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How It Works

Learn the six decisions that shape every COIL match.

Use the mechanic console to focus one rule at a time: what changes, what you do, and why the result moves.

  1. 01Route and carry
  2. 02Choose the window
  3. 03Contest the crown
Mechanic consoleSix mechanics, one at a time.
04 Mechanic

W1 / W2

Rule
W1 is the earlier safety bank. W2 is the richer hold if the route can survive pressure.
What you do
Take W1 to secure value sooner, or hold for W2 when position and storm timing still look playable.
Consequence
The window choice turns carry into either protected value or a larger, riskier SR move.
04 selected mechanicTwo-window choiceTwo exits
  1. Before18 CU still exposed
  2. DuringW1 can bank; W2 can pay more
  3. AfterWindow choice sets SR movement
A COIL mechanic console with six tabs, focused rule, action, and consequence text for the selected mechanic.
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 signed 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.
Mechanic01

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.

Mechanic02

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.

Mechanic03

Extraction Windows

Rule
W1 and W2 are timed chances to cash out 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.

Mechanic04

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.

Mechanic05

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.

Mechanic06

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.