Lesson 2: Basic stacking


Not too bumpy, not too flat

If you make a lot of deep holes, you might die trying to fill them up.

2 block deep holes can only be filled with 3 of the 7 tetrominoes, giving you less than 50% chance to fill them up.
If there is a block in the way, this can even be reduced to 2.
When the hole is 3 blocks deep, you can only wait for the I block.


Keep that in mind while stacking.
If the stack is too flat, you'll not easily get rid of S and Z.

But if it is too bumpy, the O block will impose some trouble.

Where to put blocks

Many people build their stack to flat or too bumpy.
In the case of the S, Z J and L you should
always try to lay them flat.
You could lay them down like this and wait for the I block.
You should lay them down like this so you leave all possibilities open.

Learning the colors of the blocks

I think it is wise to learn the colors of alle the blocks. since the next block is visible at the top of the screen.
In high speed situations you should be able to recognise blocks by their color.
S and Z are very commonly used to fill holes of 2 columns wide.

The T block can be used to alternate between S and Z.
J and L can be used for the same purpose.
But in this case the I is used to alternate between them.

Reading the block flow

The TGM games have a balanced block flow.
It is unlikely to get the same block multiple times in a row, so you can use this to know when to expect a block.

When placing a T like here you should pay attention to the upcoming block.
If it is an L, place it to the left.
If it is a J, place it to the right.

You should also pay attention to upcoming S and Z blocks.
Given the upcoming S, we should place the I to the left.
You should always consider both the S and Z blocks.


In this case we can lean a Z block against the J on the right, or we can fit it in the hole to the left.

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