head to head
vs
Bust-a-Move DSvsTricky Towers
Bust-a-Move DS leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Tricky Towers leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Bust-a-Move DSTricky Towers
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 7
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads2 vs 2
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance4 vs 3
Bust-a-Move DS leans harder on variance: Upcoming bubble colors are random but quickly mapped
Optimization5 vs 4
Bust-a-Move DS leans harder on optimization: Bank shots and chain-pop planning have known optimal play
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.