A bubble pops up in the arena. Is it worth going for? Here is what each of the six power-ups does, how rare it is, and when to take it.
From time to time a bubble appears somewhere in the arena. Roll one of your balls over it to grab it. Only one bubble is in the arena at a time, and it disappears after a few turns if nobody takes it. The stronger the effect, the rarer the bubble. Two of them are traps.
You get an extra ball for one shot. It cuts land like any other ball, and the land it takes stays yours after it disappears. Best moment: when you are behind and need a big turn, or when a rival trail is open and the extra ball can reach it.
Your next two shots are weaker. Not a disaster, but it makes long shots impossible. Avoid it when you need to reach a far wall soon. If your plan is short shots in a corner anyway, it barely hurts.
You tap the arena to drop a small wall. Balls bounce off it, so you can close a path to your trail or block the line a rival ball needs. The game never lets a block trap a ball in a corner, and if you tap too close to another wall, the block jumps to the nearest free spot. The clock pauses while you place it.
The ball that touches it suddenly turns and flies off in another direction. It is a gamble: it can send your ball straight into a rival trail, or leave you with a long trail in the open. Take it when you have nothing to lose.
For one shot, your trail cannot be broken. This is the one to go for: it lets you make the big, greedy cut across the middle that would normally be far too risky. Use it right away for the biggest piece of land you can reach.
The ball that touches it is destroyed. Stay away! It is very rare, but if you see it, check that none of your shots will roll over it.
In the shop you can buy a boost with coins: your next match against the computer starts with a +1 Ball, a Block or a Shield. Boosts are rare on purpose: one per match, three per day at most, and only in VS CPU mode, never online or in the World Cup.