Tips sushigo

Do’s

Look at what your opponents are drafting

In particular, look to see if they need to have sets completed, whether it’s a set of the 10-point Sashimi or a full collection of Dumplings. When you pay attention to the cards they’ve drafted, you might be able to find opportunities to deny them the cards they need to maximize their points from sets.

Aim for a card to point ratio above 2 if possible

In Sushi Go, the name of the game is efficiency. Every card you pick needs to either give you a strong advantage or deny your opponents from scoring a boatload of points. As you play Sushi Go!, try to score at least 2 points for every card you draft. If you can hit this goal, you’ll give yourself a very good chance at winning.

Balance your priorities between point scoring and denial

Remember that when you play Sushi Go, winning by 5 points is the same thing as winning by 1 point. If you’re in the lead, your goal should be to protect that lead, whether that’s by making sure you don’t come in last in the Pudding race or making sure that no one gets away with collecting many points from Maki rolls or Sashimi cards.

Get lots of puddings

Another tip is to get lots of puddings during the first round, then get a bunch of points the other 2 rounds. But when you are playing the pudding cards you still want points right? That's where wasabi comes in handy because if you play one before a nigiri that nigiri will triple!

Don’ts

Get tunnel vision over your own board

Focusing on just you is the biggest pitfall you can make in this game. If you’re just looking at your board and trying to maximize your own point values, you might let slip through a card or set of cards that can net your opponents more points than you. For example, that Sashimi might be worth 0 points to you, but 10 points to your opponent. Giving your opponent a 10-point card is like you losing 10 points. You’re not going to win that way.

Get into fights that you can’t win

It can be tempting to get into fights for collecting Dumplings or a high quantity of cards like Maki Rolls cards. However, doing so can be a double-edged sword. Remember that Maki Rolls are worth 6 points. If you feel like you can grab first place with 3 Maki roll cards, do it because you still average 2 points per card. Or if you’re the only one collecting Dumplings, then go ahead. Any more than that and you may just be over-investing on those cards and miss out on other point opportunities.

Neglect the puddings

As you collect those Dumplings, the Tempura, and even the occasional Wasabi/Squid nigiri combo, you might be tempted to pass over the Puddings, those cards that really don’t have an impact until the end of the game. Forget about them at your peril, because if you suddenly find yourself having the fewest Puddings, you’ll be seeing a 12 point swing in someone else’s favor, which can cause you to lose the lead entirely.

Drafting Tips

• Beware of last picks. When there are 1 more cards then the number of players, one of the cards will be your last pick. Plan around that.
• Try to remember all the cards or the cards you really want. If you do, you have perfect information after you have seen all the packs.
• Count the puddings. In a 4-player game 88% of the cards are used. So you can plan according to the concentration.
• If you have a lot of maki, keep track of the makis in the pool and only take what's needed.
• Between wasabi and chopsticks, wasabi is more of high-stake-high-reward and chopsticks is more stable. It depends on your style.

Review of All Cards

• Nigiri: Squid is an excellent first pick. It is nearly as strong as sashimi. Salmon is excellent, but probably not good enough to be a first pick. Egg nigiri is terrible, since even if some items are 0 points, it can block your opponent.
• Maki: It is at most 6 points. If you draft a 3 maki early it may worth 6 points itself, which is a great investment. Do note that each maki you draft reduces the average score of maki!
• Dumplings: It is about 3 points at most per card. It is a bit like a trap although it must score. Therefore, you shouldn't collect dumplings unless you are sure that you collect 4. However, never pick this as first pick unless there are 3 or more dumplings in your hand.
• Tempura: It is about 2.5 points per card, but its consistency makes it a decent pick. You can frequently manage to grab tempura without giving opponents an opportunity to block you. However, it is worse than wasabi, chopsticks, 3 maki and squid as first pick.
• Sashimi: It is about 3.3 points per card, but it's also a trap! Tt is easy for other players to block you from getting the third one. It only costs an opponent a single dead card to create a pair of dead cards for you. Therefore, mostly avoid this and rarely pick this first.
• Chopsticks: Usually pick this first since a combo of 3-6 points can be granted with this, which is deadly!
• Wasabi: Always pick it first since the odds of getting squid or salmon later is high. It's potential value is about 3 to 4.5.
• Pudding: It goes up in value as the game processes. You can draft a lot of them in first round as everyone fights for it in later rounds. In round 2, pick it first if it makes you first or puts you out of last. In round 3, don't draft it unless you are fighting for most puddings.

Credits

• The parts of dos and don'ts are based on www.myboardgameguides.com.
• The parts of drafting and review of all cards are based on argeeordie.com/sushi-go-strategy-guide/.
• If you have any other suggestions, feel free to leave your own tips so that other players can learn and get better at the game!