FFX: What is Spin Ball & How Does It Work?

Spin Ball Animation in FFX HD

Spin Ball is a blitzball tech that makes a player’s shot harder for the opposing goalie to catch. It doesn’t increase the player’s Shooting stat, but rather it sets a static 70% chance that if the goalie blocks the shot, they’ll fumble and drop the ball afterwards.

Players can learn this ability through the Techcopy mechanic when playing blitzball.

After learning the tech, a player can equip Spin Ball before a blitzball match begins, or during halftime.

How Spin Ball Works

Keep Blocking a Shot / Final Fantasy X
Keep Blocking a Shot

Spin Ball doesn’t actually increase a player’s chances of scoring a goal. So it does not increase the SH stat, and it also does not decrease the CA stat.

Instead, it adjusts the success rate of goalies being able to catch the ball and throw it to their team.

When a Goalie successfully defends their goal, they can either catch the ball or block it.

  • When a shot is caught by the goalie, they will pass it to a teammate, securing possession of the ball.
  • On the other hand, if a shot is merely blocked by the goalkeeper, it will deflect back onto the field and will be caught by the player closest to the goal – regardless of which team they’re on.

When Spin Ball activates, the chance of a goalie blocking a shot instead of catching it is set to 70%. Of course, this only applies when the goalkeeper successfully defends the goal.

You’ll know that Spin Ball has activated on a shot when an extra animation plays as the ball approaches a goal after being shot.

Or if you don’t have Spin Ball yet, your chance to Techcopy Spin Ball will be during this animation when another player shoots.

Is Spin Ball Worth Using?

Wakka Shooting the Ball / Final Fantasy X
Wakka Shooting the Ball

Yes, for your offensive players especially.

However, it’s better to use Spin Ball on higher level players since they’ll have more open ability slots to spare.

Lower-level players may be better off equipping a pass tech and spamming it to teammates whenever they can to gain experience points.

Overall, Spin Ball may net you some extra ball possessions in a match, but it isn’t really crucial to winning games. It may come in clutch in certain situations, but no strategies will actually revolve around having it.

So tl;dr:

Equip Spin Ball on players that have extra ability slots, but don’t sweat it if no one has it in your lineup.

Marco Cadayona

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Shower singer by day, bard main by night. Gamer since 1992.

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