Blitzball

It's back but this time it's more coaching focused, rather than just playing the biggest game in Spira.

The Basic Rules

1. The Number of Players Per Team - 7 fielders and 1 Goalie on field and 4 backup players.
Yep, that's a lot more from the original game, and the playing field has also increased because of it.

2. In-Game Action - The players can make a pass or a shot from any position. Opponents cannot steal the ball right back, even if you steal it by force.
Removing status ailments and replacing them with an "injury" status has made it more difficult. The reason being? If a player is injured during the game, or even in the new training feature, they cannot move for the rest of the game (thank goodness for backup players). Also, all the cool shot techniques like the Jecht Shot, have been removed. You're now limited to Overhead Volley and Corkscrew Shot.

3. Victory and Defeat Conditions - The match lasts five minutes and whoever scores the most goals in that time wins. Ties result in ties for normal games and sudden death matches for tournaments.
The break that was enjoyed between each half of the game is gone. A new addition is the seven point limit. If either team reaches seven points, the game is called and the person with seven points is the winner.

The Flow of the Game

There are four options you have to choose from at the beginning of this mini-game: Train, Play Blitzball, Scout, and Tutorial. The gameplay has changed a lot from Final Fantasy X, so familiarize yourself with the new style in the Tutorial, even if you think you're a seasoned Blitzball Player.

1. Starting the Game
There are two ways to get the game to play. Visiting Luca in Chapter 5 will automatically ask you to play. If you choose not to, you can go to the woman behind the ticket counter in the stadium. This way you can choose between Blitzball or Sphere Break.

2. Training
This is probably one of the most important features of the new style of Blitzball. Almost all the Gullwings team members starts as a beginner. They have very low stats, so if you want any chance of winning, this is the best way to do it. You can train individual team members, or you can train them all together. However, training requires Command Points, so playing Exhibition Matches is a good idea.

3. Scouting
There are 99 players in Blitzball, 35 of them being Free Agents. Only the Gullwings can pick up these Free Agents, which is a good thing considering how bad your starting team is.

4. Playing in a Match
You can select which type of match you want to play (Spira League, Tournament, and Exhibition Match). Unfortunately, the game plays itself, with you being able to change Formations and Game Play strategies and substituting players as needed. Of course, without a team of eight, you can't play, so make sure you have eight players!

5. Winning Prizes and Command Points
When the match is over, you recieve prizes or Command Points based on the type of match and the outcome of it. As you gain more points, your team's level increases and you can win better items. After, you can choose whether to continue or whether you wish to return to Luca.

Training

Being unable to direct your players in the game, Training is the best way to make sure your characters are strong enough to win without you. There are no levels and EXP this time around, so you have to make sure your training is carefully done.
Training works as follows: The Command Points are displayed the upper-right corner of your screen. Use these points to train your characters, however remember there's the new Fatigue (FTG) feature which can make injuries even easier to get. In addition to receiving penalties, injured players can only get limited training, so be careful!
You can earn Command Points by playing matches, but also by leaving Blitzball and returning to the field (you earn 1 CP for every 10 seconds this way). The default maximum points you can get is 100, but as your level increases, so does the maximum amount of points you can earn.

Controls

1. Choose the player you want to receive training and press X.
2. Choose the type of training you want that player to receive and press X.
3. Choose how many Command Points you wish to dedicate to this training (0 - 9) and then press X to return to the main Training menu. Continue this until you're finished with each of the characters you want to train.
4. When you're finished, choose Practice to start the training for all the players you want trained. After that's finished, the stats that have increased will show in pink, while the stats that remain unchanged will be blue.

Stats

Stat	Type of Stat	Description
Endurance (END)	Training	The higher this stat, the more easily a player can endure an opponent's tackle.
Attack (ATK)	Training	This indicates the strength of a player's tackle ability. It can also determine how easily the player can steal the the ball when s/he sets up a tackle.
Pass (PAS)	Training	The higher the stat, the less likely it is that your passes will fail.
Shoot (SHT)	Training	The higher the stat, the more successful your shots will be.
Block (BLK)	Training	The higher the stat, the more likely your player will block an opponent's shots and steal the ball.
Catch (CAT)	Training	The higher the stat, the more likely your player is to catch shots. This stat is a must for the goal keeper.
Range (RNG)	Training	The higher the stat, the more successful your players will be at completing shots and passes over long distances.
Receive (REC)	Training	The higher the stat, the easier your players can catch passes from their own team members.
Speed (SPD)	No Change	The higher the stat, the faster the player moves through water.
Reach (RCH)	No Change	The higher the stat, the more easily the player discovers opponents carrying the ball and the more easily s/he can encounter them.
Out	Outside Stats	This marks the number of contracted matches the player must sit out due to injury.
Contract (CNT)	Outside Stats	This lists the player's number of contracted matches. When the number reaches zero, the contract ends.
Gil	Outside Stats	Number of Command Points needed to sign a free agent to a ten-game contract with the Gullwings.
Morale (MOR)	Change During Matches	The higher this stat, the more likely your players are to use special shots and combos.
Fatigue (FTG)	Change During Matches	The higher this stat, the more it compromises a player's level of play and increases the chance of him or her getting injured during training or the match.

Teams & Free Agents

Due to the large amount of teams and free agents, they have their own page.
There are 8 teams and 35 Free agents of five different scouting levels. You are the coach of the Gullwings, yes, the girls have their own Blitzball team. Also participating are the usual suspects of: Luca Goers, Kilika Beasts, Al Bhed Psyches, Ronso Fangs, Guado Glories, and Besaid Aurochs. A surprise team is the Zanarkand Abes with their mysterious 'Star Player'.

Scouting

Coming Soon.