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Connections / 2 min

Join two stacks with one tile

A single tile can connect two separate stacks. See why a blue 2 and blue 3 can Bloom with just one well-placed blue tile.

Your move

Where would you place the blue single: A or B?

The blue 2 and blue 3 are separate. A is the empty cell directly between them. B is an empty cell farther down the board. Both placements fit. Which one Blooms now?

Blue stacks 2 and 3 have an empty A between them. B is two rows below A. Your piece is one blue tile.
One blue tile. Two legal spaces. Different results.
Reveal the move & why it works

A joins both stacks.

The new blue tile touches both stacks, so their counts add together: 2 + 1 + 3 = 6. They gather at A and Bloom, clearing A and the two original stack cells. B touches neither stack, so it stays as a blue 1 and the existing 2 and 3 remain separate.
The blue stacks and new tile have cleared. A marks the now-empty gather location.
The A label is a guide annotation; that cell is empty after the Bloom.

Look for a shared empty neighbor

Two matching stacks do not need to touch each other yet. If they both touch the same empty cell, a matching single can connect them. Count all the connected tokens, including the new tile, before you place.

This is why a single can be valuable even beside a small stack. Here, neither 2 nor 3 is close to 6 on its own. The empty cell between them is what makes the move work.

A matching color is not enough

Color alone does not create a connection. A gap, another color, or a distant stack breaks the path. A blue piece elsewhere on the board will not pull these stacks across empty space.

A duo or larger piece can also create a bridge, but every tile in the piece must fit on an empty cell first. A Bloom that would happen afterward cannot make an occupied placement legal.

Check the space you get back

When the total stays below 6, one gathered stack remains and its source cells become empty. When the total reaches 6, the gathered stack clears too. In this example, the move leaves two more empty cells than you had before placing.

A total above 6 earns an Overbloom bonus, but waiting for one is a tradeoff. A Bloom you can make now may create room for a tray piece you would otherwise struggle to place.

Try it in your next round

Scan for two matching stacks with one empty neighbor in common. You do not have to play the bridge immediately. Just notice whether another move would fill that useful space.