Daenerys:
I suppose you can consider that the motor coils "work[ing] against each other"
That's what I had in mind. The two teams in a tug-of-war are simultaneously working against each other and working together. if one stopped pulling the other team would fall on the ground.
If I needed accurate microsteps, I would find out what motors/drivers the 3D people are using. I don't offhand know what combinations are working for them, but I have seen online discussions about it.
Any bipolar motor with sufficient torque and A4988 type drivers. Nothing special.
...R