TopStep Tension, Prop Firm Showdowns, and a Powerful Free Indicator You Need to Know About

If you’re trading futures, watching prop firm promos, or hunting for edge-enhancing tools, the past week has delivered a flood of updates you’ll want on your radar. Heading into the holiday weekend, there’s been drama, deep discounts, legal action, and even a custom-coded indicator released—free—to help you chart smarter.

You might be relaxing at the beach or just watching markets from the sidelines, but the prop world hasn’t taken a break. Let’s break down what’s happening—and how it might impact your next trade.

TopStep Cuts Tradovate—and Faces Creator Lawsuit

If you’re using Tradovate to trade funded accounts through TopStep, there’s a major shift underway. As of June 19, TopStep has officially stopped offering new combines through Tradovate. Active users can reset their plans through July 31, but no new sessions will be supported moving forward.

Tradovate responded swiftly and directly, telling traders: “Don’t let prop firms force you to stop using your platform of choice.” Their site now links traders to 21 other prop firms still supporting Tradovate, essentially nudging you to walk away from TopStep if you want to stick with your platform.

And the tension doesn’t end there.

You’ve probably seen the name Pat Wieland floating around. Known in the trading content community, Wieland recently made waves on social media after revealing that TopStep CEO Michael Patak is suing him—reportedly over personal comments referencing Patak’s relationship past.

Whether you view this as influencer backlash or corporate overreach, one thing is clear: the feud is public, messy, and headed to court.

Traders Raise Eyebrows Over TopStep Policies

If you’ve been eyeing TopStep for a funded account, you’ll want to consider a few trader-reported concerns. The firm has faced criticism for allegedly erasing denied payouts from account balances—something you won’t even see Apex doing.

Worse still, you might not get a clear explanation when a payout is rejected. Some traders have claimed they weren’t shown trade violations or offered an appeal process, especially when flagged for “contract inconsistency.”

In a space where transparency is critical, these concerns have pushed some traders—and influencers—away from the TopStep platform, especially as they steer users toward their proprietary “SnitchX” system, which some believe may collect and share trading data across prop networks.

Exclusive Savvias Promo: 41% Off + Live Account Upside

On a brighter note, you now have access to a limited-time exclusive deal from Savvias, a European futures prop firm that’s gaining serious traction. If you’ve never tried them before, they’re worth a look—particularly for their straight-to-funded model and URX contract access.

Here’s what this new promotion offers:

• 41% off all account sizes
• Free fast-pay add-on (normally 7-day payout, now within 24 hours)
• Buy 5, get 1 free
• Bi-weekly payouts
• Live account eligibility after three successful payouts, capped at $25,000

What’s more, your live account with Savvias will carry zero rules once activated. No daily drawdowns. No contract limits. No nonsense.

If you’re looking for a swing trading-friendly setup, they offer trailing drawdowns calculated at the end of each trade, not per tick, and your account only becomes static after your first payout.

You can scalp (minimum 3 ticks), trade news, use copy trading, and even run multiple accounts—up to five at once. With full micro compatibility, VPN support, and no bot restrictions, Savvias is becoming a haven for futures traders wanting more freedom.

Prop Promos Galore

You’re seeing a Black Friday-level rush of deals in the prop space, and now might be the best time to load up:

• Lucid: 45% off all evaluations and straight-to-funded accounts
• Futures Desk: 60% off, no activation fee
• Funded Futures Network: 50% off, BOGO on first purchase, no activation fee
• Trade Day: Now allows six accounts, including two “reserve” accounts with zero setup cost
• Prop Shop Trader: 90% off evaluations; starting July 4th, buy 5 Gladiator accounts, get 5 free

Whether you’re stacking accounts or just want a cheap entry to test a new firm, these are some of the most aggressive promos to hit the futures space this year.

A Powerful Free Tool for Volume Gaps

You know how crucial imbalances and bar gaps can be in your trading setups—and now there’s a new tool to help you track them. A fresh indicator, developed by Trader Oracle and coded specifically for NinjaTrader, is now available completely free.

It’s based on identifying volume imbalances and 15-minute bar gaps, which many traders (including this one) use to time entries, manage risk, and set pullback targets. Whether you’re trend-trading or scalping reversals, this indicator overlays clear visuals showing where price action is likely to revisit.

Here’s what you get:

• Fully customizable timeframe and coloring
• Optional bar visibility (only current gaps or historical)
• Logic settings for “pierce through” vs. “close through” gap validation
• Suggested use on 1,000-tick charts or NinjaRenko-style candles
• Williams % bar coloring support for trend confirmation

You can download this tool via Google Drive (link shared in the Discord or blog) and use it immediately with your current NinjaTrader setup. Personal templates are available as well if you want to match the shared strategy.