The Strategy of MineDrop
MineDrop is a hybrid logic puzzle that fuses the proximity-based mechanics of Minesweeper with the row-column summation logic of Nonograms (Discrete Tomography). By providing "Perimeter Data"—the exact number of mines in each row and column—MineDrop eliminates the "forced guesses" common in standard Minesweeper variants.
The "Perimeter Scanner" Advantage
The most common mistake new players make is ignoring the numbers on the edges of the board. These are your primary source of deductive information.
The Zero Scan: Before revealing any tiles, scan the perimeter for 0s. If a row is marked '0', the entire line is safe to dig immediately. This acts as your "Opening Move."
The Saturation Rule: If a row has a perimeter value of 3, and there are only 3 unrevealed tiles left in that row, all three must be mines. Flag them immediately.
Intersection Logic: If Row 1 has a value of '1' and Column 1 has a value of '1', and they share a revealed mine at the intersection (R1, C1), you know that the rest of Row 1 and Column 1 are completely safe.
Advanced Pattern Recognition
Because MineDrop is played on a compact 5x5 grid, standard Minesweeper patterns appear frequently but have higher consequences due to the board density.
1. The "1-2-1" Pattern
If you see a sequence of numbers "1-2-1" against a straight wall of unrevealed tiles, the mines are always under the two 1s, and the tile under the 2 is safe. This is a mathematical certainty derived from the overlap of the '2'.
2. The "1-2" End Game
At the end of a block of unrevealed tiles, if you see a '1' next to a '2', the tile next to the '2' (on the outside) is always a mine.
Probability & Density
The difficulty of MineDrop scales by increasing the "Mine Density" of the 5x5 grid (25 tiles total):
Normal (3 Mines): 12% Density. Safe openings are guaranteed via the Perimeter Scanner.
Hard (4 Mines): 16% Density. Requires checking neighbor counts against perimeter counts.
Hardest (5 Mines): 20% Density. This is significantly higher than Expert Minesweeper (usually ~16%). With 1 in 5 tiles being a mine, you must rely on "Negative Information"—deducing where mines cannot be—to survive.