Top 20 Mechanics Tips for New Players#

Twenty things the game doesn't tell you. Each tip links to the page with the full formulas. Numbers are for the current version and may change with patches.

Building your skaters#

1. "+X OVR" is four times better than "+X" to one attribute#

An OVR bonus isn't averaged in. It adds the full X to all four attributes: +10 OVR means +10 Speed, +10 Accuracy, +10 Shot Power and +10 Checking. A single-stat bonus only moves OVR by a quarter (+8 Speed shows as +2 OVR). One exception: Accuracy is capped at 100, so OVR bonuses are partly wasted on an already-accurate skater. → Attributes & stats §4

2. Speed has steep diminishing returns, and stops at 200#

Top speed follows a square-root curve, 8.5 + 3·√(Speed/200). Going from 0 to 50 Speed adds as much top speed (+1.5) as going all the way from 50 to 200. Speed above 200 does nothing for movement. Spend points on a slow skater's Speed, not on a fast one's. → Skating & movement §1

3. Size matters more than Checking for knockouts#

A bodycheck knocks out when its hit score reaches 29. The score is the Checking difference plus situational bonuses, and size is the biggest of them:

A large skater is a natural enforcer. A small one needs a big Checking edge or help from power-ups. → Bodychecking §1

4. Hit at full speed, and hit skaters who are busy#

• A slow attacker loses up to 10 points: there's no penalty at 6 m/s or faster.
• The victim gives you +15 while they are shooting, slapshotting, one-timing, pokechecking, braking, side-dashing or chanting.
• They give +5 more if they had the puck recently.

The best moment to hit a puck carrier is right as they wind up to shoot. → Bodychecking §1

5. Picking a talent a skater already has upgrades it#

The talent pool doesn't exclude talents you own. Giving a skater a talent they already have at level 1 turns it into level 2, and duplicates are the main way to get upgrades. Relics work the opposite way: an owned relic is never offered again by normal relic rewards. Random upgraded cards are rare: 2.5% / 7.5% / 15% per card in acts 1 / 2 / 3. → Rewards §7

6. Use the bench: benched skaters grow#

Most squads carry a hidden Bench Bonus relic. Every skater who sits out a whole match gets a permanent attribute boost. It multiplies with the Double-Decker relic (×2), Butt Bench on a skater who played (×1.5) and the Double-Decker talent (×1.5 / ×2). Rotating skaters through the bench builds a stronger roster over a run. → Squads §2.3

Shooting & scoring#

7. Wrist shots are much more accurate than slapshots#

Slapshots hit harder: 70 vs 50 puck speed at 100 Shot Power. But their accuracy runs through a harsh curve, 85·(Accuracy/100)^1.5:

Slapshots also lose up to 50% of their power at point-blank range (wrist shots lose only 20%). Wrist up close; save slapshots for skaters with high Accuracy, or for mid range. → Shooting §2–3

8. Don't shoot from far away#

From 24 units out or more, every shot is treated as having 0 accuracy, and slapshots also get a random ±10° yaw. Spread also grows with distance, and sharp angles multiply it by up to 3.5×. Carry the puck in and shoot from in front of the net. → Shooting §3–4

9. Close and fast beats "picking a corner"#

The goalie's save chance drops by up to −14 for shots from under 6 units, and by up to −15 when the puck reaches the net in under 0.05 s. Shot angle has no effect on save chance: the angle bonus is computed and then discarded. Shoot hard, from close in, and straight on (good angles also keep the aim spread down, see tip 8). → Goalies §4

10. Keep shooting: CPU goalies wear down#

• A CPU goalie loses 1 skill per shot since the last goal it conceded, down to 85% of its skill.
• Its save chance drops by 4 per consecutive save after 4–5 saves, up to −25.
• Any shot within 3 s of a save gets another −3, so rebounds are easier.

Volume works; you don't need to wait for the perfect chance. → Goalies §3 and §5

11. Crits are the strongest offensive effect#

A crit (base 2%, rolled once at release) gives: - +50 shot power - +10 accuracy - −25 to the goalie's save chance - a knockout on every skater the puck touches

Crit chance sources simply add up, and Puck Pucks then doubles the total, base included. Stix, D20 and other crit items stack well together. → Critical shots

12. Charge Shot turns a full wind-up into a guaranteed crit#

Holding a slapshot normally adds no power: wind-up time doesn't scale base slapshot power. With the Charge Shot talent, holding for the full 2.5 s forces a crit (about 1.9 s at level 2). Other guaranteed crits: Dry Noodle (your team's next few shots) and level 2 Yo-Yo (one-timering your own yo-yo puck). → Critical shots §1.3

13. Watch for crit traps#

• Pucky Charms gives +20% crit chance to both teams, so the opponent's shots against you get it too.
• Backhand wrist shots can't crit unless the skater has at least one crit-chance source.
• Sweet Spot (one-timer crit relic) appears to do nothing for real crits: one-timers roll as ordinary slapshots in the code. → Critical shots §1.1–1.2

Physical play & status effects#

14. Enraged = every hit is a knockout#

Enraged lasts 10 s and gives +50 Speed. While it's active, every bodycheck knocks out, whatever the score, and throws the victim further. Rage Burst (ability, 30 s cooldown) enrages you on demand, and Short Fuse makes it last ×2 or ×3. Status effects don't stack: reapplying one just resets its timer, so don't waste triggers back-to-back. → Status effects §1–2

15. An enraged goalie can't be scored on#

When the goalie is Enraged, every goal is turned into a save. Goalie talents create short windows of a near-unbeatable goalie: - The Starter / The Finisher: first / last 30 s of each period - The Avenger: 30 s after a goal - The Berzeker: 15 s after a shot - The Hunter: 10 s on a breakaway - Avenge Me! level 2: enrages the goalie too

The opponent's enraged goalie is just as impossible to beat. Don't waste good shots on it. → Goalies §5, Status effects §2

16. Knockout counters and protection#

Ways to avoid being knocked out: - Immunity (ability): can't be bodychecked or staggered for 1–2 s. - Figure Check: spin out instead of being knocked out. - Spiked Armor: anyone who bodychecks you is knocked out instead.

Bonecrusher-style talents make your hits throw victims further and strip their stick. → Bodychecking §1–2, §7

17. Injuries in runs are paced, so know the risk#

Injuries only happen on knockouts. In a run, your team's chance ramps up with knockouts taken: up to 15% after 25 knockouts since your last injury. It's cut to a tenth for a second injury in the same game, and capped at 3 natural injuries per act. What they do: - Eye injury: Accuracy drops to 0. - Shoulder / Leg / Arm: the skater keeps only 20% of Checking / Speed / Shot Power.

Injuries last 1–3 games. Bench an injured scorer rather than playing them crippled. → Injuries

Faceoffs & runs#

18. Faceoffs are a 60 ms timing check#

Press pass as the referee drops the puck. The faceoff resolves the first time either center's press falls within a 0.06 s window after the drop. Pressing early does nothing. CPU centers react faster in later acts: about 160–300 ms after the drop in act 1, but only 45–130 ms in act 3. → Passing & puck §5

19. "Original" relics amplify everything you stack, including penalties#

Original Skate / Stick / Glove / Puck add +50% of your bonuses to Speed / Accuracy / Checking / Shot Power: stat + (stat − base)/2. They're great on a skater stacking one attribute. But they enlarge penalties the same way: a −20 Speed helmet becomes −30. → Attributes & stats §5

20. Know your rewards: Elite gives a talent or a relic, not both#

• Each Elite node is set up as a talent node or a relic node; Challenges have a known reward; bosses give a talent plus (per the UI) a boss relic.
• Rerolls only exist if you own Weighted Die: 1 per reward screen, 2 at level 2.
• Coach's Favorite forces a skater into every reward offer, so you can build one star.
• A lost Challenge wipes its rewards, but doesn't end the run.

Plan your map path around which rewards you need. → Rewards §2–3, §8, Run structure