1. Tournament Event format and Rules 4.1 Rules Set The rules set out in this section apply to all Matches within the different Tournament Event. In the event of any inconsistency between the provisions outlined in the Rules and those outlined for one of the Tournament Event, those of the Rules shall prevail

4.2 Double Elimination Each Tournament Event will be played as a double elimination (a “Double Elimination”) bracket competition, in which Players compete in Matches (the “Match ”) starting from what is known as the winner’s side of the bracket (the “Winner’s Bracket”). If a Player loses a Set while in the Winner's Bracket, that Player will be moved to the loser’s side of the bracket (the “Loser’s Bracket”). If a Player loses a Set while in the Loser’s Bracket, that Player is eliminated and will no longer advance further in the bracket for that Tournament Event. The winner of the Winner’s Bracket will play against the winner of the Losers Bracket in the Grand Finals of the Tournament Event, as set forth below.

4.3 Match Play All Match will be best-of-three, in which the Player who wins two (2) Matches first wins the Set, with the exception that the Losers Bracket semi-finals, Winner’s Bracket finals, Losers Bracket finals, and Grand Finals of each Tournament Event bracket will be best-of five, in which the Player who wins three (3) Matches first wins the Set. The winner of any single Match is determined when the Game awards the win to that Player or upon the opponent causing a match disruption or other violation of the Rules as determined by the Tournament Organizer staff member. During a Set, the winner of any single Match must comply with the following winner lock rules:

4.3.1 At the start of a Set: Players select their sides. Players may mutually agree on who sits on left and right side, corresponding to Player 1 and Player 2, respectively, at the start of a Match. Players are committed to this selection for the entirety of the Match. If Players cannot agree to a Side Selection, they will play a Best-of-Three Rock-Paper-Scissors to determine who picks their side for the first Round. For all subsequent Rounds and Matches, the winner may select a side first. Each Player selects their character and the stage is selected at random; After any single Match, the winner is "locked" into their character and they are not permitted to switch their character until or unless they lose a subsequent single Match

4.3.2 All single Matches are loser's choice; and The loser of any single Set may choose between returning to stage select and choosing a new randomly selected stage or returning to character select to choose a new character and a new randomly selected stage.

4.3.2 All Matches must use the following in-Game Settings: Rounds: 3 out of 5 Time Limit: 60 seconds Stage: Random (Required for first game of Match) Character Customizations: Off Character Preset Costumes are legal for Tournament use with the exception of the following: Players cannot use the same Preset. Should both Players wish to use the same Preset, they will play a tiebreaker as determined by the Tournament Organizer or Tournament Event Organizer (as applicable) to determine who may use their preferred Preset Costume for the duration of the Match. Players must use a Game version on one of the following platforms as determined by the Tournament Organizer or as otherwise set forth herein: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, or Steam.

4.4 Player Options. Prior to commencement of a Set, Players may exercise the following options: • Blind Pick. Players may request a method of character selection known as blind pick (“Blind Pick”) to keep their character selection secret until the first Match begins. In the Blind Pick process, the Players will each tell a Tournament Organizer staff member, in secret, their character selection for the first Match. Players will then select their character with the Tournament Organizer staff member validating their selections. If a Player purposely does not select the character they told the Tournament Organizer staff member, that Player will forfeit that single Match. • Draws. In the event of a tied Match declared by a double K.O. or timeout on the Game screen, the Match will not be scored and both Players will replay the tied Match with the same character selections. • Grand Finals. The “Grand Finals” is a Set series comprised of up to two (2) best-of-five Match between the final two (2) Players left in a Tournament Event. In the event the Player from the Winner’s Bracket wins the first Set, the Grand Finals immediately ends, giving the Player from the Loser’s Bracket their second and eliminating loss, and making the Player from the Winner’s Bracket the overall winner of the Tournament Event. In the event that the Player from the Loser’s Bracket wins the first Set, thereby giving the Player from the Winner’s Bracket their first loss, a second best-of-five Set will be played. The Players may choose different characters and exercise any

• pre-Set options for this new Set. The Player that wins this final Set, thereby giving the other Player their second and eliminating loss from the Tournament Event, is declared the winner of such Tournament Event. For the sake of clarity, the foregoing shall not apply to Tournament Finals, the details of which are specified in Section 5. • Missing Players Players must be present at the call time for a Set. Players that are not present and ready to play within ten (10) minutes of this call time are subject to Set forfeiture. • Match Disruptions. If a Player intentionally or accidentally causes a pause in a Match, whether by pressing the Options button or a controller disconnection, the Player that caused the pause will forfeit the current round of the Match. If a Match disruption occurs that is out of control of the Players of the Set, such as action of another Player’s un-desynced controller or a Game software crash or console hardware failure making Players unable to continue a Match, the Tournament Organizer staff member shall order the Players to restart the Match. • Coaching. Players may designate one (1) individual to be their coach during a Match. - - - - - - - Coaching will only be allowed for the Player that lost the previous Set. Players may consult with the coach only one (1) time for the Match. Players may consult with the coach for a maximum of one (1) minute. Coaching while a Set is in play is not allowed and is subject to Set forfeiture. If a Rules violation occurs, a Player can notify the Tournament Event Organizer. Tournament Event Organizer may issue a warning for any Rules violations. Failure to adhere to coaching rules after a warning from the Judge will result in forfeiting the next Set. • Button Binds. Sequence mapping is banned. A Player may not program functions on a controller using methods outside the basic functions of the Game, including, but not limited to, programmable and turbo controllers. The following are sequences are prohibited : - A single input that results in the execution of multiple subsequent inputs. - Combination inputs except for those that can be applied within the game’s controller settings. A single button input which results in a directional movement input and an attack input. - BNE and/or the Tournament Organizer reserve the right to inspect a Player’s controller to ensure compliance with these Rules, non-compliance of which may result in disciplinary action, including, but not limited, to disqualification, suspension, and/or banning. • Bugs and glitches : Players are not allowed to exploit known bugs and/or glitches. If the Tournament Event Organizer or BNE determines that a Player used a bug or glitch that resulted in an unfair advantage, the Tournament Event Organizer or BNE may decide either to return to the Game state before the use of the glitch or impose a disciplinary sanction against the Player if such use is voluntary. The Tournament Event Organizer and BNEE are the sole authority to determine the voluntary nature of the use of glitch. • Equipment : Players will have to check the correct functioning and configuration of their buttons before the start of a Match. Once the match has started, Players will be unable to modify the configuration of their buttons. • Pauses and Disconnections : Any disconnections initiated by a Player will result in the loss of the current round, except if the disconnection is due to a problem with the Game. If the disconnection is due to a problem within the Game, the current round will have to be played once more. Only the Organizer has the authority to determine whether the pause has been caused by a Game related problem.