Official Gulag Rules

Last updated: August 19, 2026 · These rules are part of the Terms of Service.

1. Entry and seeding

• Enter by paying the posted buy-in while registration is open and seats remain. You need a gamertag and EA ID on your account to be seeded.
• Brackets are single elimination and auto-seeded from live ELO with best-matchup placement and a controlled dose of randomness — no two brackets are alike. Byes go to the seeds the bracket math dictates.
• The posted field size, buy-in, house rake, prize table, and schedule for each tournament are part of these rules for that event.

2. Match setup

• Game mode: Madden Ultimate Team — H2H Competitive (Play a Friend), MCS rules, 6-minute quarters unless the tournament page says otherwise.
• Difficulty: All-Madden. Platform: crossplay, next-gen consoles only.
• All teams allowed unless the event says otherwise.
• Streaming is mandatory — go live for your matches with GULAG in your stream title. Your stream is part of the competition and doubles as evidence if anything gets disputed.
• Onside kicks are only allowed when you are losing in the second half.
• The higher seed hosts the lobby unless players agree otherwise. Add your opponent via the EA ID shown on the match card.
• You are responsible for your own connection, console, and game copy. Persistent connection problems are handled under the lag/disconnect rule below.

3. The clock — exact timers

• Ready-up window (10 minutes): when your match opens, both players must press Ready Up on the site. If only one player readies before the window closes, that player wins by forfeit. If neither does, the match is a no-show and a mod resolves it.
• Report window (1h 20m): once both players are ready, the match goes live and you have 1 hour 20 minutes to play and report the score. Mods are automatically pinged if a live match drags past 45 minutes.
• Confirm window (5 minutes): after one player reports, the opponent has 5 minutes to report their own score (matching = instant confirm; conflicting = dispute) — otherwise the first report stands and the non-reporter forfeits.
• Timers run from server time and are enforced automatically; the countdowns on your match card are the authority.

4. Reporting scores

Enter both final scores on your match card — the winner is calculated from the score. If both players’ reports agree, the result confirms instantly, ELO and records update, and the winner advances. Always screenshot your postgame screen before leaving the lobby — it’s your only evidence in a dispute.

5. Disputes

• Something goes wrong mid-game? Record a clip and pause immediately — do not play on. Reach out for a mod from your match chat while the game is paused.
• Conflicting reports open a dispute automatically. Both players have 7 minutes to upload proof on the match card — postgame screenshots and clips of the moment in question.
• A human moderator reviews the claims and evidence and rules. Clear cases with one-sided proof may resolve automatically. A player who submits no proof loses the dispute against a player who does.
• Falsified or doctored evidence is a cheating offense: immediate disqualification and a ban.
• Moderator rulings on disputes are final.

6. Accidental disconnects — the remake rule

If a game drops on accident, you don’t lose your match to the internet — you remake the game and rebuild it to the exact state it was in when it dropped: same score, same game clock, same possession. Both players cooperate to get there (quick scores, kneel-downs, turnovers on downs, and punts are expected while rebuilding). Screenshot the moment of the disconnect before leaving the lobby — it’s the reference for the rebuild.

• Flip the opening possession in the remake. Whoever received the opening possession in the original game, the other player takes the opening possession in the remake.
• Rebuild the state. Play the game back to the disconnect point: restore the score, run the clock to match, and hand possession back to whoever had the ball when it dropped.
• Second-half possession mirrors the original. Example: Player A received the opening possession of the original game and led 28–14 with the ball when it dropped. In the remake, Player B takes the opening possession; both players rebuild to 28–14 with Player A holding the ball at the matching clock — and Player B gets the ball at the 25-yard line (or as close as possible) to start the third quarter, exactly as they would have in the original game.
• The goal is always the same: the remade match should resemble the initial game as closely as possible.
• If players can’t agree on the state at the disconnect, it’s a dispute — upload your screenshots and a mod rules on the evidence.
• Chronic disconnectors (patterns across events) face moderation regardless of individual match outcomes.

7. Prohibited play

Bans, disqualification, and prize forfeiture apply to: glitch plays and exploit abuse the community recognizes as broken, lag switching, win-trading or collusion, entering one tournament with multiple accounts, and abusing the dispute system. The Code of Conduct covers behavior; this section covers gameplay.

8. Prizes

• The prize pool equals buy-ins collected, minus the posted house rake. Paying places are posted on the tournament before entry — as percentages of the pool or fixed amounts (e.g. $500 champion / $150 runner-up).
• Events may also post a bounty — a fixed extra prize (e.g. $50) for the player who eliminates a named target, typically the previous week’s champion.
• After the final, the payout ledger is generated and prizes are sent to the payout method on each winner’s account. Keep it current — payouts go to what’s on file.
• Prizes may be withheld pending eligibility, identity, or fair-play review, and reclaimed if a result is overturned for cheating.

9. Mod authority

Moderators may pause timers, replay or void matches, disqualify players, and make rulings not explicitly covered here, using the spirit of fair competition. Repeated frivolous mod calls waste everyone’s clock and are themselves a conduct issue.

10. Changes

Rule changes apply to tournaments that open registration after the change is posted — never mid-bracket.