Corner Strategy Deep Dive: Building Unbreakable 2468 Structures

Why Corner + Edge Ordering Works

Anchoring your highest tile in a corner lets you order the adjacent edge from high to low, creating a controllable pipeline. This reduces randomness and preserves empty cells for alignment.

Two-Direction Discipline

Pick two orthogonal directions (e.g., Left and Up). Use them 90% of the time to maintain ordering; the other directions are only for planned merges or recoveries.

Pipeline Construction

  1. Seat the highest tile in the corner.
  2. Order the edge: anchor side from high → low.
  3. Feed doubles from the interior toward the pipeline.
Warning: Introducing a low tile into the anchor edge breaks the hierarchy. Repair immediately by compressing away, rebuilding order, then reseating the anchor.

Common Break Scenarios and Fixes

Anchor Drift

Stop using the direction that displaced the anchor. Compress toward the intended corner until the anchor reseats; then rebuild edge order.

Interior Fragmentation

Merge small tiles away from the anchor side to free space, then restore ordering before attempting high merges.

Pro Tip: Say your move aloud ("compress left for adjacency") before swiping. Intentionality prevents panic moves.

Practice these habits and your corner will remain unbreakable. Play now to apply them.