9 Special Formats

9.1 SPEC Playmaker Format

Game Mode: Playmaker

Hero Deck:

• Standard 60-card construction rules apply (see Playmaker Mode).
• No single Hero card in the deck may have Power above 160.

Hot Dog Deck:

• Must contain exactly 10 Hot Dog cards.
• Duplicates allowed.

Playbook Deck:

• Must contain exactly 30 Play cards.
• May add Bonus Plays in addition to the required 30 Play cards.
• All cards must be unique — no duplicates allowed.

Sideboard: If applicable, you may register up to 45 standard plays for your deck and an unlimited number of bonus plays. You can make changes between matches to form any legal deck from your available registered plays. You MAY NOT change your deck between games within a single match.

9.2 SPEC+ (Spec Plus)

Game Mode: Playmaker

SPEC+ is a variant of the Spec format that allows a limited number of higher-Power Heroes while maintaining the core structure of a Spec deck.

Deck Requirements

Hero Deck Hero Decks in SPEC+ must follow these rules:

A SPEC+ Hero Deck may contain between 60 and 70 Hero cards.

At least 60 Heroes must have a Power value of 160 or less. This is the minimum requirement to participate in the format.

Players may include up to 10 additional Heroes with Power greater than 160, subject to the following limits:

• Up to two (2) Heroes with 165 Power may be included.
• Up to two (2) Heroes with 170 Power may be included.
• Only one (1) Hero may be included for each Power value from 175 through 200.
• No Heroes with Power above 200 may be included in this format.

Hot Dog Deck

• Must contain exactly 10 Hot Dog cards.
• Duplicate Hot Dog cards are allowed.

Playbook Deck

• Must contain exactly 30 Play cards.
• Players may include Bonus Plays in addition to the required 30 Plays.
• All Plays must be unique. No duplicates are allowed.

All other standard Deck Building Rules apply.

9.3 Elite Playmaker

Game Mode: Playmaker

Hero Deck:

• Standard 60-card construction rules apply (see Playmaker Mode).
• The total power of all Heroes in the deck must not exceed 8,250 Combined Power.

Hot Dog Deck:

• Must contain exactly 10 Hot Dog cards.
• Duplicates allowed.

Playbook Deck:

• Must contain exactly 30 Play cards.
• May add Bonus Plays in addition to the required 30 Play cards.
• All cards must be unique — no duplicates allowed.

Sideboard: If applicable, you may register up to 45 standard plays for your deck and an unlimited number of bonus plays. You can make changes between matches to form any legal deck from your available registered plays. You MAY NOT change your deck between games within a single match.

9.4 Double-Up Add-On

Double-Up is an optional mechanic that may be added to any BoBA Game Mode. It introduces a Press and Fold system that allows players to increase the number of points a game is worth.

Double-Up may only be used in events where it is explicitly announced by the Tournament Organizer.

Match Structure

Each game of seven Battles begins worth 1 point.

Players compete until one Coach reaches 7 total points. That Coach wins the match.

Press Rule

Each Coach may Press once per game.

Pressing doubles the number of points the current game is worth.

Presses may be declared at the following times:

• After starting hands are drawn but before Heroes are placed into Battle Zones
• Before the start of any Battle after Battle 1

Press Resolution

When a Press opportunity occurs, the Coach with honors chooses to Press or Pass.

If the Coach with honors Passes, the game continues normally.

If the Coach with honors Presses, the opponent must choose one of the following:

• Fold — The game immediately ends and the pressing Coach earns 1 point
• Accept — The game continues and is now worth 2 points
• Press Back — (only if they have not used their own Press this game)

If a Press Back occurs, the original Coach must choose:

• Fold — The opponent earns 2 points
• Accept — The game continues and is now worth 4 points

If a Coach accepts a Press but has not yet used their own Press, they may still Press later in the game.

If a later Press occurs while the game is worth 2 points, the opponent must:

• Accept and continue the game for 4 points, or
• Fold and award the opponent 2 points

Ties

Games played with Double-Up cannot end in a tie.

If a game would end in a tie after seven Battles, Top Deck is used to determine the winner:

• Each Coach reveals the top card of their Hero Deck
• The Hero with the higher Power wins the game
• If both Heroes have equal Power, repeat the process until a winner is determined