Transform into a Tetromino Master with Our Tetris 99 Tips and Tricks

Tetris 99 is an unusual game. While it’s the version of Tetris available for free to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, it also adds a battle royale twist. Unlike the delightful fusion of Puyo Puyo Tetris or the tranquil experience of Tetris Effect, Tetris 99 is all about competition. Learning how to play Tetris 99 often involves trial and error, as you aim to clear lines while 99 other Tetris boards send unfinished lines your way. To help you navigate the game with confidence, we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide featuring the best Tetris 99 tips and tricks to set you on the right path.

Tetris Tips and Tricks: Mastering the Game

Tetris 99 doesn’t come with a tutorial, and even for experienced tetromino builders, understanding the mechanics can be challenging. From winning strategies to sending garbage to other players, our guide will walk you through the ins and outs of this unique battle royale experience.

Tetris 99: Understanding the Basics

Tetris 99 plays much like any other Tetris game. The objective is to arrange the seven different tetrominoes as they fall onto the screen in order to clear lines, ideally removing multiple lines at once. As you clear lines, you’ll send garbage (represented by gray blocks) to other players’ screens. The main goal is to prevent your board from filling up completely. If you can keep your board in a playable state longer than your opponents, you’ll emerge victorious. But it’s not as easy as it sounds. Winning requires expertise in Tetris, a bit of luck, and a solid grasp of Tetris 99’s new mechanics.

Sending Garbage to Your Opponents

Before diving into Tetris 99’s new mechanics, let’s talk about garbage. Garbage is your means of attacking other players in Tetris 99, and it’s a well-known multiplayer Tetris feature. At the start of the game, you can send garbage by clearing more than one line with a single move. Here’s how it works:

Clearing two lines: Sends one garbage line.
Clearing three lines: Sends two garbage lines.
Tetris (clearing four lines): Sends four garbage lines.
Full clear (emptying the board): Sends ten garbage lines.

You can also send garbage lines by successfully clearing rows with T-spins, an advanced Tetris move that requires the T block. To perform a T-spin, you must create a T-shaped gap in your structure and make a turn with the T block as the last move. Merely dropping a T block into a spot won’t trigger a T-spin. T-spins reward more garbage lines than regular clears. Here’s how many garbage lines you can send with each T-spin:

T-spin single: Sends two garbage lines.
T-spin double: Sends four garbage lines.
T-spin triple: Sends six garbage lines.

Targeting Other Players Strategically

Tetris 99 introduces unique targeting options that add depth to the gameplay. These options—Random, Attacker, Badges, and K.O.s—are displayed in the upper center of the screen, and you can switch between them using the right stick. One popular choice for targeting other players is the K.O. option, which focuses on opponents close to elimination. Let’s explore what each targeting option entails:

Additionally, you can manually target specific players using the left stick. This allows you to gain an advantage by selecting weaker opponents with messy stacks that the auto-selection tool may have missed. You can also concentrate on sending garbage to players you consider threats.

Random

The default targeting setting is Random. As the name suggests, the game automatically selects a destination for your garbage. While Random is suitable for the initial stage of the game, you’ll want to make use of the other three targeting options as the round progresses.

Attackers

In Tetris 99, you can identify players attacking you by the yellow lines extending onto your screen. The Attackers targeting option sends your garbage to those attempting to eliminate you. Clearing lines while being attacked sends garbage to all players targeting you. While facing multiple attackers can be challenging, a successful streak can quickly knock out several players consecutively.

K.O.s

The K.O. option targets players who are close to being knocked out. Monitoring both sides of your grid allows you to identify struggling players. Focusing on K.O.s by default can be advantageous, especially early in the game when less skilled players are plentiful.

Badges

The Badges option may be less understood, but it offers its own benefits. Targeting Badges focuses on players with the highest knockout counts. By eliminating leading players, their knockouts contribute to your garbage bonus. It’s worth targeting Badges for this reason alone.

Conclusion

Mastering Tetris 99 requires a combination of skill, strategy, and adaptability. By following our tips and tricks, you’ll have a better understanding of the game mechanics and the tactics needed to emerge victorious. Remember, Tetris 99 is a battle royale experience like no other, and it’s all about outlasting and outsmarting your opponents.