Triple Triad Tricks, Tips and Trategies

[Arrelaine]

I still haven't gotten a card from King. :< That and the plus rule doesn't -always- seem to work for me, even if it's the exact same numbers.

 

It took a pretty specific example to get me to understand Plus.

 

The idea was that there was a card above that has a 6 as its bottom number, and a card on the right has a 7 as its left number. So, putting a card that has a 4 up top AND a 3 as its right number would plus them both, because both equal 10 (6+4 and 7+3). And, then it can combo-chain if such a thing happens with the newly flipped card and another card (or cards) adjacent to it.

 

Realizing that it's just making two sides add up to the same number cleared up so much confusion for me, including why the hell it was called Plus. :blush:

 

 

Yeah, it's not that I don't get it, it's just that it won't do it sometimes. Say the two sides are 3+4, and then the next sides that touch are 3+4 exactly, I still can't get it to plus. I'm not the only one who's been boggled by it, I'm not sure if it's a problem with the coding, or if it's just a plain bug. The combo you get if the cards next to the cards flipped are weaker than the ones flipped.

 

Are you trying to make the 3s and the 4s are paired off (3-against-3 and 4-against-4, which wouldn't work, since 6 =/= 8), or are you making it so that the 3s are against the 4s and vice versa (leading to two 3-against-4s, which makes two 7s total, which SHOULD work)?

 

Basically, are you doing this:

 

8

4

4

-  3  3 6

 

When you need to do this:

 

7

4

3

-  4  3 7

 

Nope, exactly as I said, one side will have 3, the side touching will have 4 and say, the bottom number of the second card has a 3, and the top of the next number has 4. Sometimes the numbers are different, but have the same sum, and it doesn't work. I've cheesed him 7 times with the plus rule, but it doesn't always seem to want to work.

[Gegenji]

Huh, yeah, that seems like a bug considering how Plus is supposed to work. I'd recommend getting some screenshots of it so you can document the issue and present it to be fixed. It could just be that they flubbed a bit of code.

[Steel Wolf]

Okay so I need a little help with how Plus works....

 

Could someone help me figure out--me, who sucks at the maths--how this thing works out? Cuz...again...suck at the maths. :<

 

Also I wanna kill King and take his stuff.

[Unnamed Mercenary]

Okay so I need a little help with how Plus works....

 

Could someone help me figure out--me, who sucks at the maths--how this thing works out?  Cuz...again...suck at the maths.  :

 

Also I wanna kill King and take his stuff.

 

In short, plus (when the NPC has the rule) should be triggered when two or more cards are triggered by numbers that add up the same.

 

 

  2    2

1  3 3  1

  4    4

  2

1  3

  4

 

So the blue card here would invoke a "plus" rule flipping over the two red cards, because 3+3 = 6 and 4 + 2 = 6, and 6 = 6. 

 

Assuming Red wanted to take them back, they could do something like this:

 

  2    2

1  3 3  1

  4    4

  2    3

1  3 4  2

  4    1

 

Which would flip them back.

 

  2    2

1  3 3  1

  4    4

  2    3

1  3 4  2

  4    1

[Gegenji]

Okay so I need a little help with how Plus works....

 

Could someone help me figure out--me, who sucks at the maths--how this thing works out?  Cuz...again...suck at the maths.  :<

 

Also I wanna kill King and take his stuff.

 

I kinda explained it piecemeal in a couple spots, but I'll try and condense it into a single post here, based on my understanding:

 

Normally, the basic rule of TT is that bigger number beats smaller number. 2 beats 1, A beats 9, and everything in-between. There's a couple variations of that in the various rulesets (Fallen Ace is a good example, where 1 > A and creates a full loop), but it is usually how it works.

 

However, with Plus, you get ANOTHER method for flipping cards: maff! By utilizing addition, you can overcome all sorts of cards you otherwise couldn't. And all it takes is having two cards in position to show off your maff skills.

 

The idea is to take one "pair" of numbers equal another "pair" of numbers, where each pair is a combination of the number on one side of your card and the adjacent number on the card next to it. If the total number of this "pair" exactly matches the total of another "pair", the two adjacent cards that made the total will become yours (if possible - you can use one of your own cards to pull off a Plus).

 

It was explained to me thusly:

 

The idea was that there was a card above that has a 6 as its bottom number, and a card on the right has a 7 as its left number. So, putting a card that has a 4 up top AND a 3 as its right number would plus them both, because both equal 10 (6+4 and 7+3). And, then it can combo-chain if such a thing happens with the newly flipped card and another card (or cards) adjacent to it.

 

In a more visible sense, let's take that card that has a 4 as its top number and a 3 on its right, with the dash being the "center" of the card since the other two numbers are irrelevant at the moment.

 

4

-  3

 

Now, if the bottom of the card of the card above it is 4 (all the other numbers on the card are irrelevant for this exercise), and the left of the card to the right is 3 (all other numbers again irrelevant), it won't work because the four on your card is touching the four on the above card and your card's three is touching the three of the right card. This results in an 4+4 = 8 and a 3+3 = 6, which do not match, so there is no Plus.

 

8

4

4

-  3  3 6

 

However, what if your card had the numbers swapped? Basically, it looked like this instead:

 

3

- 4

 

Well, now you will get a Plus. Why? Because the 3 on the top of your card is touching the top card's 4, and your 4 is touching the right card's 3. Both "pairs" now equal 7, which is what you need for a Plus to occur.

 

7

4

3

-  4  3 7

 

To provide another visual example, if we go back to the inital example I quoted, it'd look like this (with all extraneous numbers on the cards being irrelevant, of course):

 

6

4

- 3 7

 

With the 4 and 3 being on your card and the 6 and 7 being on their respective adjacent cards, for clarification. You're left with 6+4 = 10, and 3+7 = 10. Since both those numbers match, you get a Plus and gain control of those two adjacent cards.

 

Do keep in mind that this middle card in all three examples are cards you currently putting down. If, say, the card with the six bottom in the example above was put down AFTER you placed the 4/x/3/y card down, it will not suddenly become Plus'd. Instead, it will just flip your card as normal since it is the higher number.

 

HOWEVER, any cards that you flip WITH a Plus will also check the cards adjacent to it to see if they will cause OTHER Pluses. If there are, those cards that fit the criteria will flip and the check repeats until there are no more potential Pluses. This is the Combo, and can turn around a match quickly if you can somehow manage to cause one (which is what several of the "tactics" used against King seek to do; Plus a bunch of cards and have them Combo other cards).

 

(I hope that wasn't too confusing... or that Franz's more concise answer explains it clearly enough if my meandering dissertation doesn't. :blush: )

[Steel Wolf]

That was STUPENDOUSLY helpful. I still am the bad with maffs, but that explanation definitely gives me something to think about. I was playing someone else (not the King) and I was getting Plus and Combos without really completely understanding how or why. I just kinda squee'd when it happened...like playing Tetris and getting a bunch of line clears without really meaning to.

 

It's gonna take me some time to get this all together. Also, cards that don't just outright suck. That'll help.

[Gegenji]

It's gonna take me some time to get this all together.  Also, cards that don't just outright suck.  That'll help.  

 

That's actually why the King is so abusable. A lot of his cards share numbers or are one point away from it, so the starter deck with its two cards with three threes and a four on them allows you to Plus his otherwise very scary-looking deck quite often.

[Verranicus]

I'm in a bit of a rut in general. I've got every card from http://ffxivtriad.com/npcs down to the 25 MGP (sorting by fee) and everyone in the 25 bracket besides Buscarron just seems to kick my ass.

 

Are there any guides or tips floating around for the harder NPCs?

[Aduu Avagnar]

I thing to keep in mind, as well as this: You won't combo off of cards you already own. so try to minimise utilising your own cards for it.

[Aduu Avagnar]

I'm in a bit of a rut in general. I've got every card from http://ffxivtriad.com/npcs down to the 25 MGP (sorting by fee) and everyone in the 25 bracket besides Buscarron just seems to kick my ass.

 

Are there any guides or tips floating around for the harder NPCs?

I used luck mainly , that and not touching certain npcs until they had better regional rules. there is a deck I used for Sexul I'll see if I can dig it up again.

[Gegenji]

I just hit the 30 card marker yesterday (in part due to some nice luck on Gold Card pulls - managed a WoL somehow), including finally getting my Bahamut off of the King. I have basically one card left to get from the Saucer NPCs and then I won't have to play them again unless I want to grind MGP (on more King, ugh) or purchase more boosters/the valuable cards.

 

Still, just hitting that 30 marker was so nice. Being able to replace all the one-stars with two-stars is such a boost to basic play. My deck actually feels like it can win more often in random challenges... for the most part. The biggest thing is that I'm still a bit iffy on actually constructing the deck. If I'm not building it for a specific purpose (standard load for King, all Beastmen for Ascension), I find myself just using the Recommended set with a couple minor tweaks.

 

Mainly, I like sticking to the cards that have a good all around average, and have multiple medium-level sides as opposed to one big side at the cost of the others. For example, I like cards like Memeroon and Frixio (three 6s and a 2) over Gerolt (two 7s, a 1, and a 3). I know it sets me up bad for Plus matches with others using similar cards, but I like being prepared to capitalize on any low number. Nothing irked me more in the one-star "Recommended" deck than the fact that I had no real strong right-hand numbers.

 

And I just know I'm going to do worse and worse in the higher-level matches if I don't figure out how I should be putting my deck together.

[Kellach Woods]

If you're trying to build a good deck or just collect cards... PLEASE do yourself a favor and go wreck Gegeruju. He has Y'shtola/Minfillia to give, is much easier than Elmer to farm (you'll still need to farm him for Bahamut though), and he doesn't require getting into Gold Saucer to farm.

 

His rules are Swap/Sudden Death - If you show up with a garbo deck (ideally get some decent starter cards like Moogle/Ixal etc.) he will graciously gift you an absurdly overpowered card while you give him garbage.

 

Try to fight him to a draw, then Sudden Death kicks in, where everything you captured goes into your deck (aka A LOT OF GOOD CARDS) and everything he did goes into his (aka trash). He then becomes RIDICULOUSLY EASY to beat.

[Warren Castille]

I got stomped by Elmer probably 50% of the time. He kept dropping Ultima in the center and ruining any strategy for Plus I might have used.

 

My strategies seem to be thus:

 

Did Elmer go first? You lose.

Did you go first and make sure to drop corners? You probably lose anyway.

[Gegenji]

Did Elmer go first? You lose.

Did you go first and make sure to drop corners? You probably lose anyway.

 

Oddly enough, I found some solid patterns I could set him into here and there, even if he went first. A few I even figured out variations when he wouldn't play along Example, this is what I did if he placed Urianger in the bottom right:

 

Mandragora in upper left. If he puts a card to flip it to the right, Couerl goes in bottom left. He will place a card above it to flip. If it's not Y'shtola, I place my Dodo between the Couerl and Urianger to get a Plus. If he plays along, he'll drop a card like Hildebrand that has an 8 on the right-hand side. Drop Sabotender to Plus it and Combo out.

 

If he places the flip card below the Mandragora? Place the Bomb next to Mandragora to "win" it back. Then the board is more or less set to "win" by using Dodo in the middle to cause another Plus chain.

 

If he DOES drop Y'shtola in the middle left? Bomb in upper right to bait a card into the middle right to Plus and combo off of.

 

I forget the specific details for those latter two since they were "alternate win conditions" and they've fallen more into muscle memory than anything else from my constant grinding attempts to get Bahamut over the past three days. However, that just seemed to be how it goes if your deck is build specifically to beat a person: you start seeing what works, and start feeling around for recovery strats when they don't play along.

 

And that's actually what's so surprising about the "Starter" set against King as opposed to the Ixal/Godbert one. It just seems to be able to... adapt better and none of the cards are "weak." I've used every one at least two or three times (moreso in the case of Bomb and Sabotender) to pull a win out.

[Warren Castille]

Yeah, I'm aware I'm in the growing pains of learning the patterns first but so far it just seems like I get Urianger in bottom right, I place Mandy in top left, he drops either Y'shtola in bottom left OR drops Gilgamesh to capture Mandy, whch complicates because Coeurl will capture Gilg who is weak on the right side.

 

I need to play with it a bit more, but it seems like if he takes the bottom left first, I can never bait him into NOT taking the middle. I'm a scrub, though.

[Kage]

Those moments when he puts cards in an order you don't like and you go... ?_?

 

Those are the times I just go "next match pls"

 

Urianger in bottom right:

Dodo upper right.

Hopefully he places Godbert on Middle Right.

Mandragora on Top Left.

Hopefully Titan or Greg on Top Middle.

Coeurl Bottom Left.

Hopefully Bahamut or Hildibrand on Middle Left.

BOMB

 

Sometimes he goes into patterns where I end up having the Top and Bottom Rows filled out and I go ?_?

 

Then sometimes he doesn't like my lead and just plops Bahamut or urianger in the middle middle. Welp.

 

I'll be grinding MGP off of King if I can and Chocoracing all week(end).

 

My raid static cancelled raid this week and instead of spending my time with possible good PUGs I'll just get my fat choco minion.

[Gegenji]

Yeah, I'm aware I'm in the growing pains of learning the patterns first but so far it just seems like I get Urianger in bottom right, I place Mandy in top left, he drops either Y'shtola in bottom left OR drops Gilgamesh to capture Mandy, whch complicates because Coeurl will capture Gilg who is weak on the right side.

 

I need to play with it a bit more, but it seems like if he takes the bottom left first, I can never bait him into NOT taking the middle. I'm a scrub, though.

 

With the Gilgy cap, try and bait him into placing Godbert in the middle right if you can. You can actually Plus BOTH Greg and 'Bert with Couerl in that case.

 

With the Y'shtola-bottom-left play, I vaguely remember having a tactic for that. I... THINK it was to place the Bomb in upper-mid as with one of the alt strats. That usually resulted in him playing something there I could use to Plus both it and Y'shtola with... Sabotender or Dodo, I think? Again, trying to recall stuff that had become muscle memory more than anything else.

[Warren Castille]

It's fine. I'll complain about how dumb TT is and how much it's stupid and how stupidly dumb it is, but I know full-well I'm going back there as soon as I get a chance.

 

Addiction is serious, kids.

[Dravus]

My advice? Don't bother hunting down Bahamut. The card itself is very overrated and in the time it took many people to acquire it I'd gone off and gathered cards elsewhere from the other NPC's.

 

Focus on getting thirty unique cards as soon as possible. That'll unlock the ability to have as many two star rated cards in your deck at the same time. After that, focus on defeating thirty of the NPC's - and you'll acquire the Squall Leonhart card which is far superior to Bahamut.

[Gegenji]

My advice? Don't bother hunting down Bahamut. The card itself is very overrated and in the time it took many people to acquire it I'd gone off and gathered cards elsewhere from the other NPC's.

 

Focus on getting thirty unique cards as soon as possible. That'll unlock the ability to have as many two star rated cards in your deck at the same time. After that, focus on defeating thirty of the NPC's - and you'll acquire the Squall Leonhart card which is far superior to Bahamut.

 

That's actually what I ended up doing. I only came back when I was sitting at... 26 cards or so since I had swung back around to use the cards I had gotten to nab me an Urianger (Cactaur/Sylph/Ixal/Amal'jaa/Mutamix for low-level Ascension domination!).

 

I completely forgot that you got a card for beating a certain number of NPCs, though, so I'll probably need to go back through the list and go after the ones I skipped because I already got their cards (Wymond, Momodi, and Baderon come to mind...). I just pulled up the list and went down the line looking for ones who had cards I didn't have and going to try and play them. If I could, of course, since a few of them only play at certain times of day (Trachtoum and Helmhart :frustrated: ).

[Aldotsk]

I don't know but apparently my first card drop in my first dungeon this week was Onion Knight apparently 

 

I guess it was rare or common?

[Kage]

I just farm Elmer.

 

If RNGesus is with me.

 

While my % isn't high, I am now getting like 60-70% wins

 

Some patterns

prkU76Mhm3g

 

I earned about 3k in MGP in less than 3 hours. Around that. I was chocoracing to like 3k and I ended the night at 9:30pm with about 6.2k

 

There's some times I've squeaked out a win with odd card placements but I honestly just go "please don't put that card somewhere weird. Yep. Fuck"

[ProvaDiServo]

Finally got my gamblers Robe just a few moments ago.

 

Grind king and have friends is the way to go, along with the events

[Kellach Woods]

My advice? Don't bother hunting down Bahamut. The card itself is very overrated and in the time it took many people to acquire it I'd gone off and gathered cards elsewhere from the other NPC's.

 

Card's overrated, but I want one copy because cardboard crack.

 

Depending on his AI, I can get Elmer fairly easily, grinding 3k in less than 3 hours even counting losses.

 

If you don't start, try to stick to the strat, but instead of going for Bomb in the middle, go for Cact or Mandragora - You have a better chance of drawing or winning because Cact/Mandra are respectively +1 up/+1 down, allowing for some easier combos when Elmer starts.

 

Also, Plus works even across - So if you see 7 Left Center and 6 Right Center you can drop da bomb.

[Telluride]

Just dropping in my tribute to all you Card Sharks here, where I think it deserves to be.

 

Play on, playas.

 

 

 

 

"As I stride through the Saucer, where I'm fully invested,

I know that you can't get in, because it's fully congested.

But that's all right, because it would be a waste

To let in scrubs like you just to fall on your face.

At the first crack of dawn, I'm there hittin' the tables,

And I'm taking down Elmer like his brain was disabled.

Triad's triplin' my winnings every time that I play,

So if you're lookin' for a score, you might as well stay away

I'm a gambling man, and I'm playing to win,

My pouch keeps gettin' fatter while yours gets thin.

If you think you got a shot, by all means, go ahead,

But when I take your MGP, don't go cryin' in your bed.

 

We'll be spendin' most of our lives

Playin' in this Manderville paradise.

Bought Fenrir once or twice,

Livin' in Gold Saucer paradise.

I accept the sacrifice

Of stayin' in this gambler's paradise.

I once heard PVE was nice,

But the Saucer is my paradise.

 

A pretty Roe-lass challenged me to Triad last week

Sent her packin' with Bahamut and a kiss to the cheek

Bring Minfilia out? Then I'm takin' her in

When we play the Swap match that I'll easily win.

I'm nabbin' MGP from those who don't deserve it,

And I get the table first even if you reserve it,

'Cause I'm buddies with Godbert, and you haven't a chance,

Though I kinda wish m'boy would put on some pants.

If you're just here to visit, I'll be lettin' you be

'Cause it's such a great place, and there's plenty to see.

I'll even wish you well at the Chocobo race,

But if you bring out your deck, I'm puttin' you in your place.

 

We'll be be spendin' most our lives

Hanging out in gambler's paradise.

The Riviera shirt looks nice

When I wear it in this paradise.

Lovin' every kind of vice

Livin' in Gold Saucer paradise.

Victims of our own device,

Livin' in this Manderville paradise.

 

Bunny girls starin' at me with looks that could melt butter;

Kissed three last night, and soon I'll have another.

Think you can take on a card-carryin' primal?

When the tournament comes, I'll take you out in the final.

Still baitin' newbies long as they keep bitin';

Won't wear the Gambler's Coat 'cause it's ugly like Titan.

There just ain't no way to keep this player from play,

Gonna win me that cactpot at the end of the day.

 

The remainder of our lives

Are bein' spent in gambler's paradise.

Found the pie, and got my slice

Here within Gold Saucer paradise.

Goin' raiding might be nice

But not as good as gambling paradise.

So let me put your deck on ice

'Cause I'm the Sultan of Manderville's Paradise."