Steve is still a highly controversial character in the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate scene and CEO 2023’s very own Jebailey is hopping on the case.
In a tweet on March 29, Jebailey mentioned a Steve ban is very much on the table for his upcoming event, and revealed the impending Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament at DreamHack San Diego would be the catalyst of whether the much-debated character is going to be suspended from the available playing roster or not.
“If Steve wins the Ultimate tournament [at DreamHack] I’ll be left with no choice but to highly to most likely, unequivocally consider banning Steve from offline tournaments,” the organizer wrote. “HE’S A MENANCE.”
While the messaging does seem pretty clear cut, fans were quick to point out this might be a classic Jebailey move, a “jebait,” which is another word for “troll.”
People figured this out as a quick look at the attendees of DreamHack San Diego shows there are no notable Steves planning to attend the event. Notable attendees of the event are DarkWizzy, Chase, Kurama, and LarryLurr among others.
However, this can also be seen as a huge statement on whether the character carries unknown players, as it’ll be weird for an unknown player who suddenly just popped off out of nowhere to start beating these top players with Steve.
Jebailey is a tournament organizer through and through, though. He’s not unfamiliar with bans as CEO 2022 also featured a ban on a character from a different game. This shows he’s not shy when it comes to banning a character that he sees as overpowered.
Steve is a character that’s seen its own share of controversy to the point that it was banned in the biggest online Ultimate tourney, Coinbox. Recent new tech was the last straw.
As of now, majors are still not sure whether to ban the character or the tech. In a recent tournament, Collision 2023, the tech was restricted, but they also announced Steve will be banned moving forward. It’s still a pretty messy situation for the character and players who main them might want to look for a new main just in case the bans spread.
