BrainsFirst Game 2: Diagonal Cannons Strategy Guide
BrainsFirst Game 2 — the diagonal cannons game — is the strategy round of IMC Trading's assessment. You aim cannons along diagonal paths to hit targets, and your score depends on planning efficient shots rather than firing fast. Candidates who don't know the mechanic waste their entire round.
What the Diagonal Cannons Game Is
In Game 2, targets appear on a grid and your cannons fire along diagonal lines. Each shot costs you, so the game rewards hitting multiple targets with well-planned angles and penalizes spray-and-pray firing. The board resets and escalates in difficulty, demanding that you re-plan under time pressure — much like repositioning quotes when a market moves.
What Game 2 Assesses
This game is IMC's purest test of strategic planning and spatial reasoning. It measures whether you think before you act: do you scan the board, find the diagonal that clears the most targets, and commit — or do you fire at the first thing you see? It also tests adaptability, because the optimal pattern changes as the board evolves. Traders who plan their risk get rewarded; impulsive clickers get filtered.
Diagonal Cannons Strategy: How to Prepare
There is a real technique here, and most candidates never learn it. First, always scan the full board before your first shot — the best diagonal is rarely the obvious one. Second, prioritize shots that clear two or more targets; single-target shots are almost never worth it late in the round. Third, practice the actual game format so diagonal visualization becomes instant.
Our prep guide walks through the exact Game 2 mechanics IMC Trading uses, the shot patterns that score highest, and practice rounds modeled on the real game — so you walk in with a plan instead of discovering the rules mid-test.
This Game Has a Trick — Learn It or Donate Your Round
Game 2 looks like a casual arcade game, which is exactly why it eliminates so many strong candidates. The ones who fail aren't dumb — they just never learned that diagonal planning has an optimal strategy. For the 2027 intake, every other serious applicant will have practiced. Showing up without the technique is giving the round away.
FAQ
What is the best strategy for the diagonal cannons game? Scan the whole board first, then fire along diagonals that hit multiple targets. Never fire impulsively.
Does firing more shots help your score? No — wasted shots hurt. Efficiency (targets per shot) is what the game rewards.
How long does Game 2 last? A few minutes of escalating rounds. It feels short, which is why pre-learned strategy matters.
Is Game 2 harder than Game 1? It's different: Game 1 tests accuracy discipline, Game 2 tests planning. Most candidates find Game 2 harder because the optimal strategy isn't obvious.
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