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rules and prizing

All attendees, competitors, spectators, staff, volunteers, commentators, artists, vendors, and anyone else present at our event must fully abide COVID-19 mandates and wear a mask at all times unless eating/drinking. Please see our full Covid Policy for more information.

General Rules

General Rules

Game Formats

  • All game will be played on default setting unless noted below in our gaming rules lists. ​​

  • All brackets will be double elimination. Games with more than 64 players will have their brackets split into pools. Games with more than 128 players will advance 3 players out from each pool instead of 2-out. For most games on the event line-up, each individual tournament set will be best 2-out-of-3 games until Winners, Losers, and Grand Finals, which are best 3-out-of-5 games. Please check specific game pages for specific match settings

  • Game Version: All multiplatform games will be ran on their US PS4 version and played with default game settings (timer, damage, handicap, etc.) The latest game patches will be used unless noted otherwise. DLC characters will be permitted so long as they have been made available for at least one week prior to the event's starting date.

Checking-In

  • You are responsible for checking into your pools before their offical start time. Players will know their start times prior to the event start. If you are called for your match and are not present, you may be put into the losers bracket or disqualified at the judge's discretion.You will be disqualified if you do not report to your matches in a timely manner. The winner of each match must report their victories to the bracket runner so that they can be recorded in the bracket.

  • If you are entered into several of our tournament events and there are scheduling conflicts that inhibit you from participating in both at the same time please notify the respective pool judge to avoid any dq's

Tournament Specifics

  • All code of conduct rules can be found under our FGC Code of Conduct Tab in our website. Any breach of our official code can result in a minimum 1-year to a lifetime attendance ban at the discretion of the festival of fights staff. 

  • If players disagree on which side they play on or which stage to use, selection will be determined by playing Rock, Paper, Scissors. Winner may choose.

  • If both players cannot agree on a stage within 10 seconds after selecting their characters, stage select is random, unless noted otherwise in specific game rules. If a banned stage is selected randomly, the stage should be selected again until a legal stage is selected.

  • Accidentally Pausing during a round will result in you forfeiting the match. In case a pause does occur, please notify a TO or a judge immediately before resuming the current match.

  • Any turbo functions on all controllers are banned. custom MACROS ON ALL CONTROLLERS ARE BANNED AS WELL. 

  • Players are responsible for bringing their own controllers/arcade sticks as we cannot provide controllers for competitors. If you wish to use converters, you must bring your own. Cronus and CronusMax Wireless converters are also banned. purposefully Disrupting other tournament matches with a wireless controller may result in being disqualified from the entire event.

  • Anyone found complicit in intentionally altering the outcome of a match will be disqualified from the tournament at the discretion of the tournament Director. I.E Throwing a match to alter the outcome of brackets/being bribed to throw games/sets. Anyone disqualified in this manner forfeits all rights to any titles or prizes they might have otherwise earned for that tournament.

  • Any wireless controller of any kind (PS4 Dualshock, Switch Pro Controllers, Etc) must be disconnected after every match. Failure to do this may fall under the category of complicity or trying to intentionally stall a match and you will be disqualified from the tournament at the tournament directors discretion.

  • Coaching of any kind during a match is strictly prohibited. You may consult your coach pre-game or post game, but any communication via (slipping notes or yelling out advice) is not allowed during matches/in between games and will result in your disqualification from the tournament.

  • Ties: A draw does not count as a win for either player unless the game itself says otherwise (as in: the in-game win counter increases for one or both players). If no win is awarded to either player within the game itself, then there's no change to the score, and the game must be replayed with the same settings (character, stage, etc).

  • Glitches that halt gameplay entirely (e.g. anything that causes the game to freeze/reset) and exploits that are only possible via hacking or modifying the game are banned. Other glitches will be judged at the tournament organizers' discretion.

  • Audio Equipment: Players may connect their own audio gear (such as headphones, mixamps, and/or external speakers) to the tournament stations so that they can more easily hear the in-game audio. However, any audio equipment that interferes with other tournament equipment or impedes the other player's ability to hear the game audio (such as muting the monitor audio output) is not permitted. If both players wish to use their own audio gear but have no way to connect both of their equipment at the same time, then they must rock-paper-scissors for the privilege of using it in game 1 of the set, with the loser of each game having the option to use his or her equipment in the next game of the set. Players MUST notify their pool runner before connecting any equipment to the tournament stations.

Game Rulesets

Super_Smash_Bros._Ultimate_logo.svg.png
Super Smash Bros Ultimate

General Rules

  • Double Elimination

  • switch Format

  • In game settings:
     

    • Stocks: 3 stocks

    • Time Limit: 7:00 minutes

    • Final Smash Meter: OFF

    • Spirits: OFF

    • Damage Handicap: OFF

    • Stage Selection: Anyone

    • Items: OFF and NONE

    • First to: 1 Win

    • Stage Morph: OFF

    • Stage Hazards: OFF

    • Team Attack: ON

    • Launch Rate: 1.0x

    • Underdog Boost: OFF

    • Pausing: OFF

    • Score Display: OFF

    • % Show Damage: Yes

    • Custom Balance: OFF

    • Echo Fighters: Separate

    • Radar: Big

    • Teammate Highlight: ON

​​​​

  • The results of Sudden Death do not count. If a game goes to Sudden Death, the winner is determined by stocks and percentage at the time the match ends. The player with the higher stock count is the winner. If both Players are tied in stocks, the player with the lower percentage is the winner. If percentage/stocks are tied, players will play a 1 stock/3 minutes playoff match.​

Starters

  • Battlefield

  • Final Destination

  • Pokemon Stadium 2

  • Smashville

  • Town and City

 

Counter Picks

  • Small Battlefield

  • Northern Cave

Mii Fighters Clause

  • Mii Fighters must be created with default guest Miis with no costume and headgear attached.

  • Names of Miis should be named according to their moveset in the format of ‘xxxx” (for example, default moveset will be named ‘1111’, and so forth)

  • Miis can use any combinations of moves but must be made before the set starts. Players are not allowed to alter or change the moveset of Miis once a set has started.

  • Players are allowed to switch between Mii’s as long as they have already been created before a set, and if they didn’t win the previous game. 

  • Players are not allowed to create a new Mii mid set.

 

Stage Selection

  • Game 1 is decided through a Bo1 game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Winner bans 1 stage from the list of starter stages, loser bans 2, then winner picks from the remaining 2 stages.

  • After game 1, the winner of the previous game bans 2 stages from the starter stages, and then the loser picks from the remaining stages.

 

Dave’s Stupid Rule (DSR)

  • The player choosing the stage cannot pick the last stage they have won during a set, while any stages of previous wins are fair game (For example, in a Mario and Luigi set, Mario wins on Battlefield and Smashville for two back-to-back matches, followed by Luigi winning a match on Final Destination. The Mario player can select Battlefield, but they cannot select Smashville.

  • DSR is in effect at all times during tournament play unless all players agree to the Gentleman’s Rule.

 

Gentleman’s Rule

  • Any tournament legal stage can be played on, provided all players consent to the stage's use.

  • If the Gentleman’s Rule is agreed upon, then DSR is ignored

  • The Gentleman’s Rule cannot be used to play on a stage that is not on the list of legal tournament play stages.

 

BF/FD Variants

  • Because certain variations of these stages can cause an unfair advantage to certain characters (Example: camouflaging projectiles or land mines), only the default Battlefield & Final Destination stage will be used during tournament play.

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UMVC3

General Rules

  • Best 3/5 rounds per Game

  • Winner must keep team and order

  • Loser can switch

  • ps4

​​​

Stage Rules

  • All Stages allowed, but you'll probably pick either Bonne Wonderland, Training Room, or Danger Room

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Teams

General Rules

  • 16 Teams of 3 Will be Playing in a Double Elimination Bracket

  • Team format will be Pokemon Style, best of 1

  • Then all other UMVC3 Singles rules apply otherwise

  • ps4

​​​

Stage Rules

  • All Stages allowed, but you'll probably pick either Bonne Wonderland, Training Room, or Danger Room

PngItem_1327102.png

General Rules

  • Best 2/3 rounds per Game

  • 3/5 Games for WF, LF, and GF

  • Winner must keep team and order

  • Loser can switch

  • ps4

​​​​

Dragon Ball Fighter Z
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General Rules

  • Best 2 out of 3 rounds per Game

  • 2 out of 3 Games per Set

  • 3 out of 5 Games for Winners Finals, Losers Finals and Grand Finals

  • Winner must keep character

  • Loser may switch

  • ps4

Stage Rules

  • Random stage select (players may opt for an agreed stage)​​

Guilty Gear Strive

General Rules

  • Best 2 out of 3 rounds per Game

  • 2 out of 3 Games per Set

  • 3 out of 5 Games for Winners Finals, Losers Finals and Grand Finals

  • Winner must keep character

  • Loser may switch

  • ps4

Stage Rules

  • Random stage select (players may opt for an agreed stage)​​

Melty Blood: Type Lumina
Granblue_Fantasy_Versus_logo.png

General Rules

  • Best 2 out of 3 rounds per Game

  • 2 out of 3 Games per Set

  • 3 out of 5 Games for Winners Finals, Losers Finals and Grand Finals

  • Winner must keep character

  • Loser may switch

Stage Rules

  • Random stage select (players may opt for an agreed stage)​​

GBVS
BlazBlue CF
BBCF_Logo.png

General Rules

  • Best 2 out of 3 rounds per Game

  • 2 out of 3 Games per Set

  • 3 out of 5 Games for Winners Finals, Losers Finals and Grand Finals

  • Winner must keep character

  • Loser may switch

  • ps4

Stage Rules

  • Random stage select (players may opt for an agreed stage)​​

kof logo.png

General Rules

  • Double Elimination

  • All sets are First to 3

  • Winner must keep character

  • Loser may switch

Stage Rules

  • Random stage select (players may opt for an agreed stage)​​

KOF 15

prizing

prizing depends on the number of entrants in event

  • 1 to 32 is top 3

  • 33 to 64 is top 4

  • 65 and above is top 8

Prizing
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