Tsu (rule)

Tsu
Margin time	96
Target points	70
Offsetting	Classic
All clear bonus	+30 Nuisance Puyo sent on your next chain

The Tsu (ぷよぷよ通, , Puyopuyo tsū) rule is the name of the game mode introduced and heavily utilized in Puyo Puyo Tsu. It brought many improvements over the standard rule used in Puyo Puyo (1992), with the most notable ones being offsetting and All Clears.

In Puyo Puyo Fever and Puyo Puyo Fever 2, this rule is called Classic, as the Fever rule is the default rule used in said games. In Puyo Puyo! 15th Anniversary, Puyo Puyo 7, and Puyo Puyo!! 20th Anniversary this rule is called Puyo Puyo Tsu (Puyo Puyo 2 in English translations and eSports / Champions English UI), not to be confused with the game of the same name. In Puyo Puyo Tetris and its sequel, it is called simply Versus, as the counterpart to Standard Rotation System Tetris.

To this day, the Tsu rule is widely considered the standard for Puyo Puyo matches, and has been present in every Puyo Puyo game since.

Gameplay

The basic idea of a match under Tsu rules is the same as under original Puyo Puyo rules, in that you want the opponent to fill up their third column and lose.

Offsetting

Main article: Offset rule

A major addition to Tsu rule that was absent in the original Puyo Puyo rule is the addition of offsetting. Under the original Puyo Puyo rules, all a player had to do was create a 5 chain in order to guarantee that their opponent would lose. Under Tsu rules, creating chains now first counters Garbage Puyos in the player's nuisance tray before sending Garbage Puyos to the player's opponent. No matter what the player creates a chain or more, Garbage Puyos will still fall in board if not cleared.

All Clear

Main article: All Clear

Another major addition to the Tsu rule is the concept of All Clears. An All Clear is a reward that the player receives from clearing all Puyos, including Garbage Puyos and their variants from their field. In Tsu rules, the reward is that the player will send 30 extra Garbage Puyos on their next chain. In some games the amount of Garbage Puyos sent from an All Clear can be adjusted.

Margin time

Main article: Margin time

A less noteworthy addition to the Tsu rule is the concept of margin time, with the intention of preventing matches from lasting too long. Margin time states how long it will take before the target points start to decrease, having the effect of each chain sending more Garbage Puyos. At its most extreme level, it can allow a player to send at least 40 Garbage Puyos from just a 1 chain.

Difficulty

The difficulty level effects how many colors the player will receive and how many Garbage Puyos they will start out with on their field.

Very Easy: The player plays with 3 colors.
Easy: The player plays with 3 colors and starts out with 2 rows of Garbage Puyos.
Normal: The player plays with 4 colors.
Hard: The player plays with 5 colors.
Very Hard: The player plays with 5 colors and starts out with 2 rows of Garbage Puyos. The player's Puyos also fall slightly faster.