lava-stage

name	lava-stage
description	Use Lava Stage when the best move is to convert workable terrain into punishing terrain, forcing the opponent to either keep taking damage, leave valuable panels, or route through narrower safer lanes.

Lava Stage

Turn part of the field into hostile ground so movement, timing, and positioning start costing the target.

Overview

Use Lava Stage when the best move is to convert workable terrain into punishing terrain, forcing the opponent to either keep taking damage, leave valuable panels, or route through narrower safer lanes.

This is the secondary Codex compatibility rendering of a hybrid battle-chip pattern with a shipping-now execution model.

Canonical chip family: Lava Stage Codex shelf: Control and Terrain Provider target: Codex compatibility surface.

When To Use

• The problem is not lack of ownership alone; you need the current ground to become uncomfortable or expensive for the target.
• You want to deny easy standing positions without relying on a single blocker or delayed trigger.
• Ongoing pressure from the terrain would produce better movement than one shove or one narrow grab.

Workflow

1. Identify the exact zone, lane, or standing pattern that should become unsafe to linger on.
2. Convert only the panels that materially change movement incentives or operating tempo.
3. Exploit the forced repositioning, constrained safe tiles, or sustained environmental pressure that follows.

Deliverables

• A bounded hazardous zone that changes how the target can move or hold position.
• A short note describing which safe lanes remain and what new behavior the hazard is meant to force.

Guardrails

• Do not lava the whole field when one hot lane would create enough pressure.
• Do not create hazardous terrain your own side cannot route around or survive.
• If the problem needs a precise trigger, a visible blocker, or a clean ownership transfer, use a different chip.

Default Invocation

Use Lava Stage to turn the highest-value standing zone into bounded hazardous terrain, explain what movement or hesitation it should force, and identify the safe lane we should exploit next.