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How to play · six phases

Read the arena. Choose your exit.

Every run follows one clear rhythm: start equal, collect, boost, survive the storm, then extract or chase the crown.

  1. 01Route and carry
  2. 02Choose the window
  3. 03Contest the crown
04 · Selected

W1 / W2

Two-window choice
Six-step match loopSelect a phase to inspect it
60-second quick start

The controls and goal, without the jargon.

Arena value is a match score and resource. It is not the Wallet CU balance and does not have a fixed cash value.

01 · Move

Aim with mouse, trackpad, or touch

Your serpent follows the pointer. Read the route ahead: collecting more value makes you longer and harder to turn.

02 · Boost

Hold click or Space

Boosting creates speed by spending body mass and leaving a trail. Use it to win position, escape pressure, or reclaim your line.

03 · Extract

Hold E inside the live rim sector

When W1 or W2 opens, enter the highlighted edge sector and hold the extract control. Leaving the sector interrupts the attempt.

One Match Loop
Read the route, then decide how greedy the exit should be.

The same match language repeats through COIL: start even, collect value, pick a window, hold under pressure, then read the reproducible result report.

  1. 01StartThe opening feels competitive because the first edge is earned in the arena.
  2. 02CarryA richer snake becomes harder to steer, easier to read, and more tempting to bank.
  3. 03BoostThe best boost changes position without turning the whole run into a leak.
  4. 04W1/W2The window choice turns carry into either protected value or a larger, riskier SR move.
  5. 05StormDanger becomes readable instead of theatrical: inside survives, outside drains.
  6. 06ReportThe match leaves a clear learning artifact instead of a vague win or loss.
Scenario drill01

Carry and Mass

Rule
More value makes you stronger, but heavier to control.
What you do
Pick up value when the route can still support the extra mass.
Why it matters
Carry is what you can still protect. Mass is what turns greed into a visible handling cost.
A snake absorbs pickups, grows longer and heavier, and then takes the same turn with a wider, less stable arc.
Watch

Watch the snake collect value, grow longer, and miss the same corner once the mass catches up.

Scenario drill02

Boost Trail

Rule
Boosting spends value for speed.
What you do
Boost when tempo wins you position or lets you reclaim the trail you leave behind.
Why it matters
Good boosts buy space and still leave a recoverable line. Bad boosts only burn body.
A snake shortens during boost, leaves a recoverable dropped trail behind, and regains part of it on the return line.
Watch

Watch the snake burst, shrink, shed trail, and then recover part of that leak on the return.

Scenario drill03

Extraction Windows

Rule
W1 and W2 are timed chances to secure part of your run.
What you do
Use W1 to bank earlier, or hold for W2 when the richer extraction still has a playable route.
Why it matters
Extraction is a wide sector opportunity on the arena edge, not a tiny exit dot.
Two extraction windows, W1 and W2, show an earlier safe bank and a richer hold before secured value transfers to the rim.
Watch

Watch W1 offer the earlier bank, W2 widen the hold, and secured value move to the rim.

Scenario drill04

Storm / Exposure

Rule
The storm only matters when it can actually punish you.
What you do
Rotate early when pressure rises and ignore warnings that do not change the route.
Why it matters
Danger should feel late, immediate, and readable instead of hovering on screen forever.
  1. 01
    Inside laneSafe until the edge actually crosses the route.
  2. 02
    Outside drains massEach punishment tick shortens the body.
  3. 03
    Turn back inLoss stops once the line rotates back inside.
A storm boundary reaches the planned route, the snake loses body mass while it stays outside the ring, and the drain stops after the turn gets back inside.
Watch

Watch the boundary cross the route, strip body outside, and stop the drain once the turn gets back in.

Scenario drill05

Final Crown

Rule
The crown is the biggest reward and the biggest risk spike.
What you do
Stay in only if your position, value, and path to survive the collapse still make sense.
Why it matters
Late match pressure compresses value denial, survival, and timing into one readable climax.
Two snakes are pushed into the same late-game pocket as the playable room tightens around the crown and outer escape lanes disappear.
Watch

Watch the room tighten, crown control form, and both snakes collapse into one late pocket.

Scenario drill06

Post-match Breakdown

Rule
Every match should explain what you secured, lost, and could have changed.
What you do
Use the report to review extraction timing, boost waste, and the moment the run turned.
Why it matters
The result should feel like a tight audit with a clear next fix, not a spreadsheet dump.
A replay audit marks the leak, the bank moment, and the next fix in sequence so the run reads like a clear post-match review.
Watch

Watch the replay mark the leak, the bank, and the next-fix callout in the order they happened.

Modes and value

Match value and wallet value are different systems.

Choose a mode before queueing. Training and Ranked do not put wallet funds at risk. Cash Arena is in a limited rollout and is not yet available to every account. The rollout is expected to reach 100% of otherwise eligible accounts in supported locations by 1 September 2026; eligibility and live service checks still apply.

Arena value

What you collect during a match

Arena value affects mass, boost decisions, extraction, and the final match result. In Cash Arena it is used only as a payout weight under the disclosed rules—it is not automatically worth 1 Wallet CU.

Wallet CU

A display unit for USDC balance

Wallet CU is separate from gameplay: 100 Wallet CU represents approximately 1 USDC. Deposits and withdrawals, when available, use USDC on Base and carry blockchain risk.