LANs.

Both being from the midwest, it looks like Missouri & Kansas are the first states to ban Steve from Tournaments.

Steve has been indefinitely banned in all of Kansas, and two of the three main regions in Missouri

Banning just the new tech itself is a band aid solution that requires a lot of leg work on our TOs

We hope this is a step in the right direction for Ultimate moving forward pic.twitter.com/7wpcwx81mM

— RiD | campagne (@campagne_papi) February 27, 2023

The popular LAN tourney "Collision" has also banned the use of Steve.

🚨#Collision2023 Update🚨

The Collision team has spent the past 48 hours discussing the new Steve adv. tech (PMLG) that was revealed by @XCidoClipDump and @ron_yt0510. Due to the nature of PMLG and the potential complications that it could provide during https://t.co/UTEAkDUhpt…

— Collision Gaming Series (@CollisionSmash) February 27, 2023

Article shall be updated as more news on the Steve ban develops.