Mynci Beach Volleyball: the Way to WIN!

As always, let us start with the basics before we go into the wonder tips! You play a lovely, calm looking blue Mynci who has a fantastic talent at Beach Volleyball and your job is to play a few strenuous rounds against another challenger, who also happens to be a Mynci – hence the name, clever no? With the help of some nifty bonuses and spiffy techniques of your own, this game starts off slow but ends up becoming very heated; I dare you to try and stand on that hot sand for six long rounds of physical activity. Whether you are cheering for the blue or the red Mynci (but why would you be cheering on the opponent, wake up!), you have to admit it – these guys have stamina!

Right, where were we? Back to basics. The aim: To hit the volleyball over the net and have the opponent either miss completely or mis-hit the ball. If the volleyball hits the ground in their side of the court, you score a point. If the volleyball hits the ground on your side of the court, your opponent will gain a point. Sounds simple, does it not?

Ah, but this is no ordinary game of beach volleyball! Meet Petrie the Pawkeet! Petrie has a tragic history, involving his banishment from the Deckball courts due to some unhygienic incidents on the court, so nobody had the heart to send him away from the volleyball courts. You will be pleased to know that he has proven himself to be not so much of a nuisance here. Petrie has the ability to grant special bonuses to the Mynci who plans his volleyball attacks wisely. I will not go into great detail with these bonuses, as you might recall an article a few issues back in the Neopian Times that describes them for you; if you have a spare few minutes, head on over to the archives and have a read. Or, you can attempt the game yourself and learn as you go. Either way, here are the bonuses in short form, for your reading pleasure.

Big Net – Makes the net taller in height.

Small Net – Makes the net smaller in height.

Supersize – Makes you larger in size.

Superspeed – Makes you move more speedily.

Superjump – Makes you jump higher and hit harder.

Turdle – Places a turdle in front of your opponent and traps them for approximately three seconds.

Some of these bonuses are fantastic, and others are not so fantastic. What you need to remember is that while you can trigger these by aiming your volleyball shot at Petrie the Pawkeet, so too can your opponent. And make no mistake, that little red Mynci knows lots of tricks too; you will need to be playing with a strategy to beat him well.

Now, moving forward to the actual game plan that I have devised which will send you on your way to avatar or trophy heaven! Let me just say before I start though, that reading this guide will not magically entitle you to Top 50 scores right away. This game requires practice and most of all, patience. Be prepared to spend some time honing your new skills and remember – it may not happen overnight, but it will happen!

Helpful and Handy Hints

Isn’t alliteration wonderful? I have decided to do this in a walk-through type format, as I have found that the beginning rounds are often the most important round of the game, so it is important to know when and where to be focusing on things.

# Rounds 1 and 2

As I have said previously, these rounds really are crucial to your game play – now is the time to score a perfect round of 12. The reasoning behind this is that the red Mynci opponent starts out weak but gets stronger – therefore, if you cannot defeat him perfectly in this round, you have less chance in the latter rounds when he has upped his game. I always aim for a perfect score in Round 1, and start over if I do not achieve this. I have found that the red Mynci almost always messes up easy shots, meaning it should not be all that hard for your blue Mynci to defeat him here.

Use these early rounds to get to know the volleyball court. There is a pattern about where you need to position your Mynci to hit the volleyball; it is difficult to explain, but here goes. When the opponent hits long shots and the volleyball soars towards the very back of your court, it can often rebound off the wall and head forward again. Without any bonuses, your blue Mynci does not move very fast and you need to take his slowness into account whilst you are positioning yourself.

Another important thing to notice about the volleyball court is in regards to the actual net, when it is in its regular size. Your opponent has a habit of tapping his volleyball just over the net, where it will bounce several times on the net before you are able to volley it back. Again, just be aware of your positioning for this trick and you will be able to send it flying back with ease. Another interesting move is when your opponent hits a low, but long volley which bounces off the net. Here you will notice that the ball bounces once or twice on the net mid-volley, and you will need to be judging as best you can be. Sometimes the ball will fall and be ready to volley back; however, sometimes the ball will keep bouncing – as though there is still an invisible net beneath it. I often get caught out here, as it is hard to say when it will fall and when it will bounce. Therefore to be safe I always stand underneath it ready to volley back, and then move around quickly if needed.

Use these rounds to also get to know your bonus shots a little better. Petrie the Pawkeet is completely random when he gives out his bonuses, and your opponent has an equal change of obtaining a useful one. My favourite bonuses are Supersize and Superjump; give it some time and you will also find your own favourites. I find it the most useful when the red Mynci opponent gets the Superspeed and Superjump bonuses for himself, as he often makes mistakes when he is using these skills. Play around with any bonuses you obtain and get to know how to use them to your advantage. One hint to remember is that if your opponent triggers the Turdle bonus for you, try and avoid that area until you win a point and have the volleyball in your possession. There is no time limit for how long you hold onto the volleyball, so you can then safely get trapped in the Turdle and then released without losing any points!

# Rounds 3 and 4

During these rounds, you will observe that the red Mynci suddenly starts becoming sneakier and putting in some harder shots; especially when he has good bonuses behind his belt. Be on your guard, think things through, and remember what you already know. Sometimes missing a shot cannot be helped, but always try and think ahead and remember your positioning and any bonuses you might have and also hope for a little luck.

By now, you should have a particular style of shot that is most useful to you. Again it is hard to describe the actual shots you can make, as it all depends on where you hit the volleyball, whether you are moving whilst you make the shot, whether you jump whilst hitting the volleyball – you get the idea. My personal favourite is waiting as long as possible before hitting the volleyball, resulting in extremely low shots. It can be risky at first, but once you get used to it can lead to many points as the opponent Mynci doesn’t know what hit him! Once you find your signature shot, use it as much as you can, as in my experience, it can win you the game.

# Rounds 5 and 6

So now you can see the sun setting on the horizon of Mystery Island, the game is almost over. You have stuck it out, you have practiced the tricks of the trade and hopefully you have kept your opponent’s points down to a minimum. You are almost there – but this is the time to start taking some extra precautions to ensure that you get through the game with the highest possible score!

No doubt you are tired, but remain patient! Sometimes you will notice the opponent Mynci can take forever to even make a shot. Honestly, there has been the occasion where I was tempted to go and make myself a cup of hot borovan and even after doing that, the Mynci would still be bouncing the ball in a parallel line above his head, over and over again. It is when you start losing concentration that the opponent can throw in a few tricky shots and the game will start going downhill. Remain alert! If it means leaving the game for a while (when you are in possession of the ball, of course) and taking a break, do so. You need to be most vigilant at this stage of the game.

Now that you are in the home stretch, the goal remains the same – keep the Mynci from scoring! Use your favourite volleyball technique as best you can, be ultra prepared when the red Mynci makes his moves, and wind him down with your fabulous technique! Here is when the opponent will often make mistakes with his bonuses – Superjump is a prime example. The Mynci will attempt to use this bonus shot too early, and will end up being stuck up in the air for a high jump, whilst the ball falls flat. Hope for some luck here and soon it will all be over!

So there you have it – some interesting tips for how to get better at Mynci Beach Volleyball. I hope this has given you some things to think about and work on to improve your game and remember to always take your time and be patient, as that is the key aspect of this game compared to lots of others. I got the avatar when the game was first released, after practicing hard. I kept at it after then, and was lucky enough to receive a silver trophy in the most recent score reset, so it is definitely possible. Most importantly, have a great time! Be sure to send me a Neomail and let me know if this guide helped you, best of luck to all.

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