One of the larger sidequests and minigames of Kingdom Hearts 3D is the Flick Rush tournaments, playable at the Colosseum in the Fourth District of Traverse Town.

During this section, we will detail the cups, how to unlock them, the basics of the minigame, and the contents of the cups. I would also discuss the Spirits’ movesets, had they not been rank-specific.

There are various conditions for unlocking the various cups you can play, which I will briefly detail here:

The Basics of Flick Rush¶

Consider Flick Rush a real-time version of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, for the basics of this. Prior to each match, you are given the opportunity to choose three Spirits, of any specie or rank; actual field stats will not matter, for they seem to get standardized here, much like Pokémon are forced into Level 50 for the world championships.

During the match, there are some components on the Touch Screen. The most prominent feature are the cards. These are the Spirit’s commands, and each have various effects you’ll learn throughout the game. They are also the same as the Spirits may use in actual battle. Slide them upward to build an attack, and down for defense. More on that later.

Below that, there is a pink/yellow gauge divided into four units. When you use commands, you can chain their numerical values together for every unit you have on that gauge, and while the attack has yet to be executed.

For example, you can chain up to four commands together, and, if you’re lucky, five. Defensive use of the cards will not count against the gauge. The gauge does refill slowly over time.

Below there are icons representing your Spirits, their HP, and how many cards are left in their deck. Tap a Spirit to switch to it. Hold the stylus on the icon of the Spirit being used to charge back up its deck towards 15 cards. Cards will refill slowly over time when the Spirit is not in use.

So, what are those numeric values on the cards?

Those represent your offense and defense strength. When you move a card up to attack, or down to defend, the move is given a numeric value. If you chain multiple moves together, you’ll be using the FIRST move chosen, and the values add together until you end up switching to defense or offense from the other.

Note that stars will always become trump and defeat any card; if you’re using one, it is best to NOT use it as part of a combo unless you want a particular attack.

Your opponent will be doing the same thing. If you attack when they are doing nothing, or their defense (blue) is lower than your offense (orange), you will break through the defense, neutralizing the cards, if applicable, and deal damage. If your attack is higher than the opponent’s, you shatter the cards and deal damage.

If your offense is lower than the opponent’s, you lose your cards, and will likely be hurt. If your offense is lower than the opponent’s DEFENSE, your attack is merely neutralized and no damage is dealt. If two values tie, regardless of if they are for defense or offense, you’ll have to match up some cards.

The current stacks are on the top screen; slide cards up from the Touch Screen (or down into the trash) until you or your opponent match three cards. Whoever loses will take damage, but the damage is not from the actual move; any effects of any moves used are negated and replaced.

If you successfully defend, your first card in the chain will receive a doubled value (stars remain as stars), and will turn into a special command. These commands can vary, and include Thundaga, Elixir, Faith, and Mega Flare. You can also re-use them to defend again - just be sure they are the first in the chain so you keep them!

Your goal is to knock out your opponent’s Spirits’ HP before they do so to you. There are a variety of commands you can use, and that covers the basics of Flick Rush.

After winning a match, you’ll receive stats on the match (HP left, time taken, attack success percentage, and successful blocks), your rank (C to Star), and a note on how many medals you’ve won. Between matches, you can also find out if you’ve ranked up or unlocked a new cup or something.

There is a trophy for winning every match in the Flick Rush tourneys, and you will also get a Keyblade, the Sweet Dreams, for it. However, the Tournament Completion percentage will not be complete until you get star-ranked on every single match in the tournaments, resulting in a Gold Prize.

It is not needed by any means except for the completionism, but, if ya want the medals…

My Personal Technique and Recommendations¶

My personal technique seems to go quite well for me. Even on Critical mode, I was able to easily gain star-ranks on all matches except one or two in the Secret Cup on my first try.

For this, you’ll need three Spirits that have their special command as Faith. I typically use Aura Lion and Halbird, and am usually forced into Kooma Panda or Pegaslick. Take your choice.

During the fight, you’ll want to take as little damage as possible. Early on, maintaining a defense should be extremely easy. Defend and then strike back with Faith to deal damage AND heal HP. When defending, I recommend sliding all four cards down (or one star card), with the highest value going first.

While the defense is going up, begin to reload your deck. Often, you’ll end up being unsuccessfully attacked and gaining a new command, and usually with three or four units left in the action gauge.

Chain that command together with another (unless it is a star) to make sure it is not negated. Faith will damage and heal part of everyone’s HP, which is good.

Offense will typically consist of Faith, but opponents tend to be able to also just defend for long periods of time. Once their defense is up, blast through it with something, if possible; otherwise, just reload or use a basic curative command you may have (Curaga).

During your offense, you will also want to try, on occasion, to use two-to-four card chains. I would prefer you pick ones that take a relatively long time to do, such as Claw Combo with Aura Lion, that allow for at least a half-stage reload of cards.

There will likely come many times, especially in the Horror and Secret Cups, when your offenses are negated, even if they have 20+ power. Don’t worry about it. Any mistake can be easily overcome. If you lose more than 1/3 of any Spirit’s HP, or whatever standard you prefer, focus moreso on the defensive front.

Remember, there is often time before an attack is executed where you can see the power of it; try to match it.

Which brings me to my next point. The CPU can be a douche sometimes, often fooling you into going along by trying a high-card/high-power offense, then just sliding in a star card in some way. Ignore it and move on; odds are, you will likely have time to reload anyways.

Additionally, if you have two units in the action gauge, you can also switch to another Spirit at the right time to not be hit.

That pretty much summarizes it. It is a little complex once you get down into it, but, once you learn it, you’ll be blazing through the matches with ease.

Flick Rush Cup Detailings¶

Training Cup

Difficulty: 1/5

My Rating: 0.5/5

Finals: Meow Wow, Komory Bat, and Hebby Repp

Beginner’s Cup

Difficulty: 1/5

My Rating: 0.5/5

Match #1: Yoggy Ram, Pricklemane, Hebby Repp

Finals: Meowjesty, Kooma Panda, Tama Sheep

Rainbow Cup

Difficulty: 2/5

My Rating: 1/5

Match #1: Tama Sheep, Juggly Pup, Iceguin Ace

Match #2: Fin Fatale, Tatsu Steed, Woeflower

Match #3: Wheeflower, Toximander, Sir Kyroo

Finals: Jestabocky, Kooma Panda, Staggerceps

Digital Cup

Difficulty: 2/5

My Rating: 1/5

Match #1: Cyber Yog, KO Kabuto, Escarglow

Finals: Peepsta Hoo, Eaglider, Cyber Yog

Tin Pin Cup

Difficulty: 3/5

My Rating: 1.5/5

Match #1: Woeflower, Ducky Goose, KO Kabuto

Match #2: Escarglow, Fishboné, Staggerceps

Match #3: Tatsu Blaze, Zolephant, Cera Terror

Finals: Necho Cat, Tyranto Rex, Sudo Neku

Speed Cup

Difficulty: 3/5

My Rating: 0.5/5

Finals: Me Me Bunny, Halbird, Thunderaffe

Note: There is a special rule to this cup: the action gauge will never drop. That means you can use any many commands at once as you wish, within reason. The other ideals, such as time, still exist. Obviously.

Yummy Cup

Difficulty: 4/5

My Rating: 2/5

Match #1 : Fin Fatale, Juggle Pup, Iceguin Ace

Match #2: Tatsu Blaze, KO Kabuto, Chef Kyroo

Finals: Ghostabocky, R&R Seal, Frootz Cat

Final Cup

Difficulty: 4/5

My Rating: 2.5/5

Match #1: Flowbermeow, Komory Bat, Ducky Goose

Match #2: Pricklemane, Aura Lion, Necho Cat

Match #3: Sir Kyroo, Lord Kyroo, Chef Kyroo

Finals: Majok Lapin, Pegaslick, Ryu Dragon

Horror Cup

Difficulty: 5/5

My Rating: 4/5

Finals: Fishboné, Skelterwild, Ghostabocky

Secret Cup

Difficulty: 5/5

My Rating: 5/5

Match #1: Pegaslick, Halbird, Kab Kannon

Match #2: Majik Lapin, Ursa Circus, Electricorn

Match #3: Drak Quack, Skelterwild, Ryu Dragon

Match #4: Meowjesty, Meowjesty, Meowjesty

Finals: Keeba Tiger, Cera Terror, Tyranto Rex