The Final Fantasy series has always been well-known for its many sidequests and mini-games, and FFX is no exception. The major mini-game this time is an immensely enjoyable sports game, Blitzball (there's actually nothing 'mini' about it though, and personally I think it's big enough to be a game in itself). Of all the mini-games in the Final Fantasy series (such as the games in the Gold Saucer in FFVII, Triple Triad in FFVIII, Tetra Master in FFIX etc) this is my favourite, and naturally it is also the one on which I spent the most amount of time (which is saying alot considering that I never play sports games). Right, I'll stop going on about how great it is and leave that up to you to decide for yourself.

I won't go into the basics of Blitzball here and teach people how to play, at least not for the time being, since that is something everyone can easily pick up in FFX itself. Here I will just have a quick description of Blitzball as well as some background info, then I'll focus on some of the stuff which isn't immediately apparent or which is not well-known, as well as some secrets pertaining to Blitzball.

Background

Blitzball is a popular underwater 'fighting' ball sport in the world of Spira. It is conducted in a spherical pool of water and has a long history which dates back more than a thousand years. In an age where people are terrified of using technology for fear of being attacked by Sin, it serves as a source of entertainment, as well as a distraction, which is why it is so immensely popular all over Spira.

The city where Blitzball is most prominent is Luca, home of the Luca Goers (incidentally, the Luca Goers is also the first team you'll have to play against using your team, the Besaid Aurochs. Irritating fellas, if you ask me). Luca is therefore the city where the Yevon Cup, the annual Blitzball tournament, is held.

Teams

	The Besaid Aurochs, from Besaid Island. As the announcer during the tournament at Luca put it, it's the "legendary team which holds the record of being eliminated in the first round of the tournament for 23 consecutive years!" Most of the team members are strictly average in abilities (at initial levels) which doesn't do anything for its image. The only hope of winning this year lies with their new Ace from Zanarkand, Tidus. Wakka, the captain of the team, believes that he'll be the team's key to victory.
	The Luca Goers, from Luca. "The team which possesses speed, power and technique, and is hence the most likely team to win the championship", again according to the announcer during the tournament at Luca (it should be noted that the announcer is likely to be a native of Luca, which would explain quite a few things). It's true, however, that the Besaid Aurochs' first match against the Luca Goers would not be easily won, because (at initial levels) the stats of the Luca team are much better than that of the Besaid team. However, as levels increase they will turn out to be one of the weakest teams, and as such can hardly be termed the best.
	The Kilika Beasts, from Kilika Island, home of the great Summoner Orhaland. A traditional team with many fans all over Spira. Initially, they can be considered to be one of the weakest teams, but once their level passes 50 they'll improve extremely quickly, until at level 99 nearly all of them will possess top-class stats. The exact opposite of the Luca Goers, eventually they will become the team with the strongest players. In addition, every one of the team can learn every single technique (except for the techniques exclusively for Tidus and Wakka, of course), which is rare indeed.
	The Al Bhed Psyches, from Bikanel Island (Rikku's tribe). Their stats are high initially, making them a very strong team at low levels, but as they near level 50 the rate of increase of their stats will slow down. Many of them near their limits quite early (at low levels). However, compared to the Luca Goers who are similar to them in this respect they are nevertheless a much better team. Their keeper Nimrook has the highest CA in the game, which causes big problems for opponents.
	The Ronso Fangs, from Mt. Gagazet. A team consisting of players from the powerful and arrogant Ronso tribe. Nearly all of the team members have extremely high EN, which means that their preferred style of playing is simply to bulldoze through defenders of the opposing team until they're in front of the goal. Fortunately (for their opponents) they have pretty low SPD, which means that it is easy to avoid getting into encounters with them, which is something you'd definitely want to do considering that they have high AT as well.
	The Guado Glories, from Guadosalam (Seymour's tribe). Although they have low EN, their SPD is unsurpassed, and they have very high PS to boot. Almost the exact opposite of the Ronso Fangs, they tend to avoid using breakthroughs during encounters, preferring to pass instead. They excel at using high-speed dribbling to confuse opponents, followed by long passes to totally wreck opponents' defenses. A favourite tactic of theirs is to lure opposing defenders into chasing a player, then passing to another player when the defenders are too far away to return quickly back to their goal.
	The Zanarkand Abes, from the city of Zanarkand. Tidus, like his father Jecht, was the Ace of the Zanarkand Abes. Other than this, not much is known about the team.

Levels & exp
Explanation about levels and experience points, which includes the effects of a player's level on the number of techniques he/she can equip and how to gain more experience points for quick leveling up!

Prizes
Complete list of prizes that can be won, including special prizes such as Wakka's Overdrive skills and exclusive techniques for Tidus and Wakka.