Tetris is a game as old as time, with millions of players, countless iterations, and a live-action movie that was just barely released. In case you haven’t played before, the game involves pieces called “Tetriminos,” each consisting of four squares arranged in different patterns. These pieces are typically named after the letter they most closely resemble, being L, J, T, O, I, S, and Z. Each has their own various uses, but which of these Tetriminos reigns supreme?

Before we take a look at the best pieces, let’s make one thing clear. The S and Z blocks are both at the bottom of the list. These pieces are mirrors of each other, and are rarely the piece you need when they show up. Laying them down almost always leaves an empty square that you’ll need to get filled, and building on top of them only makes more empty holes unless you get the exact piece you need. I’ve had many a Tetris runs end with an over abundance of these guys. If I never saw another S or Z block, I’d die happy.

Next, let’s look at the L and J blocks. These pieces can usually fit nicely into most games, and go especially well when you get two of the same in a row. Depending on your strategy, you can often clear three whole rows with these pieces. The only issue is that with all of the flipping and rotating, it’s easy to get these two pieces confused with each other. Still, they’re always welcome additions to the screen.

Next up, let’s look at the O block, which is just a simple square. This piece can’t be rotated (cause, you know, it’s a square), and can be really hard to fit if you don’t have many flat surfaces. However, these pieces work really well with the L and J blocks we just talked about. And not only do they work well on flat surfaces, but they clean up after themselves nicely, leaving another flat surface above for another piece. Still not the best piece, but almost always a pleasant surprise.

The I block is a fan-favorite. The I block is made up of four squares in a row, and is the only way to clear four rows in one go. This piece fits snuggly against the sides of the screen too! There is such a thing as a too much of a good thing though. Getting too many I blocks can get your screen overcrowded, and make it harder to play the rest of your pieces. If you build around it, this can be mitigated and the I block can easily become your most valuable asset.

And then there’s T block. Oh, T block. It’s flat when you need a flat piece, it can set up a flat surface above it, or it can fill in the holes left by S and Z blocks. It can even fit right up against an I block you have waiting on the sides of the screen. The only downside here is analysis paralysis. It can be a bit confusing to try and figure out the exact best spot for a T block, and if you wait too long, you may panic and end up causing more trouble for yourself.

Now that we’ve looked at the ups and downs of the different Tetriminos, which one do you think deserves the top spot? Was there anything that we overlooked? Were we a bit too harsh on S and Z block? Let us know in a comment, or join the conversation on the Boss Rush Discord.

Featured Image: The Tetris Company

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Nintendo Pow Block is Boss Rush Media and The Boss Rush Network’s Nintendo podcast. Each week, Edward, Corey, and their friends from around the internet come together to talk about the week in Nintendo, including news, rumors, new games, questions, and the fan-favorite Snacktendo segment. Check out Nintendo Pow Block Live on Twitch every Monday night at 8:30PM Eastern / 5:30PM Pacific or on Podcast Services and YouTube Wednesday mornings at 7AM. If you enjoy the show, consider leaving us a five-star rating on iTunes and Spotify. Thanks for listening to Nintendo Pow Block!

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