Risk Systems — Risk Gate Map

Seven capital states. From Growth to System Lock.

Read this first

Worked example

The benchmark models how often each tier should be used given the gate history. MARS compares live tier deployment against that expectation each review cycle, reading over-use of high tiers as aggression drift and under-use as unmonetized authority - both invisible in raw P&L.

Live risk-tier usage against benchmark expectation, T1 through T7.

The ladder

Each gate has a brake meaning.

From the gate permission matrix: Growth (DD better than −7%) is full compounding. Recovery (−7.1% to −13%) applies a stability brake. Buffer (−13.1% to −19%) is the defense brake — no casual aggression. Floor (−19.1% to −27%) is containment. Deep-Floor (−27.1% to −34%) is suppression — survival mode. Ground-Floor sits below that, and System Lock is the boundary where deployment stops entirely.

Worse-than-40% drawdown is System Lock territory — verbatim benchmark doctrine.
Gate always wins over variant preference, EV optimism, and setup quality.
Gates protect accumulated gains, not just starting capital — the anchor is Equity Peak High.

How MARS uses this

Drawdown from Equity Peak High routes the account into a gate. The gate then selects the throttle row, caps the maximum risk tier, sets the brake tone, and constrains which management variants are even permitted. Every deployment decision starts by reading this ladder - a good setup cannot override a restricted gate.

How it benefits you

The question 'should I be trading full size right now?' gets an exact answer instead of a mood. Risk compresses automatically as damage grows and re-expands only as capital heals - protecting accumulated gains, not just starting capital, without requiring willpower in the moment.

The seven-gate capital ladder. Each state carries its own brake meaning, tier cap, and risk authority - the marker shows an account operating in Growth.

Why gates, not gut

“What state is my capital in?” has an exact answer.

Most traders treat drawdown as a vague emotional weight. MARS turns it into a routing decision: the gate selects the throttle row, caps the tier, sets the brake tone, and constrains which management variants are even available. The trader stops negotiating with damage and starts operating within it.

Reference

Gate permission summary

Gate	Drawdown range	Brake meaning
Growth	Better than −7%	Full compounding / expansion
Recovery	−7.1% to −13%	Stability brake — selective aggression
Buffer	−13.1% to −19%	Defense brake — no casual aggression
Floor	−19.1% to −27%	Containment — aggressive variants blocked
Deep-Floor	−27.1% to −34%	Suppression — survival mode
Ground-Floor	Below Deep-Floor	Minimal defensive activity only
System Lock	Beyond lock boundary	Deployment stops. Full review required

Inside this module

2 pages go deeper than this one.

The Ladder

Go deeper →

Why Gates, Not Gut

Go deeper →

Connected inside MARS

This module doesn't work alone.

Connected — 01

Drawdown (the metric)

Open system page →

Connected — 02

Drawdown Control

Open system page →

Connected — 03

Throttle Control Panel

Open system page →

Go deeper

Operator briefs on this territory.

Deep dive — 01

Gates, not gut: the argument for mechanical de-risking.

Why 'I'll size down if it gets bad' fails, and what replacing it with arithmetic actually buys.

Read the full brief →

Deep dive — 02

The descent ladder: gate caps and tier ceilings.

Growth permits T7. Ground-Floor permits T1. The uneven descent between them is deliberate doctrine.

Read the full brief →

Deep dive — 03

Gate transitions are arithmetic events, not judgment calls.

One number, one boundary, no negotiation. Why the transition mechanism is deliberately dumb.

Read the full brief →

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