1. Stacking Strategies
9-0 Stacking and Clean Stacking
What does this mean?
The main goal of Tetris is to drop Tetriminos into the Matrix and clear lines to gain points. A line or row is cleared when all 10 columns in a row are filled. One of the most common strategies for doing this is called 9-0 stacking, better known as a side Tetris well, which is when you leave a one-column stack on either the left or right side of the stack, leaving opportunities for Tetris Line Clears. This is a great place to start if you want to improve your score.
Stacking cleanly refers to flat stacking for an accommodating stack with few or no bumps. An accommodating stack will allow any upcoming Tetrimino to fit nicely, rather than having a dependency on a specific Tetrimino (for example, needing that pesky I-Tetrimino to fix your stack).
How do you learn it?
9-0 stack: The number one thing to keep in mind is that one of the side columns needs to be empty. As long as you can maintain this, you are 9-0 stacking.
Stacking cleanly, however, can be a bit more tricky. The main thing to think about is how Tetriminos connect together.
9-0 example:
Once you’ve gotten the hang of stacking cleanly, you can try to start to offset the Tetris well towards the center. The name “9-0” stacking refers to the width of the stacks on each side of the Tetris well; in 9-0’s case, nine columns to the left, zero to the right.
Freestyle Stacking
A common form of freestyle stacking is 6-3, where a three-wide stack is on the right-hand side. This can be quickly made using the L, O, and J-Tetriminos.
This stacking method is popular due to its ease of use and ability to form T-Spin setups at the very top of a flat 6-3 stack.
While any other form of freestyle stacking (9-0, 8-1, 7-2, or 5-4 stacking) can give you T-Spin setups, they can be a bit more counterintuitive or be too dependent on a certain Tetrimino to work. You can try any of these options, as long as you maintain a balanced stack height on each side of the Tetris well.
3. Downstacking
What does this mean?
By now you’ve learned how to build your Tetrimino stacks, now it’s time to discuss the opposite; clearing them. You might be wondering, “Clearing lines is simple; why would I need to learn how to do that?” The thing is, there will be situations where you make a mistake while upstacking, and your stack will become messy. In these scenarios, clearing the lines to get back to your normal stack will be easier said than done. That’s when downstacking skills come in handy.
How do you learn it?
The best thing to keep in mind for downstacking is how each Tetrimino clears lines; not just how many lines they clear, but also what will be left behind after you perform a line clear.
If you want a perfect practice tool for downstacking, try playing the Purify Effect Mode. More details about Purify are in the Effect Modes section.
Downstacking example:
4. T-spins
What is a T-spin?
A T-spin is when a player spins a T-Tetrimino into a tight space where it wouldn’t be able to fall vertically into otherwise. When the T-Tetrimino is locked into place after a rotation, the game checks the four diagonal corners surrounding its center. If at least 3 of those 4 corners are filled (either by other blocks or the walls of the Matrix), the game counts it as a T-Spin. You can tell when you hear a clunk sound when you rotate.
How do you learn it?
The first thing to look for when it comes to setting up a T-spin is a T-shaped hole in your stack. If you have one of those, you can create an easy T-spin setup by simply creating a small overhang.
This image shows what boxes are checked to determine if the placed T is a T-spin. If at least 3 of the 4 red boxes are filled by other Tetriminos when the T-Tetrimino is placed, it is considered a T-spin.
T-Spin Double Example
T-Spin Triple Example
T-Spins score similarly to Tetris Line Clears, thus are important when going for big high scores.
Perfect Clear Opener Example
See if you can find a solution for these, they’re both solvable.
This is an example of an All Clear Opener. L, O, and J make a 3×4 box, with the T, S, and Z making the jagged shape on the left.
Grace System Opener Example
This is an example of the Grace system, used to set up an All Clear to start a game of Tetris. L, J, O, S, Z, and I make a 6×4 box, leaving a 4×4 box that can be filled in many ways.
6. Advanced Kicks and Spins
What does this mean?
Although not rewarded by the game in the same way T-Spins are, you can use spins with other Tetriminos to fix your stack more efficiently
L and J-Tetriminos are really flexible due to their lack of rotational symmetry. Consequently, the S and Z-Tetriminos are a bit more finicky, as two states at any given time can look identical.
The one thing to keep in mind when performing S/Z-Spins is which direction you first rotated the Tetrimino; due to the fact that the S and Z-Tetriminos have 180-degree rotational symmetry, you can easily mess up a spin when you swore you rotated it correctly.
How do you learn it?
When you see somewhere where your Tetrimino may fit, don’t be afraid to try to fit it there; chances are you can spin it in the hole if you try enough!
There are also game modes to let you practice the most useful spins (The All Clear Effect Mode, for example)
Kick Examples:
7. Tetris Effect-Specific Mechanics
The Zone
The Zone is a core mechanic within Journey, Zone Battle, and Connected game modes. During the Zone, blocks stop falling, and all cleared lines are moved to the bottom instead of disappearing. See how many lines you can clear before the Zone gauge (located near the bottom left of the Matrix) depletes!
Different names are given to different amounts of Zone line clears.
4-7 lines = Tetris
8-11 lines = Octoris
12-15 lines = Dodecatris
16-17 lines = Decahexatris
18-19 lines = Perfectris
20 lines = Ultimatris
With planning, strategy, and a little luck, clearing more than 20 lines is possible!
21 lines = Kirbtris (named after the first person to succeed, Kirby703)
22 lines = Impossibilitris
23 lines = Infinitris
24 lines = Electris
27+ lines = ???
How do you learn it?
There are a few things to take into account when shooting for a high Zone line clear:
Zone Gauge: The first is your Zone Gauge, which is charged by clearing lines. The gauge charges in increments of one quarter. Each quarter needs a set amount of line clears, depending on the game mode and level. The more charge you have, the longer your Zone will last!
Speed: When shooting for big Zone line clears, the key element is how fast you can clear lines. Starting your Zone with lots of blocks in the Matrix leaves you with more time to clear lines and less time wasted stacking. Although it is possible to get 16+ lines in a Zone with a quarter or half-meter, it is much easier to do so with a higher-filled meter.
Using a strategy like creating a combo well to quickly score Tetris Line Clears and clear Tetriminos can be very good for getting more lines. For example, the side two-wide combo well (an 8-0 well) allows you to clear lines very quickly as you can use any Tetrimino to downstack.
When shooting for 16+ lines, an important factor that comes into play is stacking near the top of the Matrix. When in the Zone, if a Tetrimino spawns inside of an already placed Tetrimino or is placed entirely above the Matrix (where no part of the Tetrimino enters the 10×20 Matrix), the Zone will end. Clearing quickly through the first 16 lines can also give you more time to think about your stacking at the top of the Zone to avoid an unintentional top-out.
Journey Mode: In Journey mode, the Zone Gauge fills based on the level being played: it takes 7 lines to fill a quarter of the Zone Gauge on Beginner difficulty, 8 for Normal, and 10 for Expert.
Zone Battle: In Zone Battle, the Gauge fills based on how many lines are cleared, with more lines needed to fill the Zone as you progress through each phase. More about how Zone Battle progresses, as well as the goal in Zone Battle, is explained below.
For even more advanced Zone techniques, read on!
Trying to achieve 19-20 line Zones is where stacking at the top of the Matrix begins to become really difficult. If practicing, it is a good idea to take a screenshot and look to try to find a solution with your upcoming Tetriminos in the queue. Some general tips are to remember that you can place Tetriminos partially above the Matrix. Also, try to fill in the sides first, as keeping the Matrix open in the center ensures that your Tetriminos can spawn in safely without ending the Zone. The Zone takes a lot of practice to learn, so don’t get discouraged if it takes you a while to master it.
Zone examples:
Connected Zone example:
