*The Checklist To Victory*

[Blink]

Multiplayer SRS Guide by Blink

• Introduction[/b]
  • This guide is written by me, John Tran, also known as Blink in the Tetris community.  Over time I've gained a lot of knowledge about the game and even though I still have a lot to learn I can share some of the key multiplayer strategies that I use when I play.
• Basic Level[/b]
  • Good keyboard controls
    • Try to balance the load of work between both hands evenly to maximize efficiency.
    • Learning and using an optimal key configuration can improve speed and endurance.  For the same reasons above, when a single hand is overworked, it will tire out quicker.
    • Set your keys in a way where you can move your pieces and rotate them simultaneously.
  • Proper stacking
    • 3 ways to stack: with a gap on the left, right, or middle of the field.  Starting with a middle gap is a bit trickier to maintain but has its benefits such as more T-spin opportunities.
    • Stack in a way that keep the top of your field level and so you do not create holes.
    • Avoid overstacking by leveling the field out when one side is getting too high.
  • Using piece previews
    • Stack the current piece in a way that allows your next pieces to also fit without creating unnecessary holes.
    • Use the list of piece previews to plan ahead what you want your field to look like a few pieces later.  
    • Identify how long it will take to get the piece you might need for your field.   Most commonly, it's either an I piece or T piece to complete a Tetris/T-Spin.  If the piece you need isn't coming soon, keep that in mind and play accordingly by skimming first instead or setting up a back-to-back if you are not in danger of overstacking.
    • One way to use piece previews is by learning their colors and using color recognition as well as your peripheral vision.
  • Proper downstacking
    • A strong downstacker plans ahead by using their piece previews and reads their garbage holes.  When clearing the current line try to do it in a way where the next hole also becomes uncovered.  This can lead to a lengthy combo which outputs a lot of APM.  Long combos during downstacking typically wins games because it's rare for the opponent to have enough APM midgame to counter all of it unless they are comboing too.
    • Downstacking, or digging, is done to reduce your height on the field and to keep from topping out.  In order to downstack efficiently you want to still send out lines while you downstack.  Good players are able to continue sending lines during the downstacking process by clearing doubles/triples instead of singles or by doing combo chains.  In many situations T-spins during the downstacking stage can also be done and can be devastating on the opponent who isn't expecting to receive such a large amount of lines from a player they previously thought was in trouble of topping out.
    • If you can downstack lines at the same speed as another player, but can output more lines than they can during it, you'll still end up in better shape.  Just remember, even if you are the fastest downstacker in the world, if you are not sending any lines during it the other player will not top out.  You are not pressuring them and they are not threatened.  It's about finding a balance between APM and survival.
  • Using hold piece
    • Store I or T pieces to use when you need them.
    • Use it to prevent situations where your current piece will not fit anywhere without creating an unnecessary hole.
    • Combined with piece previews, can prevent poor stacking and maximize APM by rearranging the order you drop your pieces.  For example, if holding the current piece would create a Triple instead of sending a double and then a single after.
  • Building speed and using finesse
    • Stacking flat can improve speed because it is easier to stack on a flat surface, reducing hesitation and thinking required.
    • Always use the fastest comfortable DAS settings on whichever game you're playing on.  Misdrops reduce your speed as you stop to think of a way to fix it.
    • Use correct finesse for the game you're playing.  In faster DAS games, it would be quicker to let your piece DAS to the wall and tap 1 back rather than tap 3 times.  In slower games, this might not be the case.
    • Speed becomes one of the harder things to pick up after you've played for awhile.  A good exercise is to push your limits by playing 40-lines mode on a game with no delays.  If your settings feel comfortable, it's normal to misdrop a lot.  Over time the misdrops reduce as you get used to playing that quickly.
• Advanced Level
  [/b]
• T-Spins
  • T-Spin basics
    • Creating the T-Spin shape is as easy as locating a hole and creating an overhang for it.  This could be done many ways:
    • Create an overhang above a Tetris gap to benefit from back-to-back bonuses.
  • T-Spin types
    • T-Spin zero
    • EZ T-Spin single
    • T-Spin single
    • T-Spin double
    • T-Spin triple
• Combos
  • Combo starting
    • 2-wide combo starts
    • 3-wide combo starts
    • 4-wide combo starts
    • Benefits of combo starting with a center gap
  • Combo downstacking
  • Extra combo sacrifice
    • On occassion there may be moments where placing a piece in an otherwise unfavorable position on your field only to extend a combo chain by an additional line can be beneficial.  This is usually done if your combo chain is already at a high count and the amount of garbage sent will outweigh the damage being self inflicted on your field.
• Twists
  • L/J Twists
  • S/Z Twists
• Countering starting setups
  • Combo starts
  • T-Spin start setups
  • Standard starts
  • Perfect clear starts
  • Tetris starts
• Fixing misdrops
  • Twists are often the quickest way to fix a misdrop cleanly
  • Look for new opportunities presented by the misdrop.  Sometimes accidental T-Spins present themself from a misdrop.
  • You'll want to address misdrops as soon as possible before incoming pressure makes it more difficult to clear later on.  An exception to this is if you are still able to send garbage without fixing the misdrop first.  In that case, it sometimes is better to use your garbage to counter incoming pressure before fixing the misdrop.

[/li][li]Expert Level

[/b][/li]
• Fancy but useful T-spins
  • Imperial Cross
  • Fractal
  • STSD
  • Yoshihiro
  • Cannon
  • TD
• Game status
  • Read your opponent's field frequently, and compare it to your own to figure out what the current situation is.
  • Realize if you can finish an opponent off soon and what you need to do right now to increase those chances.
  • Sacrificing your field to finish an opponent
    • Sometimes you can ensure victory by stacking above your field to create a quick T-Spin.  Chances are this might leave your field with unwanted overhangs, but that won't matter if the match is decided already.  It's up to you as the player to know when the reward outweighs the risk.
  • Know if it's time to downstack, or if you can continue pushing APM.
  • Use your sends to counter-garbage or receive garbage instead and send yours afterwards
  • Timing
    • Importance of timing increases as player's TPM decreases
    • Waiting for the opponent's garbage countering to end
    • Waiting to receive lines before countering it with your own sends
    • Waiting for the opponent to send some garbage before you send your Tetris/T-Spin negating their garbage and giving them 1 or 2 lines of garbage.  Doing this repeatedly can create messy garbage on their field.
    • Top-field area play: How to use garbage-countering to stay alive when it looks hopeless.
    • Breaking up their perfect clear start by rushing a small send.
  • Using your opponent's piece preview list as information to predict when they will T-Spin, Tetris, or will be busy downstacking.
• Game specific strategies
  • Tetris Friends
  • Tetris Battle
  • Cultris II
  • Blockbox
  • Tetris DS/PS3 Tetris
  • TetriNET/TetriNET2/TetriFAST

[/li][/list]

[Maske]

Good ! How to sort the theories is easy and sophisticated. I will keep a copy for reference  

[ohitsstef]

. __ . pro-ness

[larrytetris]

Neglecting I twists. :C (and O twists )