T-Spins - Analytics part 1

[SirJeivus]

Lots has been said about T-spin setups, but not so much the thought process behind it. This is my attempt in discussing this topic with more detail:

There is more to T-spins than just memorizing setups. Hsing Liu once said “as a player improves, they move away from fixed openings or setups”. This is very true, and most improvised T-spin setups depend on several heuristics, or rules of thumb. This is my attempt in explaining T-spins with a bit more detail.

Moral of the story: In multiplayer Tetris, one of the core value sets players should have is the ability to keep a flat field and not obscuring future downstacking opportunities. Your choice of overhang to make the T-spin is just an extension of this.


Lesson 1: Do not obscure future downstacking opportunities. Like Texas Hold ‘em, you gotta know when to fold ‘em. Be conscious of the consequence of your T-spin and do not be afraid to do T-spin singles.


Say you had the following situation. It would be bad to put the overhang on the left, and a stick on the very right, placed up vertically. This would just halt your escape route. In this case, it would probably be better to do a T-spin single.

http://tinyurl.com/6r5kymd

Case Study 1: Please study all situations and frames:

http://tinyurl.com/7evtpso

Lesson 2: Choice of overhang. Do not create I-piece dependence or induce parity issues.


Consider the following. If you put that J there, it would be harder to stack on the right side because you created a 2-deep hole on the right. Using a S, or an O, would generally be better for two reasons. Easier to stack on the right side, and a flatter field would result.

http://tinyurl.com/85v886s

Rule of thumb: Using T’s as overhangs, especially those standing on their sides, creates an automatic I-piece dependency which is bad. I pieces should be used for emergencies such as bail-outs from clean Tetris garbage.

http://tinyurl.com/7y8l4to

Lesson 3: MG Spikes.

There are certain patterns in leftover mino or garbage pieces that allow for massive attacks.

Subset 1: Notching

Notching is when there’s a floating block above a garbage hole. Often leads to easy TDs. You can either setup your own or wait until you accidentally create one.

http://tinyurl.com/7op2dda

Subset 2: The "3x2"

3 units wide, 2 units deep. This can lead to either STSD’s or ST stacking derivatives. If the 3x2 is somewhere in the middle, you can do an SMTB cave.

http://tinyurl.com/6occd9z

Subset 3: 7-2 MGDT

Standing for “Mid game Double-Triple”; if you are at the very bottom, and if you have a L/J sequence coming up, it’s possible to do one of these. In TB, these are great counter-measures to counter comboers.

http://tinyurl.com/76nq6l5

Note that a side 3x2 could be easily transferred to a 7-2 MGDT by putting an O on the very right.

Lesson 4: Counting piece width and height

Examine the following diagram, showing the Tetriminos in their flat and vertical states:




Notice how in most cases, the width or height is 3 or 2? For S, T and Z, I count the entire width it spans. Knowing this, this is why setting up a 6-3 or 7-2 style stack is optimal for b2b’s and execution of T-spins, because it takes advantage of the inherent mino nature.

7-2 is a bit less flexible, especially if you make the overhang on the very right only. Basically, it accommodates only one piece. In this particular example I gave, notice how I’d have to place another I piece to the left of the remnants of the other I piece to keep building. More stick dependency.

http://tinyurl.com/78ck86y

6-3, on the other hand, is a more generalized form of ST-stacking. Patterns used in ST stacking such as SL, ZJ, OL, OJ, etc can be placed on the smaller side and still maintain a very nice flat field.

END FOR NOW.