If one of the equation is in the form y = ....
or x = .... , or can easily be changed to one of those forms, I would use substitution
e.g
3x + 4y = 36
y = 2x+3
definitely use substitution
When is the substitution method a better method than graphing for solving a system of linear equations?
2 answers
what is the Solving Systems Using Substitution quick check answers?