Skill Battle
| Skill Battle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Margin time | 96 |
| Target points | 70 |
| Offsetting | Continuous (Puyo Puyo) Classic (Tetris) |
| All clear bonus |
A preset 4-chain (Chronicle) Variable number of Nuisance Puyos (Tetris 2) |
Skill Battle (スキルバトル Sukiru batoru) is a primary ruleset in Puyo Puyo Chronicle and Puyo Puyo Tetris 2, drawing heavy influence from Role Playing Game mechanics. In some ways, it can be considered a successor to Yon (rule).
Gameplay
In Skill Battle, rather than simply sending enough garbage to the opponent to cover the red X at the top of the board, the aim is to reduce the HP above their board to 0. This is accomplished by sending garbage and having it drop, or by having them "top out".
Each player selects a team of 3 characters, as well as a set of 4 "skill cards". Each character and skill card has their own set of stats, which contribute to the overall strength of the team. Additionally, each character grants access to a "skill", which can either alter the board, boost one's own team's stats, or reduce the stats of the enemy team.
When topping out, a fraction of the player's maximum HP will be subtracted from their current HP, and the nuisance queue will be cleared. Unlike most modes, players receive different colors and color patterns of Puyo from one another.
Characters begin at level 1, and must be leveled up in RPG Mode (Chronicle), Adventure (Tetris 2), or Boss Raids.
In Chronicle
Skill Battle borrows many of its mechanics from Fever (rule), like many other rulesets debuting in anniversary titles. While chain powers and dropsets are absent, and the nuisance rate is 70, the reward for an All Clear and animations for dropping puyos are that of a Fever-type ruleset.
Chants alternate between the three characters on the team, using the Tsu (rule) pattern. This alternation carries over between chains. The only exceptions to this are taking damage, topping out, losing, or winning.
Certain characters are entirely exclusive to Skill Battle: enemy recruits, Harpy, Seriri, Lagnus, Donguri Gaeru, and Onion Pixie.
When topping out, half the player's maximum HP will be subtracted, and a 4-chain will drop onto the board.
In Tetris 2
While the core of the mode remains mostly identical, there are noticeable changes from Chronicle. Rather than alternating chants between all 3 characters on the team, only the headliner character will ever chant during an attack. 4 chains no longer drop when topping out or performing an All Clear, and mechanically, the mode is closer to Tsu (rule) than before.
Unusually for a Tsu-type ruleset, Quick Drop is turned on by default.
All Clears drop a variable number of Nuisance Puyos dependent on the length of the chain preceding it.
After two and a half minutes have passed, a short chime will sound, and a Skill Battle-exclusive form of margin time will take effect. The amount of HP lost from incoming garbage will increase greatly over time, eventually leading to even small attacks completely depleting the victim's HP. Unlike normal margin time, this also applies to Tetris-only matches.
Prior to the 1.3.0 update, topping out would always subtract 1/4th of the player's maximum HP. After 1.3.0, more damage is subtracted the more times the player has topped out in the round, with the sixth top out resulting in instant defeat.
| Top out | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 1 | 25% |
| 2 | 40% |
| 3 | 55% |
| 4 | 70% |
| 5 | 85% |
| 6 (1.3.1) | 100% |
Difficulty
- Sweet
Puyos and Tetriminos fall much slower.
- Mild
Puyos and Tetriminos fall slightly slower.
- Medium
Puyos and Tetriminos fall at standard speed.
- Hot
Puyos and Tetriminos fall slightly faster. The player must also wait 30 seconds before they can use a skill.
- Spicy
Puyos and Tetriminos fall much faster. The player must also wait 60 seconds before they can use a skill.
RPG Mode Differences
In the RPG Mode, a few differences are present.
- The camera depicts all characters participating in the battle.
- It also depicts a unique background, matching the character's color, when any of them are casting a spell.
- The character colors align 1:1 with Puyo Puyo!! Quest, with the exception of Rafisol, who is only counted as purple.
- The Y button changes the current active target, if there is more than one target.
- At the start of the match, if the RPG Mode Assist option is on, a preset 3 chain will appear.
- If Arle attacks the overworld enemy from behind, the player gets a preset 3 or 5 chain, depending on if the option is toggled on.
- If she is back attacked herself, garbage will fall either immediately or after the preset chain. HP damage is also immediately taken.
- When topping out, a flat 100 HP is subtracted regardless of max HP.
Trivia
- Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 bills this mode as brand-new in western marketing, even though it had previously appeared in Chronicle. However, the latter was never released to the west, so this would be the western debut of Skill Battle mode. In a reply to another user questioning the claim, the English Puyo Puyo Official Twitter account acknowledged the mode's debut in Chronicle, and clarified that it is "new to Puyo Puyo Tetris."
- This is the only Multiplayer mode in Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 that doesn't have an Endurance mode.
- Unusually, Skill Battle is not available in Single Player Arcade in Chronicle. This is the only rule in Sega's run of the series to have this distinction.