Tetris Effect Zone Battle

[Geoffrey Beird]

Formany gamers, Tetris is one of those timeless classics that will simply never get old. The classic Tetris games continue to shine as fun, rewarding puzzlers to this day. At the same time, titles like Tetris Effect: Connected help keep it alive with cool and exciting new twists on the formula.

Along with its vibrant, hypnotic visuals and appealing soundtrack, this modern take on Tetris is most known for a new concept known as the "Zone" mechanic. This feature allows players to stop gravity in its tracks for a bit while piling on countless line clears at once.

The ability is offered in many of the game's diverse gameplay modes; most notably the intense, competitive Zone Battle. While this mode is accessible enough, the unique twist and added nuances can be tough for those used to the more classic, straightforward version of Tetris. Luckily, there are some handy tips and techniques that can help you get a leg up on the opposition.

Do a quick glance from time to time to see that your opponent isn't getting ready to wipe out five or ten tetriminos in one fell swoop, as this will yield a mound of garbage pieces on your screen seconds later. If the opponent is getting ready for a major assault like this, quickly eliminate some lines to counter it. At the very least, ensure that the upper region of your board is clear.

Working swiftly and precisely is usually a given when it comes to Tetris, and this is very much the case in Zone Battle. Not only are there garbage pieces to watch out for, but players are especially rewarded for clearing out several lines more quickly.

One way to help towards playing a quicker, sharper game is to make a habit out of using the fast or "hard" drop often. Simply line up the tile to where you'd like it placed and tap the up arrow. This will cause each piece to drop much more rapidly and save quite a bit of time in the long run.

Clearing lines in large quantities at once is especially rewarding in Zone Battle, so it should be exploited as often as possible. This creates additional garbage pieces flung at the opponent, while simultaneously keeping you out of harm's way. Not only this, but it also boosts your point total and feeds the ever-important Zone meter.

This should be taken advantage of when you find yourself in dire straits or are in need of a shift in momentum. And this is especially true when the opponent doesn't have a particularly high Zone meter to counterattack.

The Zone not only allows a player to pile on the points and damage to an opponent but also freezes gravity. This means that tiles will cease dropping for a period, allowing players on the brink some time to regroup and bounce back.

Doing so will maximize the time that the Zone mechanic lasts. This allows you to spend more time slowing things down and getting more done, often dealing a potential deathblow with double-digit line clears.

The Zone mechanic can be a life-saver, though it's also sort of a double-edged sword. That's because lines that are cleared won't initially be wiped away, but will be piled underneath the board until this ability has run out.

As such, it's usually wise to leave a decent-sized clearing at the top portion of the board, so that things don't get too cluttered too quickly. This leaves more room to do work when the Zone meter is triggered, though it also alleviates trouble from garbage pieces stacking up. There should always be some sort of gap to fill in.

Tetris Effect: Connected is quite the visual spectacle, though it can also prove a tad distracting for those looking to stay focused on the action. And make no mistake, there's plenty of action here.

As such, it's a good idea to do some tinkering in the options menus regarding the visuals. In gameplay options, the camera can be zoomed to maximum so you can get a bolder, clearer picture of what's happening. Additionally, certain visual effects in the graphics options can be dialed back or shut off, such as line clear effects and particle volume.

Another handy tool in the options menu is the ability to crank up the number of upcoming tiles displayed while playing. This can be turned up to a maximum of four, allowing those more strategic players to plot their next moves more efficiently.

One of the key goals in Zone Battle is to make sure your Zone meter builds up quickly and plentifully. Lines should be swiftly cleared by any means necessary, as a quarter of the zone will be filled with every six lines cleared.

However, more stylish line clears will actually speed up the process of this build-up. As is typical in Tetris games, this rendition rewards players who go the extra mile to get Tetrises (four-line clears). Though a little-known fact is that pulling off the somewhat tricky "T-spin" will also jumpstart this.

T-spins are achieved by flipping a T-tetrimino into a slot that fits that piece; one that's obstructed by tiles above it. It can be a tough maneuver as there's a limited window to fasten the piece into that slot before it lands, so it should be done swiftly.

Many have discovered the added benefit of assembling a larger gap to work with when playing Zone Battle. A hole that's three or four tiles wide is usually ideal. This allows you to build up line clears quickly and efficiently when Zone is used. At the same time, it provides some leeway for garbage pieces and miscues.

This can be enhanced by building up your stacks slightly above the cutoff point of the board. One would think this would bring a self-inflicted loss, but as long as part of the tile lands below this cutoff point, the game permits the stacking.

These two strategies combined allow for a whopping twenty lines to be cleared at once when the Zone is used. In fact, a pro player by the alias of Kirby703 first managed to exploit this, getting north of 20 and reaching a whopping 23 line clears at once!

For instance, think about how you rotate Tetriminos. One common finesse mistake (or finesse fault) is relying only on one rotation button. Sure, you can still get your Tetrimino into position most of the time with one rotation button, but you can also save a lot of time by using the other rotation button in certain situations. After all, three 90 degree rotations clockwise is the same as one 90 degree rotation going counter-clockwise.

A key part of battle Tetris is to recognize patterns that can become strong attacks. By recognizing the best patterns from a given board state, one can achieve strong attacks that could help win the match. Tetris has several patterns that can be seen and used, a lot of which are detailed below.

Once you have an STSD setup, you can use a T-Tetrimino to spin it. If you are familiar with a T-Spin triple, this setup is very similar to that, with the exception that there is an extra hole in the stack that forms the square. If done correctly, you would be left with a TSD that you can follow in quick succession.

STSDs work because the square shape is either surrounded by Tetriminos (except where the T-Tetrimino gets kicked into) and the board. When going for STSDs in matches like Connected/CVS and Zone Battle, you can run into the chance where incoming garbage can ruin your setup.

Once the trinity is set up, the first T-Spin is simple: kick the Tetrimino like how you normally would an STSD (in the picture above, the T-Tetrimino starts in the clockwise position, and rotated twice counterclockwise to be kicked in), but with the addition of another rotation in that same direction. As for the example above, after kicking the T-Tetrimino, rotate counterclockwise once more.

A fractal is a T-Spin setup where you place a regular T-Spin Double on top of another T-Spin Double. When you clear the first T-Spin Double, the overhang that created that TSD becomes the overhang of the new TSD.

A DT Cannon is made by essentially splitting a T-Spin Triple in two, and having a T-Spin Double sandwiched in between the two. In the example shown below, the T-Spin Double is in yellow, and the two T-Spin Triple halves are in Green.

An easy way to spot and set up a DT is by having a flat stack. In the example from the Fractal category, a DT can be made by placing an S Tetrimino flat on the left to create the initial overhang, an L Tetrimino counter-clockwise on the right side of the well, and a J Tetrimino clockwise on top of the S Tetrimino.

In general, if you have an overhang for a T-Spin Double, see if you can place a one-block overhang two rows above the other side (J and L Tetriminos work great for this), as well as a higher overhang that is four blocks above the well.

The T-Spin Double is cleared first; similar to the trinity, spin the T-Tetrimino in the same direction as you did to kick it to clear the T-Spin Double. This leaves a T-Spin Triple that can be cleared.

In this case, the T-Spin Double is split in two, with a T-Spin Triple sandwiched in between. A good way to visualize this when trying to create a C-Spin is by placing a T-Spin Triple where your well is, then shifting it one column in either direction.

In this example, after clearing a T-Spin Triple, one is left with an overhang. You can completely avoid having to fill in the gap by placing a J Tetrimino as seen below. This sets you up for a Tetris and opens the well!

Donations are done by temporarily covering up a well to perform a T-Spin. The well is opened back up once the T-Spin is done. For most donations, you spot a T-Spin hole in the middle of your stack and donate a particular Tetrimino over your well.

In Tetris Effect, clearing large Zone clears is a goal many go for, whether this is in order to deal large damage to opponents in Zone Battle, or simply as a singleplayer challenge. While fairly conventional strategies can be used to achieve up to 19 lines, clearing 20 or more lines is possible and requires a good understanding of the mechanics at the top of the field. Clearing this many lines grants significant bonuses to damage in Zone Battle, and a shot at the leaderboard in singleplayer.

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