Persona 4 Arena Ultimax Ruleset

Set Length
All tournament sets will be Best-of-Three, until Top Three at which point tournament sets will be Best-of-Five. Rules below do not change between these two set formats.

Before both players sit down at the console, they must come to an agreement which side they will play on (Player One or Player Two)

If an agreement cannot be reached, a game of rock-paper-scissors will determine who gets to pick their side.

After players sit down and connect their controllers, one of the two players should go to the console menu and remove any existing bluetooth-connected devices that are shown as paired to the console

This is a very important step, as it is necessary to avoid the possibility that tournament sets are interrupted

Players will enter offline Versus Mode and ensure their buttons are set up correctly.
Players will select their characters. Either player may elect to do Double Blind Character Selection (see section 5)
Players select a random stage or mutually agreed stage (see section 4).
The players will play the first game of the set
The winning player of the preceding game must keep their character selection for the next game.
The losing player of the preceding game may switch their character selection for the next game.
The next game of the set will be played.
Repeat steps four through eight for all subsequent games until the set is complete.

Stage Agreement Clause
By default, RANDOM SELECT will be used for selecting a stage. Players may select any LEGAL stage if they both agree on it. Players may not play on illegal stages.

Double Blind Character Selection
Either player may request that a double blind selection occur. In this situation, a pool captain, referee or other Tournament Officials will be told, in secret, of Player One’s character. Player Two will select their character, and then Player One will select their character. The referee will then confirm that Player One selected the chosen character.

Pausing and the Home Button
If a game pauses during play, players should immediately signal for a Tournament Official. Unless the round was going to end due to a K.O., the player whose controller paused the game will receive a round loss. The round loss due to a pause could simultaneously result in a game loss if the pausing player’s opponent is on game point, as well as a set loss if the opponent is on set point. If a pause occurs during a move or animation and after the game has been unpaused, the round or game ends (i.e. a player is KOed) with no further inputs from either player, the pausing player will not be penalized a round/game, and the set will continue.

Stalling
Stalling, or intentionally making the game unplayable, is banned and at the discretion of Tournament Officials. Stalling includes but is not limited to: becoming invisible, movement without an attack animation for an extended period of time, and reaching a position that the player’s character can never be reached by the opposing character. Stalling will result in a forfeit of the game for the player that initiated the action.

Double K.O./Draw/Self-Destruct Moves
If a game ends with a Double K.O. or due to a self-destruct move, the results screen will determine the outcome. If the result is a draw, players continue to play (as per system design) until a winner can be determined. Neither player will receive a win on their tally in the event of a double K.O./draw.

Color Request Clause
Players may request that their opponent change colors to accommodate colorblindness, or if their color is indistinguishable from the other team’s color or the stage background. The request must be made before the game starts.

Warm-ups
Warm-up periods, button checks, and “handwarmers” may not exceed 60 seconds on the game clock. Violation of this rule may result in a game loss at the discretion of the Tournament Official.

Tardiness
Anyone who is not present for their set by ten minutes past the scheduled start time of the round is subject to a loss of the set – if in Winner’s Bracket, this will put the player into the Loser’s Bracket. If in the Loser’s Bracket, this will eliminate the player from the tournament.

Platform: Playstation 4
Default Settings
Double Elimination
Best-of-Three Rounds per Game
Best-of-Three Games per Set, Best-of-Five Games per Set for Winners, Losers, and Grand Finals
The winner of the previous game must keep same character
The loser of the previous game may switch character
Random stage select (players may opt for an agreed stage)

Additional Rules
1. Patch
  FanimeCon 2022 will use whatever patch is currently live at 11:59 pm PST on 05/25/22.