The Basics
When the game first begins, the little players will come out on the field and line up. Then the game will actually start, and you’ll see them in formation.
There are different formations, some of which are preferred by different teams. All of the teams have a default formation, and when you are playing against them, that’s the one they’ll use. (The default is different depending on what team you’re playing against; for example, Maraqua uses the 1+3 formation, whereas Roo Island uses the 2+2). The team you play for, that is, the one that you control, will use whatever formation you tell them to use. I personally have played for Maraqua, and found it easiest to use the 1+3, but you should experiment and find out which one you like the best. You can also play from left to right or from right to left; this is also a matter of personal preference.
In order to control your player, mouse over the one you want to use, then drag the mouse around to guide them
around the field. To pass or shoot, click the mouse in the direction you want the Yooyu to go. If you want to change the player you have selected, you can use the key commands (s and d) or you can use your mouse. I personally find it a lot easier to do everything with the mouse.
The key element in the game is the Yooyu itself. There are seven different kinds of Yooyus, and I’ll go over each of them and how to have the best chance of scoring with each.
Normal Yooyu: This Yooyu is pretty much just normal, like it says. It doesn’t do anything crazy or weird, and it moves at a relatively average speed. To score with the Normal Yooyu, the easiest way I have found is to grab the Yooyu from the centre of the field and head either up to the right above the goal or the left down below the goal. Then, shoot towards the closest corner of the goal (top if you went right, bottom if you went left). If you’ve timed it right, it should go past the goalkeeper into the net. 1-0 you.
Fire Yooyu: The favoured Yooyu of many players, the fire Yooyu is generally considered the easiest to score with. In spite of the fact that Neopets tells you you’ll have to pass it around quickly to avoid being burned, you really don’t need to worry about that if you have the right technique. Do exactly the same as with the normal Yooyu, only it should be even easier with the fire Yooyu because it moves faster and the goalkeeper has even less of a chance to catch it.
Snow Yooyu: This Yooyu can be a little annoying just because it’s so slow, but if you use generally the same technique as with the first two Yooyus, you should be fine. Sometimes, it works exactly the same with not much of a problem, sometimes the goalkeeper can get there in time to catch it. Never fear, just get the Yooyu back, come back and try it again. It might help to try to get closer to the goal than you had to with the other two Yooyus.
Darigan Yooyu: This Yooyu is pretty contrary. Completely contrary, in fact. It goes completely the opposite direction of where you shoot it. Fortunately, since you know that, you can just use the same strategy you used on the first ones, only shoot the opposite direction. For example, you can head up to the top or down to the bottom like you would with the normal Yooyu, but instead of shooting down at an angle towards the goal, shoot up at an angle towards the wall. It might take some practice, but once you know the Yooyu, it gets a lot easier.
Faerie Yooyu: This little fella can be annoying when you first start out, but it’s actually not hard to use. It moves in an arc, but if you run straight towards the goal and shoot when there’s about two players’ distance between you and the keeper, 90% of the time it will just arc around the keeper and go right in. Again, if you don’t get it the first time, come back, adjust your release time, and try it again.
Mutant Yooyu: The mutant Yooyu will act like any of the other Yooyus. The key to scoring with this little fella is to figure out which one it’s acting like, and use the strategy you’d use with that one. Most players find this one annoying because you may have to waste a couple shots or passes figuring out how it’s acting before you can actually score.
Clockwork Yooyu: This one blows up if you don’t shoot with it fast enough. Sometimes it goes at the same speed as the normal Yooyu, sometimes it goes slower. Whatever it’s doing, just try to score wit hit as soon as possible before it blows up. (None of your players will die or anything, but it’ll waste time).
Those strategies are the ones I gathered and used last year, and I consistently managed to score in double digits. However, the number of goals you can score will largely depend on how fast your computer is. The more goals per game, the more points you’ll get at the end, but every win helps your team, so just do your best.
A Few Questions About Yooyuball That Some People Ask
How does Neopets figure out who wins?
The wins per day are based on the team with the most points per player. This means that if one team has ten players and scored fifty points one day, that’s an average of five points per player. They could be playing another team with thirty players who scored sixty points, and the fist team would still win because the second team would only have averaged two points per player.
What’s a freeloader?
Freeloaders are people who join a team, then don’t play the games. This brings the team average down because you’re throwing in another player who’s not contributing any points. This is the curse of winning the Altador Cup (and one of the things that makes a repeat win very hard); some people see the team who won the last year, think they’ll join so they can get the trophy, then don’t play. Thus, the team that did so well last year is suddenly swamped with freeloaders and doesn’t do as well. It’s sad, but it happens.
Are the other games important?
It’s true that Yooyuball is the primary game of the AC, but yes, the other games are important too. I’m just not going to cover them here.
Is it okay if I only use one of my players to score?
Sure. You can play the game however you want to. It’s usually easiest to score with the faster, more agile players. (For example, Maraqua’s primary scorers are usually Elon Hughlis and Dorina Hals because they are both relatively fast and easy to maneuver. They are also the forwards in a 2+2 (Elon is up front in the 1+3) and are usually closer to the ball, meaning that you can score faster with them. Other teams have players who are similar in characteristics).
What team should I choose?
That’s really up to you. Neopets will have a little quiz you can take that will supposedly tell you what team you should join, but you don’t have to do what it says. Pick whatever team you like best (or whichever team you think has the best chance of winning) – it’s your choice!
And that’s the guide! Thanks for reading, and if you like, drop me a line on Neopets sometime! – lupmoonyin