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2013-09-08 Upstacking
2013-09-08 Downstacking
2013-09-08 Sliding
2013-09-08 Skimming
2013-09-08 Multiplayer Metrics

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Upstacking

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Upstack refers to the pieces dropped onto the playfield.  Upstacking  refers to "stacking up" pieces to score larger line clears, usually on the bottommost rows of the stack. Aim to keep the stack open to multiple placement choices, since you won't always get the right piece. Pieces not fitting result in holes and gaps. When you can't clear lines because of the holes, you must stack even higher. This ultimately leads to topping out. Build surfaces that will maintain good spots for any piece, and even any next piece  after receiving any piece. Note: I have ignored holding and soft dropping for this article. Their use can make some ideas difficult to explain. Contents The Basics Good and bad surfaces Creating options for S- and Z-pieces Smoothing things out Prioritizing lower placements The jagged corner Surface connectivity Piece-specific planning S- and Z-pieces O-pieces I-pieces T-pieces Parity ...
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Downstacking

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Downstacking refers uncovering and filling holes in order to gain access to the bottom rows of the stack. Downstacking is a challenging skill to master and rich with depth. Inefficient downstacking is often the Achilles' heel of newer players.  The primary goal is to lower your surface height. Doing so prevents you from topping out. Use as few pieces per garbage row as possible. Note: this article does not take into account details such as line clear delay and attacking power. Those matter when deciding whether or not you should try to group line clears together while downstacking. Contents Covering Holes Examples Managing Upstack Residue Lying Low Clearing Lines Finding Line Clears Platform Stacking Prioritizing Line Clears Problematic Patterns The Jagged Corner Crowding Covering Holes The location of each hole tells you how to place pieces above them. The higher the hole, the more important...
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Multiplayer Metrics

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Some attacks send more than others, but it's not so simple as to say "the more you send, the better." Evaluating performance Suppose that you had a number of game replays in front of you. You can't watch the games, and you don't know who won. You do have various data such as how much garbage each player sent, game length, how many pieces used, etc. How could you use this data to best predict who won? To simplify this problem, assume that when the game ends, only garbage remains. One commonplace statistic is "Tetrominos Per Minute" (TPM).  It simply measures playing speed. Would the faster player more likely win? What if they play thoughtlessly and wastefully? Maybe they clear too many Singles. A slower player, who makes better use of their pieces, can still win. Over the years people paid more attention to "Attack Per Minute" (APM). It takes skill to play quickly, but it also takes skill to convert those pieces into attacks. APM correlat...
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