“Tsum Tsum” in Japanese roughly translates to “Stack Stack,” which those familiar with Disney and LINE’s massively popular mobile game know, is exactly what these adorably mutated Disney characters do.

It’s the player’s job to clear lines of three or more, in a fashion similar to the plethora of mobile puzzle games on the market. But Tsum Tsum is not only a puzzle game, but a collection game as well (and a never ending one at that). After all, who can resist collecting and playing with all of those cute little hamster-like creatures that none but the Japanese could envision? Not you.

And now you’re here because you’ve fallen into the deep, dark pit of app addiction and are looking for a distraction while you wait impatiently for your next heart to appear. How do I know? Because I’m writing this for the same reason. So what better way to spend the longest 15 minutes of your life than to read up on some Tsum Tsum tips?

Read on for some surefire ways to rise to the top of that Weekly Ranking and become the envy of your Tsum Tsum circle.

Go Premium

Any Tsum Tsum veteran will tell you that Tsums from the Happiness Box, especially when you’re new to the game, are a complete waste of time. Newcomers might be tempted to buy as soon as they reach that 10,000 mark (the game actually encourages you to do so), but take my advice and save your coins.

Tsums from the Premium Box are significantly more powerful than any you can get in the Happiness Box, and no matter how painful reaching 30K with noob Tsum Mickey is, the investment pays off.

However, that doesn’t mean you should write off Happiness Box Tsums entirely. You’ve probably noticed that Happiness Tsums appear more often in games, and if you have those Tsums, you can level them up more easily, allowing you to accumulate more points in the long haul.

Once you’ve collected a few Premiums that you enjoy, focus on Happiness Tsums for the points bonus if nothing else.

Premium boxes allow players the chance of winning popular and powerful characters such as Tinker Bell, Maleficent, and Elsa.
Premium boxes allow players the chance of winning popular and powerful characters such as Tinker Bell, Maleficent, and Elsa. [YouTube]

The Magic Touch

There are a few schools of Tsum Tsum finger techniques out there; some prefer a swipe, some a flick, some a smooth and solid stroke. But there is one thing all Tsum champions can agree upon: your finger should never stop.

In this game, speed is everything. Just as you are a slave to this game, your finger’s voracious appetite for Tsums is never satiated and therefore should always be on the lookout for its next roly-poly victims. Which leads us to our next point…

Combos, Combos, Combos

Aside from your Tsum’s ability, the combo meter in the upper right hand corner is your best friend. The meter rises when you clear multiple lines of Tsums in very quick succession, but breaks when you give even the slightest pause between them.

The greater the combo, the greater the points bonus, and the greater chance of you making it to the top of your Weekly Ranking list. Clearing several lines of 3 and maintaining your combo streak is a significantly better option than taking your time looking for a more strategic and longer line of Tsums.

Ideally, your combo will last the entire game. “Impossible!” you might say. Not so. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, Fever Mode.

Fever for Points

Fever Mode is one of the main features of Tsum Tsum, and one that should be taken full advantage of. This is how you score the big points, so filling the meter should be your top priority. Once you do and Fever Mode is activated, it’s time to go nuts.

Lights flash and point bonuses increase, but most notably, during Fever Mode combos do not break, allowing you to catch your breath while looking for longer lines to clear. Plus, every time you fill the meter, 5 seconds are added to the game clock. Enter Fever Mode enough, and you’ll not only have a great combo streak, but a significantly longer playtime to boot.

Connect, clear, repeat. [Disney]
Connect, clear, repeat. [Disney]

Heart Attack

Hearts are the lifeblood of Tsum Tsum—the currency you need in order to play the game. Every time you enter a minute-long round, you lose one heart. Every player has enough slots for 5 time-generated hearts, and a heart regenerates once every 15 minutes.

“That’s not so terrible,” you might think. Just wait. Pretty soon you’ll be shamelessly sending invites to people you barely know just to get your fix, and scrambling for your phone every time it goes off in hopes that one of your comrades has come to your rescue.

Certainly, you can buy hearts with rubies, the game’s premium currency, but don’t be too hasty in whipping out your credit card. Smart players know that they key to heart accumulation is having friends who also use the app, from whom you are able to receive hearts once an hour.

Plus, if you accept a heart gift within an hour of it being sent, you get a 200 coin bonus. So put your wallet away and go find some fellow Tsumers with whom you can mutually facilitate your addiction.

I would go on, but someone just sent me a heart.

Are you a Tsum Tsum addict? What techniques have you employed? What Tsum do you use most often, and what’s your highest score? Tell us in the comments!

Tsum Tsum can be downloaded for free on iOS and Android. Before downloading, make sure you have downloaded the LINE app and have a LINE ID so you can save your progress and play with friends. Happy stacking!

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37 thoughts on “How to Outrank Your Friends in Disney’s Tsum Tsum”

  2. The writer says to wait for 30k for a premium box…but I actually believe you save 30k for happiness boxes. Here’s my reason why: there’s only so many happy characters versus the premium characters and it takes FOREVER to get your skill up to 3/6 because you’ll just keep getting more and more characters instead of raising their score levels. With the more happiness boxes you get more ways to level up Micky and his happiness characters. Then you’ll make your money easier with maxed out happiness characters. Just my opinion.

    Reply

    1. ID Barduke Wife’s ID MrsBarduke
      We both give out a ton of hearts a day usually 5-10. Just make sure you return a few.

      Reply

  20. My mother is too afraid to post this herself but she loves to give hearts to me so I know she will give hearts to you too. mamashauna is her ID. Thanks everyone! <3 sugarcube37

    Reply

  21. Some tips from a level 136 here:
    – “burst” tsums (the ones who randomly erase tsums or have skill to delete rows and columns of tsums) generate more coins. You wanna get to 30k faster? Use them.
    – after you got 2 or 3 premium tsums (preferably with a burst tsum), start spending 10k on happiness tsums. Buy ALL of them. Even if you get doubles and their skills are raised, that’s ok. Happiness tsums ALWAYS appear in the game when you’re a newbie.. (even now, I still get happiness tsums in my game). If you have them, you get higher score. Plus, some certain bingo missions require happiness tsums only, so the more skills you have, the better.
    – your tsum is on level 5, but its stuck there and you need to pay 2000 to release the level cap. That’s okay, spend your money! It will be to your advantage in the long run.
    – in my opinion, Maleficent is the most powerful tsum in the whole game. You want that #1 spot? Better learn how to master Maleficent.
    – don’t waste your rubies to buy hearts. Hearts regenerate every 15 mins, so 5 hearts = 1 hour & 15 mins. Give your phone a break during that time. This game drains so much battery and turns your phone hot, you really don’t wanna waste too much time on it, no matter how addicted you are to this game. So better wait for the hearts than buying them. Wait until they have a sale deal on the hearts.. then you can buy them with your rubies.
    – don’t waste your REAL money buying the rubies. It’s seriously NOT worth it. If I can make it out to level 136 without wasting my real money, you should too.

    Reply

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