In the image above, Eligor has played a Burst, while Shekhtur has played a Drive. All too often, players confronted with such a position tend not to think too hard about their options.

"Shekhtur will hit me no matter what," thinks Eligor. "so it doesn't matter whether I retreat one or two spaces at Start of Beat." This line of thinking, although intuitive, is blind to the importance of positioning. It ignores the fact that Eligor might be stronger in some positions than others.

If he's going to get hit no matter what, he needs to choose the most advantageous positioning for future beats. Understanding positioning means knowing how to compare the difference in positions and choose the better outcome.

Why positioning matters

Even if we acknowledge that there is a technical difference between Eligor retreating one or two spaces, we have not yet seen that this actually changes anything. After all, in either case, Eligor will get hit for the same amount of damage. Selecting the number of spaces to retreat may seem like a meaningless formality.

This is not true. The importance of your choices and the impact of positioning is rooted in a simple axiom: it is good to hit your opponent. Behind all the fancy mid-beat maneuvering is a desire to hit the opponent with your attacks, thereby inflicting damage and, eventually, eliminating your opponent. If one position makes it easier for Eligor to hit Shekhtur than the other, that position is in some way superior.

From that axiom, we may derive two similar principles: setting things up to hit your opponents in the future is just as good, and it is good to avoid getting hit. Just like the first axiom, these goals can be achieved far more easily with the help of proper positioning by Eligor.

Keep these goals in mind at all times when selecting your moves.

Important Spaces

We've talked about what positioning is and what a good position should accomplish. But you won't understand how to set up a good position until you understand how the board acts as a natural structure or framework to help you achieve your goals. Every fighter is slightly different from every other in terms of the way they wish to set up, but every game of BattleCON is played on the same board (excluding Arenas). A strong understanding of the spaces on the board and how they contribute to positioning is important no matter whom you wish to play.

The Corners / Edges

The corner spaces, or edge spaces, are the spaces at the very ends of the board. They possess one unique property that no other space on the board shares: they have a wall behind them. Under normal circumstances, no fighter may move beyond the edge of the board. This restricts two important movement options – one for the fighter in the edge space (the "cornered fighter"), one for that fighter's opponent (the "cornering fighter").

- The cornered fighter may not retreat. Bases like Burst will not help you evade your opponent while you are in the corner. Since opponents do not have to be wary of your Burst, they can more easily hit you with Grasp or Strike. This ability to hit a cornered fighter becomes even more important when the cornering fighter has an effect that counters Dodge by preventing the cornered fighter from moving past them. In that situation, both of the typical evasion Bases, Burst and Dodge, are effectively unplayable.

- Opponents may not move past the cornered fighter. Just like being cornered prevents you from Bursting, cornering yourself prevents your opponents from Dodging you. This natural Dodge counter persists until you move out of the corner, which makes it possible to repeatedly deny your opponent access to their strongest base. However, be aware that opponents may still retreat with Dodge and, if your range is insufficient, evade your attack by doing so.

Since cornering yourself reduces your ability to evade opponent attacks, but increases your ability to land your own attacks, you should try to corner yourself when you are the more threatening fighter and have the upper hand. If you have no need for playing Burst and they are unable to Dodge, they will have no choice but to trade blows, which benefits you since you have more powerful attacks – and the ability to Dodge past them if you deem it necessary.

Think of the corner as a Dodge counter that every fighter possesses. It's an especially useful way to ensure that particularly devastating attacks can't be dodged. By positioning yourself in the corner, you force the opposing fighter to do something or risk taking your strongest attack pair to the face.

The Center

The center space is the space in the very middle of the board. The center is in a position to easily hit any other position on the board, making it difficult to evade attacks from the center. At the same time, it ensures that your own fighter will always have space to retreat. There are a few important things to note about the center space.

- The center brings every other space within reach. No space on the board is further than 3 spaces away from the center. In other words, if you want to have full-board confirm (i.e., the ability to hit any space on the board), you merely need a maximum range of 3. This is far more powerful than standing on spaces 3 or 5 (the spaces to either side of the center), from which you need a maximum range of 4 for full-board confirm. Range 3 can be achieved by both Shot and Drive, and a +0-2 range Style puts it within the reach of Grasp or Strike.

If you have a powerful Drive or Shot pair, you can play it safely without worrying that the opponent will avoid your attack. The only way for them to do so reliably is with Dodge, since Burst doesn't work against either of those two Bases.

- The center prevents corner crosses. Generally, when a fighter is standing in any space other than a center or an edge, the board can be divided into two "halves" – one smaller, one larger. For instance, examine the board below.