Triple Triad Before the Field Exam

Learn the basics of Triple Triad in Final Fantasy VIII Remastered, how to manipulate trade rules, and start building a powerful deck before the Field Exam.

Alright, let's talk about Triple Triad! It's a card game within Final Fantasy VIII that can be super rewarding if you get the hang of it. Right now, your starting deck is pretty basic – mostly Level 1 Monster Cards, which aren't going to win you many games on their own. But don't worry, we'll build it up!

First, you need to understand the core mechanics:

How to Play:

• Each player gets a hand of five cards.
• Cards are placed on a 3x3 grid.
• The game ends when all nine spots are filled. The player with the most cards wins.

Card Strength and Flipping:

• Each card has numbers on its four sides (left, up, right, down) representing its strength.
• When you play a card next to an opponent's card, you compare the number on the edge where they meet.
• If your card's number is higher, the opponent's card flips over to your side. For example, if your card's left side has a '5' and it's placed next to an opponent's card whose right side has a '1', your '5' beats their '1', and their card flips.
• If the numbers are equal, or your number is lower, nothing happens.
• A card can be flipped multiple times in a single game if its adjacent numbers are beaten by newly placed cards.
• The goal is to strategically place your cards so their weaker sides are protected (by the edge of the board or other cards) and their stronger sides are exposed to capture enemy cards.

Winning and Capturing Cards:

• The winner of a match gets to claim one card from the loser's hand.
• You'll want to win games without losing your own valuable cards. Some players recommend saving and loading your game often, especially early on, to protect rare cards.

Right now, the only rules in play are “Open” (you can see each other's hands) and “Trade Rule: One” (the winner claims one card). These are pretty simple, which is good for us!

Manipulating Trade Rules for Faster Card Collecting

Want to speed up how fast you get new cards? We can do that! Here's the trick:

1. Leave Balamb Garden and head towards Balamb town. Stick to the main road to avoid random encounters. If you do run into enemies, try to flee if you want to avoid gaining EXP for now.
2. Once you reach Balamb, head past the gas station and go down (towards the camera) and left to find the Train Station.
3. Talk to the woman standing on the steps in front of the station – she's the self-proclaimed Queen of Cards.
4. Challenge her to a game, but don't actually start the match. Just look at the trade rule she offers.
5. If the rule is “Diff”, back out of the match. If it's not “Diff”, you'll need to repeat steps 4-5 until she offers “Diff”.
6. Now, find another character to play cards with. The train conductor standing nearby on the stairs is a good target. See if he's using the “Diff” rule.
7. If the train conductor is using “Diff”, great! You've successfully spread the “Diff” rule. If not, go back to the Queen of Cards and repeat the process until the conductor (or someone else) is using “Diff”.
8. Important: You do NOT want to spread the “All” or “Direct” rules. “All” devolves into “Direct”, and “Direct” only lets you trade cards that were captured during that specific match, which isn't as beneficial.
9. Once the train conductor (or your chosen opponent) is using the “Diff” rule, head back to Balamb Garden. Play cards with people there. They should now be using the “Diff” rule for a while.

Why the “Diff” Rule is Great:

• With the “Diff” rule, the bigger your winning margin, the more cards you get!
• A 6-4 victory nets you two cards.
• A 7-3 victory gets you four cards.
• An 8-2 victory or better lets you claim ALL of your opponent's cards! This seriously speeds up collecting.

Keep in mind that the rules can change back to “One” over time, especially in Balamb. So, you might need to repeat this process if you want to keep the “Diff” rule active.

While your starting deck is pretty weak, using these strategies and maybe even having Ifrit's card can give you enough of an advantage to start gaining some much better cards!