Phalanx Formation
Difficulty: ★★★★★
At the start of the game, North Macedonia arranges their cups into two horizontal rows of 5, touching. Cups in the back row cannot be sunk. When a front row cup is sunk, the cup directly behind it moves forward to fill that spot. If both cups in a vertical row are sunk (i.e., a gap is left), then all cups automatically shuffle inwards to fill this gap. The formation ‘collapses’ when there is less than 6 cups remaining, or when two ‘shuffles’ have occurred. When the formation collapses, North Macedonia must drink all but 3 cups, and then the game continues with normal pong. On the opposition’s next turn, they may re-rack these cups into a triangle, as normal.
| Country | Interactions/technicalities with other countries |
|---|---|
| n/a | 6-cup variation: North Macedonia start with 6 cups, in two rows of 3. Again, only the front row can be sunk. The formation collapses down to 2 cups, after 3 cups have been sunk, or after one ‘shuffle’. |
| Egypt | If a vertical row has been removed from North Macedonia’s setup (i.e., North Macedonia has 4 cups in the front row), Egypt may move a cup and place it adjacent to the front row, as if the original five cups were still in play. Any cups left by themselves in a row must be brought forward, as usual, however. |
