Earlier this year, Riot Games fulfilled their promise of something new with the Valorant Premier League, and they’ve certainly delivered with the beta and ignition stages. Now, Valorant is gearing up for the official start of the Premier stage-1 in September. As enrollment dates are winding down, we’ve compiled all the essential information about the Valorant Premier League. So, let’s dive in and explore what the Valorant Premier League is all about, including its rules, rewards, schedule, dates, divisions, and eligibility criteria.
Understanding Valorant’s Premier League
Premier stands as an elevated tier within Valorant, catering to skilled players, akin to CSGO’s Faceit mode or Dota 2’s Team Rank Mode. In Premier Mode, Tier 3 teams and grassroots competitors gain an expansive stage to showcase their talents. Participants who traverse all Premier stages open up a pathway to VCT Challengers.
As articulated by Leo Faria, Valorant’s Global Head of Esports. Notably, securing a place in the Premier Contender Division, rather than conventional ranks, is now the prerequisite for entry into Valorant Champions Tour 2024. Let’s delve into the regulations and incentives of this game mode.
Active Rules for Valorant Premier
- Participation in Premier: Joining Valorant Premier is straightforward. You can either invite friends or create a team with fellow players. Once formed, your team can queue together during designated match queue times. It’s worth noting that even if the team owner is offline, other team members can still initiate a Premier game queue.
- Match Queue Regulations: To participate, all team members must undergo SMS verification to link their phone numbers. Additionally, players with recent AFK or disconnect bans within the last 30 days will be ineligible until their bans are lifted. Furthermore, players who have received communication bans for disruptive behavior cannot partake in Premier for the entire duration of the current stage.
- Playoff and Weekly Tournament Guidelines: Each player can participate in weekly matches or playoffs with only one team per account. A team consists of seven players, and any five of them can compete in the tournament. Players are free to leave the team at their discretion, and they may still receive rewards if eligible after departure. Teams earn 100 points for a weekly match victory and 25 points for a loss in Premier mode. Accumulating 675 points is the requirement for playoff qualification, which is scheduled for October 22, 2023.
- Gameplay and Overtime Regulations: Weekly Premier matches follow a best-of-1 format and do not offer pause or timeout features. These games follow a 13-round win format. However, overtime has a distinct structure. The first team to secure 12 rounds will initiate a majority-based vote to select the starting side for overtime. To win in overtime, a Valorant Premier team must consecutively secure 2 rounds. Teams switch sides each round, and sudden death occurs after 2 sets of overtime.
Schedule for Valorant Premier
- Release Date for Valorant Premier
Following the successful release of the Premier Global Beta in April 2023, the Valorant Premier Ignition stage was initiated and extended until August 13, 2023. Subsequently, following the Ignition playoffs, the commencement of stage 1 of the Premier League swiftly ensued.
This transition was promptly confirmed by Riot, who announced that the Premier would follow right after the culmination of the Valorant Champions 2023 finals on August 29, 2023. The Valorant Premier is slated to run from September 7, 2023, through to October 22, 2023.
- Dates and Times for Match Queue
Match queue times are contingent upon your specific time zone, typically occurring during the evening hours based on your local time. These time slots typically fall within the range of 5:00 PM to 9:30 PM in your local time zone. Nevertheless, it’s important to note that these timings are subject to alterations due to in-game updates, server maintenance, or technical issues. As a result, it’s highly advisable to consult the “Team Hub” section within the game for up-to-date information on match timings.
Furthermore, the map available for queueing will change on a weekly basis. Premier teams have the opportunity to play two matches on each designated map per week, with map rotations resetting every Tuesday. The specific map rotation schedule is contingent upon your selected gaming zone. For those who prefer to queue early, it’s feasible to complete both matches of the week on the same day. The dates for Valorant Premier Stage 1 are as follows:
- Enrollment: August 29 – September 6
- Week 1: September 7 – September 11 on Haven
- Week 2: September 12 – September 18 on Breeze
- Week 3: September 19 – September 25 on Lotus
- Week 4: September 26 – October 2 on Bind
- Week 5: October 3 – October 9 on Ascent
- Week 6: October 10 – October 16 on Split
- Week 7: October 17 – October 21 on Sunset
- Playoff Tournament: October 22
Divisions in Valorant Premier
Valorant Premier is organized into five Divisions, each of which contains five ranks, with the exception of the final Contender Division. These Divisions, listed in ascending order, are as follows:
- Open (1 – 5)
- Intermediate (1 – 5)
- Advanced (1 – 5)
- Elite (1 – 5)
- Contender
Riot’s system also ties the Division to a team’s Matchmaking Rating (MMR). The Division of a team is determined based on the MMR of its top 5 players. It’s important to note that you can invite any ranked player to your team unless their rank would affect your team’s Division. In such cases, an error will be displayed when attempting to invite that player. Additionally, while the MMR carries forward into future stages, the Division, zone, or enrollment status does not. Therefore, teams will need to enroll again in future stages of Valorant Premier.
Rewards in Valorant Premier
Valorant Premier offers four notable rewards for participants, which will be distributed a day after the final match day, specifically on October 23, 2023, to eligible individuals. These rewards include:
- Player Card: If you partake in at least one game during Valorant Premier, you will receive a player card.
- Crest: Playing two games per week with your team will earn you a crest.
- Gun Buddy: Winning any single match in Premier will grant you a gun buddy.
- Winner Title: Winning a match in Premier also bestows upon you a winner title.
In summary, Valorant Premier provides a valuable platform for emerging players to showcase their skills and progress within the Valorant competitive scene. Your performance in Premier carries over to subsequent stages and is documented on your career page. While we’ve aimed to address key FAQs about Premier, if you have any lingering questions, feel free to ask in the comments below.
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