The Underground Tournament is the real tournament inDodgeball Academia. Yes, the rest of the school might be yammering on about the big championship as part of the main story, but anybody who can beat the Underground Tournament will breeze through that challenge without breaking a sweat.
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That speaks to the extremely difficult nature of the Underground Tournament. To be crowned champion, it will take a dose of talent and luck doesn’t hurt. But those who prepare correctly will increase the odds of leaving victoriously and becoming a scholar ofDodgeball Academia.
“Cheating”
There is no way to have this conversation without giving the obvious answer. Changing the difficulty settings so that damage taken is 0% makes it impossible to lose. Players are divided over whether this is sporting or not (many also do it tobeat Boris the first time around).
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Players should search their conscience on this one. This guide will focus on beating the match normally, but this is always an option for those who just can’t seem to crack into the winner’s spot. Remember that it can always be returned to normal after beating the Underground Tournament a few times and getting the cash and items desired.
Ideal Equipment
Not all gear in the game is created alike. Some items will actually be quite damaging to a player’s chances of coming out on top. Players who use items with lifesteal will be disappointed to find that the opponents are pretty good about negating healing effects.
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Thankfully, the First-Aid Kit will heal the player by 75% of the max health between each round. Since there is no opportunity to eat between scuffles, this item is as close to mandatory as it gets. There is some wiggle room on the second piece of equipment, but starting the match with a 55% full Balltimate meter is a nifty advantage.
Best Teammates To Use
To beat this match, it’s going to take a primary damage-dealer to pump out the numbers required to win.All teammates have some value, but support characters just aren’t cut out to survive the onslaught or strike with the ferocity and speed needed. Since only one member gets to fight, there is no teammate to support either.
Otto and Shoy both do the job of dealing tremendous damage and have the mobility to survive. Plus, the Balltimate moves hit groups of enemies, which is nice for thinning the ranks. Their counter moves also catch balls instead of returning them, which is why Mira and Suneko could be ruled out.
Buying From Big Tony
Big Tony oversees the battles, but that’s not the best part about him. Afterfarming up enough money, players can buy from him and get consumable items that permanently boost the character’s stats: experience, health, strength, agility, and technique.
Even if players don’t win the Underground Tournament the first few times, they should be able to afford at least an item or two that permanently boosts these attributes. Slowly, after battling, losing, and getting stronger with Big Tony, the losses will turn into wins.
Don’t Dodge
The game is hard enough when the balls are coming at the player from one side. When they start shooting from all sides, the match can turn into a disaster. This shouldn’t happen unless players dodged a shot instead of countering and catching the ball.
It’s better to mess up and take a ball to the chops than it is to let a ball go by. This has the effect of potentially ending the match by an opponent in the knockout zone stunning the player at the worst time, forcing them to take a series of shots. All it takes is one such shot to end the game.
Hitting Groups With Balltimate
Sometimes it is tempting to knock opponents out one-by-one. Indeed, that seems like how the game is structured as knocking an opponent out usually results in a stoppage of play, the knocked-out opponent getting shifted to the knockout area, and then the game resumes.
However, this mechanic gets a little glitchy (in the player’s favor) when knocking out two or more opponents at the exact same time. One opponent will get shifted to the knockout area, but the rest sit out the rest of the match on the sidelines as non-participants.
Catch Them All, Throw Them All
When fighting outnumbered, the worst thing to do is charge the line and go for a ball. In the final stage, this will result in the player next to the enemy with a single ball while four of their players have a ball. That’s a great way to lose the game.
Instead, run to the back of the court and start to focus. Catch the balls as they are thrown and, after every ball is tossed, then launch all the balls back at them and begin charging again. Safety is key in the Underground Tournament where healing is scarce.
Dodgeball Academiawas released on August 5th, 2021, and is available for Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One.
