The amount of strategy and customization fully justifies the demand for this to be its own standalone game. Whether you’re just dipping your toes in, or if you have aspirations to be the king or queen of Blitzball, you’re going to need to kit your team with the best techniques. Of the many techniques you can get in FFX, some of them are exclusive to Blitzball. And there are a handful that are really useful. For some I’d even go as far as to say they’re necessary. I’ve put together all of the best Blitzball techniques right here, as well as how to obtain the rarer ones.
15. Grip Gloves
Grip Gloves is a very useful technique for your Goalie. If your Goalie ever saves a shot, there’s a chance that they’ll drop the ball rather than catch it. Which could be dangerous if an opposing Forward is sniffing around your goal. With Grip Gloves equipped, you’ll lower that chance to 10%.
14. Brawler
This technique is useful on players with high Attack stats. What it does is give a 60% chance for any player with it equipped to get involved with challenges from further away. Usually when an opponent carrying the ball is ‘caught’ by a defender, it initiates a challenge sequence where all defenders close to the opponent take turns to tackle. If a player has Brawler it gives them a higher chance to get involved in this challenge, even if they’re nowhere near the opponent.
13. Elite Defense
Here’s an ability that goes hand in hand with the previous technique. Elite Defense adds 30% to a player’s ‘field of vision’, more specifically the distance between them and the ball carrying opponent before it begins the challenge sequence. This one can be useful on a Defender with low Speed. Or if you’re playing against a really fast team – The Al Bhed Psyches, for instance.
12. Spin Ball
Spin Ball is a very simple tech that increases the chance of the opponent Goalie dropping your shot – specifically, it increases those chances to 70%. The ball will then parry to the nearest player closest to the goal. So if you have your Forward partner there to pick it up, you’ll have a second chance at scoring a goal. Even better, if that partner has Volley Shot equipped, they’ll automatically take a shot at goal.
11. Wither Shot 3
Wither Shot 3 is useful for taking out an opposing Goalie. When used, it adds 7 to your Shoot, and has a 100% chance to ‘Wither’ the Goalie if they save the shot. This either halves the Goalie’s Catch or Block stat. And this means that even if the shot misses, the Goalie will be a lot weaker next time you take a shot.
10. Golden Arm
Now this is a useful technique to have on pretty much any member of your team. When equipped, it halves the typical decrease of your Shoot and Pass stats, due to the water resistance. You know how the more time the Blitzball stays flying through the water (from a pass or shot), the lower your score goes over time? Yeah, this ability slows down that drop, keeping your score higher for longer. There’s nothing worse than taking a shot and seeing your Shoot drop massively, making it easy for the Goalie to save. If you want your Defender to make a long pass to your Striker, having Golden Arm equipped is a no brainer.
9. Super Goalie
Just like Grip Gloves, Super Goalie is a useful technique for your goalie to have. Keeping it equipped gives a 60% chance to add a number between 0-10 to your Catch stat, prior to facing an opponent’s shot. While it isn’t the biggest increase, it can make a huge difference at low levels when all the player’s stats are roughly the same.
8. Sphere Shot
Sphere Shot is a technique that retains its usefulness as your players gain levels. When used, it adds 3 to your Shoot, and then a random number depending on your level: 0-10 if your level is between 1 and 19, 0-15 if your level is between 20 and 39 and 0-20 at level 40+. Chance shots can never be relied on. But if you’re feeling lucky, you can really add some punch to your shots with this technique.
7. Nap Tackle 3
The Nap ailment is arguably the most useful in Blitzball. When a player gets put to sleep, they’re pretty much out of the action until they’re woken up by getting hit by the ball – or when a goal is scored. By using Nap Tackle 3 you guarantee hitting with the Nap status. If you put an opponent’s player to sleep, you pretty much have a 1 player advantage, as well as disrupting their team setup. Putting an opponent’s Defender to sleep pretty much gives you free reign over their side of the field to swim up to goal and take a shot.
6. Nap Shot 3
Exactly the same effect as Nap Tackle 3, but will put the Goalie to sleep if they touch the ball. Plus this shot adds 7 to your Shoot stat. A sleeping Goalie obviously can’t save any shots. So even if your Nap Shot 3 is saved, you’ll set yourself up with an easy chance to score during your next play – providing your shot reaches the goal with at least 1 Shoot. This is a surefire way to rack up goals against Goalies with high Catch stats.
5. Tech Find
Tech Find is a simple technique, but offers an incredible amount of usefulness. It has a chance to be offered as a reward during a tournament. And if you win it as a prize, you get the chance to offer it to one of your players. Once you’ve chosen a player you can then ‘unlock’ one of their abilities – essentially making it possible for a player to learn techniques they wouldn’t usually have access to. One of the best uses for this is for Keepa. At high levels his Shoot stat skyrockets, however he’s unable to learn any shot techniques. With Tech Find you can let him learn any skill he wishes. Just note: Tech Find doesn’t actually give you the skill, instead it’s just unlocking its slot to be learned in the future.
4. Good Morning
This is yet another chance based technique, but one that can potentially offer incredible rewards. For it to be activated on your player, they must be woken up by a shot or pass. Specific techniques will raise specific stats, however anything else will result in a stat being chosen at random. Once these requirements are met, there’s a 50% chance for stat or stats to increase to 99. Obviously with any luck-based tech, you need a good amount of RNG to go in your favor. If this happens and, for instance, your Goalie’s Catch increases to 99 or your Forward gains a 99 Shoot stat, well you can imagine how much that will increase their usefulness. This is another technique that’s given as a reward during Blitzball tournaments and leagues.
3. Jecht Shot
We all know this one, right? It’s an exclusive technique that Tidus can borrow from his old man, and it pretty much elevates him to top-tier Forward status. Despite Tidus not having the best stats in the world, by using Jecht Shot it doesn’t even matter. It adds 5 to his Shoot and totally eliminates up to 2 Defenders. This basically means that it doesn’t even matter when you activate this shot from on the field. Swimming towards the goal with Tidus and being challenged by 1 or even both Defenders will no longer pose you much of a threat during a goalscoring opportunity. To get this tech, you need to pass a small minigame during the boat ride from Kilika to Luca by interacting with the Blitzball on the deck. If you miss it, fail, or forget to save beforehand, you can backtrack and take this boat ride as many times as you need.
2. Aurochs Spirit
Like the Jecht Shot is to Tidus, Aurochs Spirit is to Wakka. And just like Tidus, Wakka doesn’t have the greatest stats in the world. At higher levels he still gets overshadowed by much better players in the Forward position. So if you’re still planning to use Wakka in your team, then this tech can potentially turn him into a goalscoring beast. It tallies up the total Shoot stat from every original Besaid Auroch player in your team. If you’re a purist and have stuck with Letty, Jassu, and Botta, then the power of this technique will reach astronomical levels. Aurochs Spirit is obtainable as a prize for winning a tournament, but only if Wakka is level 11+. You can then only learn it if he has learned all 3 of his key techs.
1. Jecht Shot 2
It does everything the Jecht Shot does, but better. This second version adds 10 to Tidus’ Shoot stat, and eliminates up to 3 Defenders, meaning Tidus could be absolutely surrounded by challengers and still manage to get his shot off. Although it absolutely isn’t necessary since the OG Jecht Shot is so overpowered. But why not give Tidus more firepower to add to his arsenal? In fact, pair up Tidus and Wakka and give them Jecht Shot 2 and Aurochs Spirit respectively. Then just watch the goals fly in. Jecht Shot 2 is also given away as a tournament prize, this time when Tidus is level 16+. He also needs to have learned all 3 of his key techniques.
