Watch for important cards. Tracking the six Shot–Inside the Box cards is a must. Tracking the eight Defensive cards carefully will elevate your play, as will tracking the five “Any” cards which cannot be defensed.
Count the spaces forward you need to get off a shot at net. If your goalie has the ball and you only have one or two such cards, you’ll likely be better off using the Goal Kick chart – instead of playing those cards and hoping you’ll draw the cards you need.
Consider field position, the score, your yellow cards and the time left in a half when you decide upon your action. For example, if ahead by two goals early in the game and you have several yellow cards, you may want to hold back playing a defensive card on your opponent, to avoid a third yellow card (or a red one).
Later in a half you’ll know more about what cards your opponent might be holding. For example, if four Shot at Net–Inside Shot cards have been played and you hold the last two, you’ll know that your opponent can only take Outside the Box shots.
If you’re ahead by a couple of goals late in the game, try to burn as much time as possible. Don’t Clear– Keep Ball In Play. If your goalie has the ball, throw it in and Clear–Kick Ball Out of Play instead of using the Goal Kick chart.
If you have a Shot–Inside the Box card in hand, the ball is in one of your A zones, but you lack a card to advance into your opponent’s box, it might be a good idea to try the Hold action and hope you draw the card you need.
If you have two or three Shot–Inside the Box cards in hand, you can afford to spend one as an Outside Box shot. This can also demoralize your opponent if you’re ahead in the score. Of course, it will also alert him to the fact that you probably have at least one left.
You need cards that can move the ball up the field. A balanced hand might have one or two Shot cards, one or two defensive cards, and three or 4 Pass/Dribble cards. A hand composed of nothing but Shot and defensive cards is not very good.
You have a 40% chance of recovering your Goal Kick off the chart. This can be a time-saving offensive tactic if you’re behind in the score, especially if you hold few offensive cards.
Bluff on occasion. If you have no Shot cards, goad your opponent into playing a defensive card after you pass or dribble into one of your A zones, hoping for a foul and a Free Kick. Simply imply that you’ll be taking an Inside Shot from his box after the play of your next card.
All “Pass 2” cards are highly valuable for play after you get a “Save! Goal Kick” result, since you can throw-in to a D2 space and immediately move two more spaces ahead.
“Pass–Ahead 2” cards are great for advancing the ball from M2C to A2C when you have a Shot–Inside the Box card in your hand.
Note that you could conceivably pass the ball through your opponent’s box with a Pass 2 card that moves the ball horizontally. Passing through (or Dribbling into) your own box is extremely dangerous, since your opponent could play a defensive card and steal the ball; pass to your goalkeeper instead or clear the ball.
If you have an Inside Shot card in hand and nothing else, you could try clearing the ball (keep in play) into your opponent’s box. A lucky die roll of 1 or 2 will let you take that shot!
Each game of Big Time Soccer will play out differently. Sometimes you’ll find that everything goes your way and at other times nothing will work right. You may have 5 shots at net in a half or 15.
