Derby is a very complex part of the game and it can take awhile to get the hang of and master. But with a little help, anyone can excel at derby. Here are 10 insider derby tips to help you succeed on the race track.

1. Try to focus on training agility, will, intellect, and strength in that order of priority. Each derby track has a different ratio of surfaces. To get the most out of your morale, you want to spend your efforts on the surfaces that appear the most. There is a general acceptance among the derby community that grass appears the most (agility), dirt second (will), clay third (intellect), and water dead last (strength). The higher you train the stats that appear the most, the more you can take advantage and win races!
2. Your cheer cost is more important than your abilities. To put things in perspective, seasoned derby veterans are capable of winning most races with just their cheering. That’s right, no abilities! No hurries, no saps, no mutes … nothing! Your cheer cost carries you on the derby track. If you run out of morale, you won’t be going anywhere. Take your cheer cost seriously, obtain some selfish talents, and then show everyone who’s boss.
3. Practice, practice, practice! Knowing the courses well can shed precious seconds off your final time. If you’re familiar with the tracks, you’ll know what’s coming up next, where the stars are, and where all the hurdles are.
4. Be aware of where your opponents are on the track. This goes hand in hand with number three. If say you have a sap or mute as an ability, you don’t want to use that ability when your opponent is near a star. After all, you want to apply as much damage to your opponent as possible. You ideally want to use your abilities in “dead spots” – places on the track where there are no stars and not a lot of hurdles. If you know the tracks well, you can look at where your opponent is on the map and create some tremendous hurt for them.
5. Ignore the jump pads. The jump pads try to tell you when the “best” time to jump the hurdle is, but it’s much more effective to just spam the spacebar whenever you’re near a hurdle.
6. The inner lane is your best friend. When you can, hop on into the inner lane. The inner lane is your quickest path to the finish line and makes an incredible difference in a close race.
7. Being ahead isn’t always better. Sometimes staying behind can actually be pretty useful. If you have a sap or mute that only works from behind, don’t be afraid to lurk behind your opponents and take advantage. Constantly being muted and/or sapped will tire the leaders out and most of the time you can easily pass them at the very end of the race.
8. Spiffy-Pop is not the best ability out there. Spiffy-Pop is actually fairly easy to defend against. If you see a racer lagging behind you, save all your morale and speed boosts for the very last stretch of the race. You can usually outrun them to the finish line.
9. Stars are usually worth it, even if they’re in the outer lane. Stars give both immunity and a speed boost. A speed boost is always helpful, and if you happen to slip up and hit a hurdle or take a dip in the mud, you won’t be penalized with a debuff.
10. Be nice, and have fun! Having good sportsmanship makes it more likely that your opponents will help you out with a hatch, or just help you in general. Nobody likes a sore loser or a bragging winner. The true secret (and reward!) to derby is enjoying the challenge and making friends along the way.

Have any questions? Ask me in the comments!