Heat Tournament Mode: Gear and Cards as One Decision

Tournament Mode is the last section of the Advanced Play and Championship System booklet, and it changes only one step. That step is the moment everyone commits to their gear. The competitive Heat lesson covered the rule and where it is used, including the 2026 World Boardgaming Championships event, which had gear and cards declared together. This lesson is about how to drive under it.

The rule, again

• In step 1, nobody moves their Gear pawn. Everyone still plays cards in step 2.
• In step 3, as you reveal, show how many cards you played, then move your Gear pawn to match.
• If that is a two-gear shift, pay 1 Heat right then.

If you shifted two gears and cannot pay the Heat, the cards are fixed for you. Shifting up: discard one of your played cards at random. Shifting down: add a random Basic card from your deck, flipped the same way as for a Stress card. Then set your Gear pawn to the correct gear.

What changes for you

Gear and cards are one decision. Under the standard rules, you set your gear in step 1 and then play that many cards, and the table may see your shift first. In Tournament Mode you look at your hand, decide how many cards to play, and that number is your gear. Nothing about your plan shows until the reveal.

That flexibility has limits. You can still move only one gear for free from where your pawn sits. A two-gear jump costs 1 Heat, and three gears is impossible. So the gear you ended last round still shapes this one.

What changes about your rivals

Under the standard rules, gear pawns move in step 1, so you can often see a rival’s shift before cards are committed. In Tournament Mode, you cannot. What you still know:

• Last round’s gear, so each rival’s free choices are a range of three gears at most, and only two from 1st or 4th. A two-gear jump widens that, for 1 Heat.
• Every Engine. A rival with an empty Engine cannot pay for a two-gear jump, so their range shrinks to one gear either way.
• Every position, distance to the next corner, and that corner’s limit.

The ranges from the reading rivals lesson still work. They are a little wider.

Plan with the gear you will end in

Your Cooldown depends on your gear: 3 in 1st, 1 in 2nd. In Tournament Mode, playing one card means you end in 1st gear and cool down 3 that round. So when you want a cooldown, the plan is simple: play one or two cards.

The catch is the jump. Dropping from 3rd to 1st for a Cooldown 3 is a two-gear shift, so it costs 1 Heat. You still gain 2 Heat net, but it is less than you might count on. From 4th, 1st gear is out of reach this round.

The miscount

Tournament Mode makes one mistake easy: playing a number of cards that needs a two-gear shift you cannot pay. Both fixes cost you. Shifting up, a random card leaves your Play Area, which may be your 4. Shifting down, a random Basic card joins it, which may push you over a corner’s limit.

Make it a habit: before you place your cards face down, count them, compare to your current gear, and if the difference is two, check your Engine for a Heat.

Tactics that get stronger

Late surprises. Rivals plan around your current gear. If you sit in 2nd for a corner, rivals expect a short move. Jumping to 4th when the straight opens, paying 1 Heat, catches cars that planned to slipstream behind you.

Holding a gear. The flip side: if you have stayed in a gear for several rounds, rivals may start to read it as fixed. Use that when you need them to guess wrong.

Slipstream timing. With less certainty about where cars ahead will land, the decision you make after seeing them, React and Slipstream, carries more weight. Keep a little Heat for a Boost that reaches a slipstream spot.

Practice it before it counts

Tournament Mode feels odd for a race or two, mostly because hands go to the Gear pawn out of habit in step 1. Race it at home until playing cards without touching your pawn feels normal. Check each event’s own rules, too: formats vary, and some use the standard gear rule.