But beyond the showstopping designs, what does it really take to survive the toughest and biggest renovation competition in the nation? Get great trades and be good to themThe tradies swinging the hammers and laying the tiles are your lifeline on The Block. Strategic teams know which rooms need the big-ticket items to wow the judges and which rooms can still have an impact, but remain cost-effective. "This is a real estate game, it's a construction game and it's a budget game," Scotty explained. Be strategicThere's a lot of talk about 'playing the game' on The Block, after all, it is a competition.