Zone Detonation

At the end of turn 5, a square marked as Zone D will appear on the map. This means that 4 turns later, on turn 9, this square will explode and become impassable, destroying everything in it.

On turn 6, another square will be marked, which will explode on turn 10, and so on, turn after turn.

This makes the maximum game duration exactly 𝑁 + 8 turns.

Focusing on eliminating enemies by pushing them into squares that are about to detonate is a classic strategy that shouldn't be ignored. Therefore, you must be vigilant every turn to avoid being pushed. Every single turn. It's also advisable to reserve the "move" action because you never know when you'll end up in a Zone D.

D-Zones are chosen randomly so that they never split the island in two.