Premier, Valorant's team-based competitive system spun off of League of Legends' Clash mode, launches its open beta on April 25. The test run will last until May 21.
Premier Global Open Beta launches April 25.
Premier was first announced last October, as a grassroots way of tying Valorant's casual community and game with the competitive community and its esports scene. Among many things, today's announcement reveals teams must have an SMS-verified account, as well as a Ranked placement in any Act thus far, to participate in Premier. If an account is unverified, even after signing up for Premier, they will not be able to queue up.
Teams, which can be formed or joined, can have up to seven players. New players may be added after enrollment, so long as the team remains in their division. Prior to enrollment, though, there are no restrictions: an Iron player may sign up to Premier with a Radiant. Each team will pick the zone (subregion) they play in, which determines the available servers and match schedule. After picking a zone, the teams will be seeded into one of 20 divisions based on the average MMR of the five best players.
During the weekly matches, teams will play two games a week. Maps will be pre-selected and displayed in order to give teams time to prepare. A win will give a team 100 Premier Score, while a loss a mere 25. Should a team accrue 375 points, they'll qualify for the division-based Playoff Tournament. The eight-team playoffs stage will have map picks and bans, as well as a Consolation Bracket for defeated teams to fight for third place. There will be a title and player card for playoff winners and participants.
Timeouts will not be available in Premier. There will be different overtime rules: the first team to reach 12 rounds will get to pick their starting side in overtime. If the two squads reach a score of 14-14, a final Sudden Death round will be played with side priority to the team who also chose their first overtime side.
The global open beta of Premier begins on April 25 and concludes late May. The dates are:
- Enrollment period: April 25 - April 28
- Weekly matches: April 29 - May 20
- Playoff Tournament: May 21
On May 3, a test tournament with no impact on the Premier standings will be held in all zones. It will have the same format as the Playoff Tournament.
Riot Games have posted an in-depth FAQ on their website.
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