League Rules

Official rules and guidelines for ERA competition.

Season Rules

  • 1.
    The Elite Rocket Association will consist of an 8 week season where each team will play every other team in the league once and repeat their Week 1 matchup in week 8.
    • • The following week the playoffs will begin. (Playoff timing and structure TBD)
  • 2.Teams should be present together in their team's respective voice channel during scheduled game time. Any additional players (such as org GM or situations where subs are involved) should be muted during gameplay. Unmuting will be allowed ONLY during goals scored or during the intermission between games.
  • 3.All matches played will be Best-of-5 series unless stated otherwise. (Ex. Playoff Semi-finals and Finals)
  • 4.Weeks conducted during NA RLCS qualifying will be bye-weeks for all players to allow competing players to focus on their scrims and quals for the week.
  • 5.Players will send their weekly availability in Eastern Standard Time (EST) within their match channels at the beginning of the week (Monday). If a match has not been scheduled by Friday of the scheduled week the staff will step in and force a game time and each team will field the roster they can or forfeit the match.
  • 6.
    Seeding will be dictated by:
    • 1. Series Win Percentage
    • 2. Head-to-Head
    • 3. Game Win Percentage
    • 4. Goal Differential
    • 5. If still tied a Best-of-3 Series will be played

Player Rules

  • 1.Players should behave in an appropriate manner regarding their own conduct. Once chirping goes beyond fun banter the moderation team will step in and de-escalate the situation. Misbehaving may result in warnings, time-outs, game and series suspensions, as well as expulsion from the league.
  • 2.
    Players will only play on listed accounts given during their signup. Players should notify staff before a match is played if playing under a different account or a new name during a series.
    • • Players will only play on their OWN account(s). Playing on another player's account or having your account played on by a different player than yourself will result in a ban for both players and a forfeit of the match played.
  • 3.Players will play with match integrity and good sportsmanship for their own team. Match throwing will result in a suspension or league ban.
  • 4.Failure to show for a scheduled match without good and sufficient reason may result in a warning or suspension by the league.

Match Rules

  • 1.Matches will be played in 3v3 with no mutators on. Match admin will be allowed for teams to use in instances necessary when matches are not hosted by staff.
  • 2.
    Match admin use cases:
    • • Severe lag (>140 ms ping) if it is suspected that the individual server (not the region) is at fault. If connecting to a new server does not fix the issue, and other players are not experiencing the issue, this procedure should not be repeated.
    • • Hardware/equipment malfunction
    • • Software failure (Crashing)
    • • Disconnecting
    • • Extreme circumstances (Family/household emergency)
  • 3.Player disconnects (full DC out of match) where a goal is not involved will result in a pause in gameplay and the match will be restarted from kickoff. Goals involving a DC from a player where the goal occurs due to the DC will result in a removal of the goal and a restart from kickoff with the time adjusted to match the disconnect. If the player who DC'd could not have made an impactful play on the ball the goal will stand and the match will resume within 15 minutes with either the original player or a substitute.
  • 4.
    Matches will start within 15 minutes of their scheduled time. If a team cannot field their main roster within 15 minutes of the scheduled time, that team shall either bring up a sub from their lower team, have the match rescheduled, or forfeit their match.
    • • Rescheduling of matches is up to the availability of the opposing roster as well as their leniency. Opposing rosters may demand the forfeiture of the other team if rescheduling is impossible.
    • • In the instance of a rescheduled match where the team allowing the reschedule of the match cannot field their roster. The match will result in a forfeit for the team that could not field their team during the originally scheduled match. (I.E. rescheduling a match cannot hurt your team due to their availability)
  • 5.Reported matches should be uploaded to ballchasing.com as a replay group and sent to staff.

Free Agency / Roster Moves

  • 1.
    All players not drafted will automatically be added to the Free Agency list that will be available for all GMs to see.
    • • Players who sign up after the draft will be assigned the Free Agent role and will be allowed to sign with a team up until Week 5.
  • 2.Free agency for each team will be available for Weeks 1-4 and will close at the end of Week 4.
  • 3.
    Free agent requests should be made by the GM of the organization anytime during the week to the commissioner of the league.
    • • The team listed for your team at the beginning of the week will be the team that will be required to play that week. (Example: A roster move made on Wednesday will not take effect until after your match is completed for the week).
  • 4.Trading may be conducted until the end of Week 5 and rosters will lock for the rest of the season.
  • 5.
    Players added through free agency will be contracted for 2 weeks and will not be droppable until they complete their second game.
    • • Exceptions for "no-call no-shows" or other extreme scenarios determined by staff.
  • 6.Players may request trades or to be dropped directly to their org GM who is obligated to fill their request, but they may not suggest the team they are traded to or otherwise tamper with their destination.

Rules are subject to change. Always check the Discord for the most up-to-date version.
Last updated: March 2026