How to Win the Blitzball Tournament in Final Fantasy X
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Beat the Luca Goers in the First Tournament in FFX
The key to winning is to play keep-away (pass, pass, pass) in the first half. In the second half, hug the wall to get the ball to your shooter, pull defenders away so they come at you one at a time, and use a special Shot -- it doesn't have to be Jecht Shot! -- to beat the goalie's defense.
See my diagram below for how I get my shooter in scoring position!
This is one of my Final Fantasy Secrets Guides. All screencaps are from Final Fantasy X
.Reaching the Goal
Keys to the Game
Blitzball Strategy 101
Sound Advice From Cap'n Wakka
- The instant you get the ball, hit square and pass it BACK to one of your defenders who's nowhere near any opponents. Jassu starts out more competent than Datto.
- The first time you ever play blitzball, CLICK TRIANGLE and switch to MANUAL A mode as soon as you get the ball to one of your rear defenders. This lets you steer the ball carrier. But do it AFTER you've passed the ball back (previous tip). Get the ball away from potential tackles first, THEN fiddle with controls.
- Carry the ball along the wall. It pulls defenders out of position. Your goal is to draw all the defenders except Balgerda away from Tidus/Wakka, because Balgerda's attack is just a little weaker than their endurance.
- Unless you've got Tidus with Jecht Shot, pass the ball or break/dribble before you get two defenders on your ball carrier. Jecht Shot is the only thing that can bust through two defenders.
- Use a TECH -- Sphere Shot, Venom Shot -- to boost your shooter's SH higher than the goalie's CA/BL. Sphere Shot takes less time than Jecht Shot, so you can get more opportunities to score with it in a limited time.
- Play "Keep Away" by passing the ball to undefended teammates. Each completed pass gives the passer an experience point. It also keeps the Goers from getting the ball.
- You may want to play keep away through the first half, wait until the second half to start scoring. This is because you don't get a chance to activate TECHs until halftime.
Jecht Shot or Sphere Shot?
Jecht Shot guarantees you score once. It lets Tidus punch out TWO defenders and boosts his SH a ton!
In the Crystal Cup Tournament against the Goers, you can't activate TECHs like Jecht Shot until the second half. After 3 minutes, a cutscene interrupts. That's not much time!
Sphere Shot doesn't boost SH as much, but it takes MUCH less time. That means 2-3 chances to score.
So I use Sphere Shot in the first tournament, and Jecht Shot after that.
Holding the Lead
Stop the Goers from Scoring!
- After the first goal, Graav (C) has a habit of going straight towards your goal, and will be tackled by 2-3 defenders. He often loses the ball then. Quick, pass it back to Jassu!
- PLAY KEEP AWAY. Once you have a 1-2 goal lead, keep passing the ball among Aurochs who don't have any defenders on them. Every completed pass is an experience point!
- If all else fails, cheat. I haven't tested this, but I hear there's a game glitch that the opponents won't go after the ball carrier if he swims right behind your goalcage.
Congratulations!
What's the Prize, Anyway?
Here's what you get for winning the Blitzball Tournament against the Goers:
--> +4 Strength Sphere <--In the cutscene after the tournament,
Wakka is holding the Crystal Cup.
Many NPCs in Luca and on the Highroad
congratulate you, including Luzzu and Gatta.
After Operation Mi'ihen, they're talking about
it all the way back to Besaid! The Goers and
their fans complain or (a few) give you props.
Video: Another Way to Win the Blitzball Tournament
Speeded-up Footage of a Blitzball Victory Match
Amazon Spotlight: FFX
Welcome to the World of Spira
Final Fantasy X
Amazon Price: $10.58 (as of 05/30/2012)
Nearly ten years old, Final Fantasy X for Playstation 2 looks a little dated now, although at the time its 3D graphics and spoken dialog were revolutionary. It's still an epic, beautifully-realized story with hours and hours of good gameplay, engaging characters, and a complex, stunning world. The blitzball mini-game is one of several fun sidequests.
I've heard it looks better on PS3!
Video: Another Winning Strategy
In-Depth Guide to Blitzball Tournament
In this video, the first half strategy is just to play Keep Away, passing the ball around to hold the score low, since you don't yet have Techs.
In the second half, you get to activate Techs, so you can then use Tidus' and Wakka's special shots to score more easily.
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I hope this guide has been useful to you. Please browse some of my other pages above!
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Natara
May 6, 2012 @ 4:53 pm | delete
- OMG i've won the tournament before but this made it so much easier!!! thanks sooo much!! oh and the cheat works great too, after your ahead in scores of the goers, just swim into your goal and stay their until time runs out, the goers wont bother to come to you.
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Unclever title
Apr 23, 2012 @ 4:14 pm | delete
- "I see your Blitz is larger than my Blitz!"
I just about laughed my face off at seeing that image. Thought I should let you know.
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VeggieGamer
Apr 3, 2012 @ 3:10 pm | delete
- I've been playing this game for almost 10 years and never beat them until now! I just won 1-2 in double overtime. Very intense game. Thanks for the tips!
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Helluin
Apr 4, 2012 @ 2:09 am | delete
- Woot! Congratulations! After the Best FMV Ever (Auron) and the painful laughing scene, go to dock 3 or wherever the Goers are hanging out and rub it in their faces! :D
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Blake
Dec 22, 2011 @ 2:52 am | delete
- Thanks, took me a couple trys because I've never won and decided I would this time beating the game. Won 6-1 :)
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by Helluin
Yes, I really love blitzball. I even enjoy it in X-2 (here's a good Final Fantasy X-2 Blitzball Guide). I'm the transcriber of Auronlu's Complete FFX Script,... more »
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The Origin of Blitzball?
A Separate Peace (Scribner Classics)
Amazon Price: $11.12 (as of 05/30/2012)
Did you realize that blitzball comes from A Separate Peace? No kidding. It's an angsty book, but I remember it was one of the few "classic" books I really liked when it landed on the 8th grade reading list during the "let's see how many depressing literary classics we can throw at young adults to break their innocence" phase.
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