Play free
How long it takes you to get home, against how long it takes someone to touch your trail. Win that race and you live. Make the other player lose it and you get the kill. The seven plays below are all about that one race.
Before you leave your land, find the nearest rival. Everyone moves at the same speed, so if they're closer to where your trail will be than you are to your border, they can cut it. Short loops near home are safe. Long ones only work when nobody's around. Turning costs time too: a full U-turn takes about half a second.
Nobody has to catch your cube. They only have to touch your line somewhere, and the far end of a long line is a long way from you. When someone turns toward you, go home the shortest way that doesn't pass them and bank what you have.
Flip it around when a rival is far from home. Aim for the part of their trail you can reach first, usually not the bit right behind them, and go straight at it. Get there before they get home and they're out.
You leave no trail inside your own territory, so nobody can cut you there. If someone's line runs across your land, drive over it without stepping off your ground. It costs you nothing.
Each new safe circle shows up before the storm closes. Head toward it early and claim ground on the way instead of racing the edge. Land outside the next circle is land you're about to lose, so don't risk a run for it.
The final circles are tiny and crowded. Stay inside, keep runs very short, and let other people take the risks. Kills and captures bank a little healing, and one at the right time can carry you across the storm.
The Free table has the same map, rules and opponents as paid ones. Get the race right there first. If you do play for money, only stake what you can afford to lose.