Merge Shot rewards one idea above all: a single shot can set off a chain. Land a block in the right place and it merges, the column closes up, another match touches, and the chain keeps going. Good play is arranging the board so that happens on purpose.
Here is how merges work in Merge Shot, and how to build boards that chain.
How merges work
You shoot the block you are holding into one of five columns. It lands at the end of that column, and every block of the same value touching it (above, below, left or right) merges with it.
| Matching blocks | Result |
|---|---|
| 2 | the next value |
| 3 or 4 | two values up |
| 5 to 8 | three values up |
After a merge the column closes up, which can bring new matches together. Each step of the chain scores again. The first goal is 512; reaching it takes you up a level and doubles the goal. New blocks are 2, 4, 8, 16 or 32, and you can always see the next one.
1. Build ladders
Stack values in descending steps: 64, 32, 16, 8. When you shoot an 8 onto the end, it merges into 16, which merges with the 16 above into 32, and so on up the column. One shot runs the whole ladder. A column like this is the most valuable thing on the board.
2. Land on two sides at once
A block that touches matches on two sides merges three at once, and three blocks jump two values instead of one. Look for spots where your block lands next to a match in the column and a match in the neighbouring column.
3. Keep one column short
Always keep one column with room to spare. It is your way out when an awkward block arrives, a 2 when everything else ends in 64. A full board with no short column is one bad block away from game over.
4. Plan for the next block
You can see the next block, so use it. Before each shot, ask where the next one can go after this shot lands. A move that sets up a merge for the next block is often better than a move that merges now and leaves the next block nowhere to go.
5. A full column is not a dead column
A full column still accepts a block that matches the one at its end. So a full column ending in 32 is fine as long as 32s keep arriving. A full column ending in a value you rarely get is the real problem.
6. Small blocks belong together
New blocks are only 2 to 32. Keep a place where small values gather and merge with each other, away from your big ladders. Dropping a 2 onto the end of a ladder of 128s blocks the whole ladder until you clear it.
How the game ends
When the block you are holding fits in no column. The short column and the small-block area from tips 3 and 6 are what keep that from happening.
Try a ladder in Merge Shot, or see all puzzle games.