BoBA 2026 is officially here with expanded formats, deeper strategy, and the most ambitious competitive season yet... bigger than anything we’ve ever done.
This year features over half a million dollars in total prizing.
That prize pool exists because of this community: the players who show up, the collectors who build, and the Coaches who believe in the game. The BoBA World Championships return to The National, alongside Regional events across the country, bringing everything you’ve been collecting and preparing for into one place.
Before we get into formats, divisions, and schedules, one thing matters most.
BoBA will always be fun-first. Respect, camaraderie, and good sportsmanship are non-negotiable. We take the game seriously, but never at the expense of the people playing it.
Be competitive.
Be very competitive.
Just pair it with kindness and respect.
Alright... let’s get into it.
You’re Not a Player Anymore. You’re a Coach
Every BoBA player is now officially a Coach.
As a Coach, you’re not just playing cards... you’re leading a squad of Heroes into battle. You set the roster. You call the Plays. You decide when to push, when to hold, and when to make the move that flips the game. Winning isn’t about luck... it’s about decisions, timing, and reading your opponent. Even in Rookie Mode, most games are won by better coaching, not better draws.
To keep BoBA accessible, Assistant Coaches are allowed for younger players or those with special needs. This rule exists to help, not to gain an advantage. Anyone abusing it risks disqualification at the Head Judge’s discretion.
In BoBA, the Heroes bring the power. You bring the strategy.
Key Gameplay Updates
Here are a few important rule changes every Coach should know:
Unlimited Versions of a Hero
There’s no longer a limit on how many times a Hero can appear in your deck (exact card copies still follow standard rules)
Rookie Mode Placement Is Intentional
In Rookie Mode, you must look at your hand and intentionally place Heroes one by one. No blind placement. No look, shuffle, and drop.
This keeps Rookie Mode aligned with its spirit: accessible, strategic, and most importantly… fun!
Judges will have wide discretion to assess violations.
Hero Deck Formats at a Glance
BoBA 2026 features multiple deck formats, each built for different play styles:
- APEX: No power limit. Go big. Max 6 Heroes per power.
- SPEC: 160 power cap. Precision matters. Max 6 Heroes per power.
- ELITE: 8,250 total power. No Trainer cards. Starter cards are allowed. Max 6 Heroes per power.
SPEC+ (Spec Plus): Advanced Hero Deck Format
SPEC+ increases the strategic depth of deck building in BoBA, designed for Coaches who want access to higher power.
Deck Size: Up to 70 total Hero cards
Core Requirement: 60 Heroes must be 160 power or less
(This forms a complete Spec-legal foundation and is required to play).
Optional High-Power Slots
You may include up to 10 additional Heroes above 160 power, subject to the following limits:
- 175–200 power: Only one (1) Hero per power level
- 165 power: Up to two (2) Heroes
- 170 power: Up to two (2) Heroes
- No Heroes above 200 power are allowed
- All other standard deck-building rules apply.
These formats can appear across Rookie, Substitution, and Playmaker modes at The National and other events.
Introducing Double-Up
Double-Up is a brand-new optional mechanic that can be added to any BoBA game mode. It introduces a simple but powerful layer of risk, bluffing, and timing, the doubling cube in backgammon.
At its core, Double-Up asks one question: How confident are you right now?
How Double-Up Works (At a High Level)
- Every game starts worth 1 point
- A full game consists of 7 Battles
- The first Coach to reach 7 total points wins the matchup
- Each Coach may Press only once per game
- Pressing doubles the points the current game is worth
Once you Press, your opponent must decide whether to accept the risk… or walk away.
When Can You Press?
Presses happen during a special repeating decision window called the “Laundry Phase” (because we love puns and aren’t too serious).
A Coach may call a Press:
- After hands are dealt, before any Heroes are placed, or
- Before the start of any Battle after Battle #1
This means you can Press early based on confidence in your hand… or later, once things are looking brighter.
Madness Evolves: Team Play Gets Deeper
Madness formats continue to be some of the most electric experiences in BoBA.
In Madness, Coaches don’t just play for themselves. Teams operate as a unit, with different roles, different deck constraints, and shared stakes.
APEX Madness & AlphaTrilogy Madness
These formats follow the same core structure and deck-building philosophy.
The Head Coach
Each team has one Head Coach, and their deck sets the tone for the entire matchup.
- Head Coach decks are full APEX decks
- 60 Hero cards
- No power limit
- Max 6 Heroes per power
- No repeated Hero variation / Power / Weapon combinations
- Must include 4 Full Art Foil Hot Dogs
- These act as visual markers and must be displayed on the table at all times
Think of the Head Coach as the closer—their deck represents maximum power and late-game authority.
The Team: Spec Decks That Can Grow
All non-Head Coaches begin with SPEC 160 decks and can optimize their decks to earn access to APEX cards.
APEX Unlocks
- Including 10 copies of the same Insert at 160 power or below unlocks:
- 1 APEX card (165+ power) of that same Insert type
- Each Insert type may unlock only one APEX card
- Color Battlefoils and Icon Battlefoils count as separate Insert types
- Supers are wild and may count as any Insert type
Using this method, a deck may unlock up to 6 APEX cards.
If a Madness match ends in a tie the Head Coaches must play a deciding game.
If that game ties:
- Top Deck sudden death
- Each Head Coach reveals the top card of their Hero deck until a winner is determined
HiLo Madness flips expectations.
- All decks are typically restricted to specific weapons or Inserts
- Some Coaches play High Ball (highest power wins)
- Others play Low Ball (lowest power wins)
- Usually:
- Head Coaches play High Ball
- Other Coaches play Low Ball
- All players must bring and display 4 Foil Hot Dogs
Additional deck rules (power caps, minimums, allowed card types) may vary by event.
2026 World Championships at The National
Here’s how Worlds will work:
- You can enter all Madness events
- You can only enter one solo event per Division
- All APEX events are free to enter. Entry fees for other events will be posted when registration opens.
- Cards released before The 2026 National are in rotation unless otherwise stated
We will do our best to avoid schedule conflicts for Coaches participating in multiple Divisions, but it’s possible. If you have 2 Games at the same time you may have to choose one to forfeit.
$500,000+ in prize value!
- Up to $375,000+ in cash payouts
- Bonus product prizes for major solo event winners
- Madness Head Coaches receive Griffey Set Jumbo Boxes (worth over $3K on eBay) to distribute to their teams
Cash prizes are allocated using Prize Pool Shares (PPS), ensuring payouts scale fairly based on participation within each Division.
2026 World Championships Divisions & Events
APEX Division: $150,000
APEX Playmaker
- PPS: 2 per entry
- Entry Requirement: N’25 (Football Breaker) BoJax /99 Auto
- Mode: Playmaker
- DBS: 1,000
- Bonus Plays: ON
- HTD Plays: ON
- Deck Rules: APEX
APEX Blitz
- PPS: 1 per entry
- Mode: Rookie
- Deck Rules: APEX Hero Deck Rules
APEX Madness (Team Event)
- PPS: 7 per team
- Mode: Rookie
- Entry Requirement: Football Breaker BoJax /99 Auto (1 per team)
- Deck Rules: APEX Madness Deck Rules
AlphaTrilogy Division: $100,000
AlphaTrilogy Playmaker
- PPS: 2 per entry
- Entry Requirement: N’24 (Bat Breaker) BoJax /99 Auto
- DBS: 1,000
- Bonus Plays: ON
- HTD Plays: ON
- Deck Rules: APEX
AlphaTrilogy Blitz
- PPS: 1 per entry
- Mode: Rookie
- Deck Rules: APEX Hero Deck Rules
AlphaTrilogy Madness (Team Event)
- PPS: 7 per team
- Entry Requirement: N’24 (Bat Breaker) BoJax /99 Auto (1 per team)
- Deck Rules: APEX Madness Deck Rules
Granny’s Gum Division: $20,000
GG HiLo Madness (Team Event)
- PPS: N/A — 100% of prize pool awarded to this event
- Teams: Up to 6 per team (4 play at a time)
Legal Inserts Only
- Grandma’s Linoleum
- Great Grandma’s Linoleum
- Bubblegum (Auto or Non-Auto)
Deck & Format Rules
- Deck Requirement: Minimum 10 of each legal insert type
- Power Cap: None (standard rules apply — max 6 per power)
- Format:
- Head Coaches play High Ball
- Other Coaches play Low Ball
Open Division: up to $40,000
$20,000 base cash prize + collector bonuses
Collector Bonus Rule
Finish in the money with a single-insert Hero Deck (Supers count as wild and can be used as any insert) and your cash prize doubles.
SPEC Playmaker
- PPS: 2 per entry
- DBS: 1,000
- Bonus Plays: OFF
- HTD Plays: OFF
- Cards: Any in-rotation
Elite Playmaker
- PPS: 3 per entry
- DBS: 1,000
- Bonus Plays: ON
- HTD Plays: ON
- Restrictions: No Trainers (Starters allowed)
SPEC+ Rookie Double-Up
- PPS: 3 per entry
- Deck Rules: SPEC+
- Cards: Any in-rotation
Brawl Brackets: up to $75,000+
All Standard Brawl Brackets require the entire Hero Deck to be Brawl weapon types.
All Hot Dogs must be Brawler.
Brawl Madness
- PPS: 4 per team entry
- Mode: Rookie
- Deck Rules: Standard Brawl Deck Rules (Brawl weapons only)
- Team Format: 4–6 per team (4 play at a time)
Additional Prize: Winning team receives (4) 2026 Edition (Griffey Set) Jumbo Hobby Boxes
Brawl Playmaker
- PPS: 1 per entry
- Mode: Playmaker
- DBS: 1,000
- Bonus Plays: OFF
- HTD Plays: OFF
- Deck Rules: Standard Brawl Deck Rules (Brawl weapons only)
Additional Prize: Winner receives a 2026 Blast Box
“Rookie with a Twist” Brawl
- PPS: 1 per entry
- Mode: Rookie (with simple bluff mechanics)
- Entry Requirement: N/A
- DBS: N/A
- Bonus Plays: OFF
- HTD Plays: OFF
- Deck Rules: Standard Brawl Deck Rules (Brawl weapons only)
Power Glove Set Builder Bracket: $10,000 + Products
Power Glove Set Builder
- Mode: Rookie (Best of 7, Double Elimination)
- Entry Requirement: Verified ownership of 120+ unique 2026 Edition (Griffey Set) Power Glove cards
- Deck Rules: Power Glove Only (60 unique cards)
- Cash payouts for Top 8
- Winner receives Blast Box
- $5,000 Full Set Bonus if winner owns the complete 131-card Power Glove set
- Exclusive Promo card/pack for all entrants (only obtainable by entering this bracket)
2026 World Championships Event Schedule
Wednesday, July 29
Brawl Playmaker
Wednesday, July 29 @ 9:30 AM–2:30 PM (Top 8 @ 3:00–6:00 PM)
Brawl Rookie Double-Up
Wednesday, July 29 @ 6:30–8:30 PM
Thursday, July 30
AlphaTrilogy Playmaker
Thursday, July 30 @ 9:30 AM–2:30 PM (Top 8 @ 3:00–6:00 PM)
SPEC Playmaker
Thursday, July 30 @ 9:30 AM–2:30 PM (Top 8 @ 3:00–6:00 PM)
APEX Trilogy Rookie
Thursday, July 30 @ 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Blast Substitution – Low Ball Double-Up
Thursday, July 30 @ 6:30–8:30 PM
Friday, July 31
APEX Playmaker
Friday, July 31 @ 9:30 AM–2:30 PM (Top 8 @ 3:00–6:00 PM)
Tecmo SPEC+ Playmaker
Friday, July 31 @ 9:30 AM–2:30 PM (Top 8 @ 3:00–6:00 PM)
APEX Rookie
Friday, July 31 @ 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Rookie Low Ball Double-Up
Friday, July 31 @ 6:30–8:30 PM
GEEK Dinner
Friday, July 31 @ 6:30–7:30 PM
Saturday, August 1
Madness Granny’s Gum
Saturday, August 1 @ 10:00 AM–12:00 PM
Madness AlphaTrilogy
Saturday, August 1 @ 12:30–2:30 PM
Madness APEX
Saturday, August 1 @ 3:00–5:00 PM
Madness Tecmo
Saturday, August 1 @ 5:30–7:30 PM
Madness Brawl
Saturday, August 1 @ 8:00–10:00 PM
Sunday, August 2
Power Glove Set Builder Bracket
Sunday, August 2 @ 9:30 AM–12:30 PM
Rookie SPEC+
Sunday, August 2 @ 9:30 AM–12:30 PM
Blast Substitution Double-Up
Sunday, August 2 @ 12:30–2:30 PM
The Road Ahead
BoBA 2026 is more than a season... it’s a statement.
Bigger stages. Smarter gameplay. Deeper collecting.
And a community we’re proud to build with you.
More details on registration, schedules, and regionals are coming soon. Until then, keep building and keep battling!
We’ll see you at The 2026 World Championships.
Let’s Bo!