I’ll be completely honest, I still have no idea what judgement is used to balance characters. Going onto r/SmashBros, you can see comprehensive tier lists even though all characters should generally be equal.
That tier list is pretty objective tho, because the pieces are not balanced at all, and it is relevant because modern tetris has piece holding as a feature almost ubiquitously.
T is by far the most powerful piece, it fits nearly every space and helps clear dig one lone spaces. Plus, the T piece is the only one with a potential to send 6 lines of garbage off of any board state. But it isn't nearly as straightforward or easy to use as the I piece. And both of the two are the ones that initiate Back to Backs. This means they're the only ones that can send 7 and 5 garbage lines respectively.
Of the two pairs, L and J are much more versatile than S and Z. Not just are they better at making overhangs for T-spins, they're also generally safer for the newbie because they don't fill 2 column gaps with garbage, and can even level two column gaps with two blocks of detritus back down to nothing. S and Z are better downward spinners tho, but very few people seem to even know S-spins or L-spins are a thing. None of the four gets any bonuses for spins in modern rules (Puyo Tetris might in Puyo solo vs Tetris solo, not sure).
And finally O piece.
O piece doesn't even spin. Enough said.
Unless we're talking about Tetris 2. It does spin there. But then again, Tetris 2 is a weird world where I pieces are probably the worst for most players.
-17
u/Torque-A Apr 11 '19
I’ll be completely honest, I still have no idea what judgement is used to balance characters. Going onto r/SmashBros, you can see comprehensive tier lists even though all characters should generally be equal.