Tetris Clone Versus Mode

I have been working on a tetris clone with pieces that consist of 1, 2, and 3 segments, which are dubbed Miniminos. And I would like to create a versus mode but I have a hard time deciding. I just wanna make the one type, given the fact this isn't a huge project for now. So I have some rules here that describe the versus modes that I have in mind. Pick which one you want in the poll:

Score Attack:
Score more points than your opponent before time runs out!

Line Battle:
Force your foe to the top with Line Attacks!

Block Brawl:
Clear lines to knock your foe's HP to 0!

 

I guess I'd say that a VS mode where you're not significantly interacting isn't very fun. Score Attack and Block Brawl sound like I'd already be trying to do those things in a single-player version of Tetris, so it doesn't feel different/interesting as a multi-player mechanic. But if Line Battle simple adds junk to the opponent's screen every time you get a line yourself, that may also be a bit boring, since I was already going to be trying to get lines.

I don't know. Maybe a version where the Miniminos are composed of special sub-squares, and if you get a line with 5+ of the same sub-square it does something interesting to your opponent?

 

Perhaps I should pull up the fact that the Score Attack is almost equivalent to the classic score attack in the old NES Tetris. And Block Brawl is supposed to be where you need to clear a certain number of lines to deal damage. As for the Line Battle, I've been thinking about implying a system where if you clear lines consecutively you might send out a Line Attack. Otherwise clearing a double or triple will result in throwing off your opponent by increasing the drop speed, like in Tetris Giant. I'm still working on all 3 concepts, but in the meantime, I guess I could scratch off the Block Brawl option for now and work on the other 2. I appreciate the feedback.

 

Probably just repeating myself, but I think the important things for a VS. mode for Tetris would include:

1. Giving players a way of actively "attacking" or messing with their opponents.
2. Not rewarding "typical" single-player gameplay. Instead, reward doing things that would not normally be optimal single-player behavior. I like the idea of having double- and triple-line clears do interesting attacks, since generally players would prefer to save up for a 4-line clear, if possible, and going for smaller clears would be sub-optimal. But, who knows.

I think the issue with Score Attack is the same problems lots of multi-players games run into: unless the players are very close in skill, it's pretty obvious who will win, so it's not particularly interesting for either player.

One nice feature in a lot of multi-player games is to make the person in first-place more vulnerable. Think: Blue turtle shells in Mario Kart. Or, how in Catan the person in the lead tends to get robbed the most. Maybe extra junk falls onto the screen of the player in first place, or maybe only the 2nd place player can perform certain attacks, to help them catch up.