The Short Answer
Upcomers Futures launches with three programs, all traded on DXtrade: Thunderbolt Classic (a one-step evaluation for day traders), Thunderbolt Legacy (a one-step evaluation for swing traders, built to hold overnight and over the weekend), and Vanguard (instant funding, no evaluation). Every funded account keeps the same 99% profit split and the same $100 minimum payout. More programs will follow after launch.
Thunderbolt Classic
Our most popular program, and thanks to the one-day pass, one of the fastest routes to a funded account. It is a one-step evaluation built for day traders: hit the profit target while staying inside the drawdown rules, and you get funded.
Profit target: 6%. On a $50K account that is $3,000 in profit to clear the evaluation.
Minimum trading days: as few as 1, thanks to the one-day pass.
Trailing drawdown: 4% real-time. It follows your equity higher as you profit. On a $50K account it sits $2,000 below your peak.
Daily drawdown: 3% during the challenge, 2% once funded. It resets at 5:00 PM ET, the CME futures trading-day boundary, not midnight. On a $50K funded account the 2% limit caps your loss at $1,000 in a day.
Holding: overnight yes, over the weekend no.
Account sizes: up to $400K.
Thunderbolt Legacy
The one-step evaluation built for swing traders. It shares the same target and one-step structure as Classic, but the rules are tuned for holding positions across sessions.
Profit target: 6%. On a $50K account that is $3,000 in profit.
Trailing drawdown: 4% real-time. It follows your equity higher and the floor only moves up, never down, so it is more forgiving for positions carried across sessions. On a $50K account it sits $2,000 below your peak.
Daily drawdown: 3%, reset at 5:00 PM ET. On a $50K account that caps your loss at $1,500 in a day.
Max trade loss: 2% of account size, higher than the 1.5% on Classic and Vanguard because Legacy is built for larger swing positions. On a $50K account that caps any single trade at $1,000.
Holding: overnight and over the weekend.
Minimum trading days: 5. The Best Day Rule is set at 30%, in exchange for the swing-friendly rules.
Account sizes: up to $400K.
Vanguard (Instant Funding)
Instant funding. There is no challenge and no target to clear first: you start on a funded account and follow the funded rules from your first trade.
Profit target: none. You are funded from day one.
Trailing drawdown: 3% real-time. It follows your equity higher as you profit. On a $50K account it sits $1,500 below your peak.
Daily drawdown: 2%, reset at 5:00 PM ET. On a $50K account that caps your loss at $1,000 in a day.
Holding: overnight yes, over the weekend no.
Minimum trading days: 5 before your first payout. A day only counts if you make at least 0.5% profit that day (a qualifying trading day), and the 5 days do not have to be consecutive.
Account sizes: up to $300K.
Master comparison
Here is how the three launch programs line up side by side. All figures are for USD-denominated accounts on DXtrade.
Feature | Thunderbolt Classic | Thunderbolt Legacy | Vanguard |
Type | 1-step, day traders | 1-step, swing traders | Instant funding, no evaluation |
Profit target | 6% | 6% | None |
Trailing drawdown (challenge) | 4% real-time (trails equity higher) | 4% real-time (trails equity higher) | Not applicable (instant, no challenge) |
Trailing drawdown (funded) | 4% real-time (trails equity higher) | 4% real-time (trails equity higher) | 3% real-time (trails equity higher) |
Daily drawdown (funded) | 2% (reset 5:00 PM ET) | 3% (reset 5:00 PM ET) | 2% (reset 5:00 PM ET) |
Max trade loss | 1.5% | 2% | 1.5% |
Minimum trading days | 1 (one-day pass) | 5 | 5 (before payout) |
Overnight holding | Yes | Yes, plus weekend hold | Yes |
First payout | Anytime after conditions are met | After 5 trading days, conditions met | After 5 qualifying trading days (0.5% profit each) |
Best Day Rule | 20% | 30% | 20% |
Largest account | $400K | $400K | $300K |
What every program shares
Whichever program you choose, the funded rules below are the same across all three, except where the table above notes a difference.
Profit split: 99%. You keep 99% of the profit you make.
Trailing drawdown: our Dynamic Risk Shield™. It follows your equity higher in real time as you profit, then locks permanently at your initial balance once the account grows by the trailing percentage (4% on Thunderbolt Classic and Thunderbolt Legacy, 3% on Vanguard). After it locks it is static and no longer moves, so it stops chasing your profits and you can trade freely against the locked floor. This is the same lock model as the Dynamic Risk Shield™ on our CFD product.
Max trade loss: a HARD rule. It is 1.5% of account size on any single open trade on Thunderbolt Classic and Vanguard ($750 on a $50K account) and 2% on Thunderbolt Legacy ($1,000 on a $50K account). A single trade over the limit triggers an automatic breach and closes the account, even if the account is otherwise in profit. Positions on the same instrument in the same direction count as one trade, so you cannot split an order to get around it.
Best Day Rule: a SOFT rule. No single trading day may be more than 20% of your total profit since your last payout (30% on Thunderbolt Legacy). It does NOT breach your account, it only holds your payout until your profit is spread more evenly. To take out $1,000 at the 20% limit, your best day must be $200 or less.
Payout conditions: at least 1% profit since your last payout, all positions closed, your best day within the Best Day Rule, and a minimum payout of $100 (your 99% share).
Challenge profit share: on the challenge programs (Thunderbolt Classic and Thunderbolt Legacy), if you grow the funded account enough and keep a clean payout record, you earn a bonus of 15% of the profit you made during the challenge phase. Vanguard has no challenge phase, so it does not apply.
Inactivity: an account is closed automatically after 14 calendar days with no trading. The counter starts at purchase and resets every time you close a trade, and you get a warning email before the account expires.
More programs are coming
These three are the launch lineup. Additional Upcomers Futures programs are planned for after launch. Until they are live, Thunderbolt Classic, Thunderbolt Legacy, and Vanguard are the only futures programs you can buy. We will update the help center as new programs are released.
Read the full rules for each program
This is a high-level overview. Before you buy, read the dedicated rules article for the program you are considering. Each one covers the exact drawdown mechanics, dollar examples on real account sizes, and the full payout conditions.
Thunderbolt Classic program rules
Thunderbolt Legacy program rules
Vanguard (Instant Funding) program rules
Not sure which one fits your style? See our guide on how to choose your futures program, or start a chat with our team from the help center.
