#threes201

[threesporn]

We love the new "+" preview.

The new + card mechanic made this a 2/3 chance (48 and 192 would have worked with Down, 96 would have worked with Up). In old Threes, the huge range of possible values would have made it impossible to make a strategic decision - it would have just been the luck of the draw.

There's still some randomness here, but now there's also more strategy. Hooray!

[threesporn]

Why Rounding the Corner is Basically Impossible

Early on it can be tempting to try to "round the corner," i.e., to move material rightward across the second row and then combine it up into the top right corner. (Remember, we happen to use the top row, so those of you who combine along other axes can translate to your frame of reference.)

Rounding the corner is problematic for two reasons: it is difficult to execute, and it often leaves you in a sub-par end state. Note that to successfully round the corner, the 8th slot (far right of the second row) has to be free to shift the matching block over and up, as shown at the beginning of this gif. Threesus does not grant that state often.

If you successfully round the corner, the smallest blocks often make their way up into the second row because they move from the third row to the second, or come in from the left. If you have larger blocks around, you risk death via checkerboard. Lesson: don't rely on rounding the corner! The shift-combine is much safer. What is the shift-combine...? Stay tuned.