With the release of Valorant Episode 9 Act 1 being just around the corner, Riot Games has just announced their plans to introduce a new division to the game’s Premier mode.
Starting from June 2024, ‘Invite’ is set to be the highest division in Valorant’s Premier. It will overtake the Contender division in the current spectrum and will fill the final step of the in-game Path to Pro.
Teams that are victorious in the Premier Invite division earn the opportunity to compete in Challenger Leagues across the globe.
From Episode 8 Act 3, teams across all Premier divisions can secure a promotion with each playoff tournament victory. This advancement system enables teams to precisely track their progress and have a better estimate of how many victories stand between them and the next division.
Valorant Premier Contender & Invite Division Changes
The Valorant Episode 9 update will also bring with it several changes to the game’s Contender and Invite divisions:
- All teams must play in two scheduled events each week on the designated map of the week.
- Losses will now be worth 0 points. (previously losses awarded 25 points).
- Teams with similar records will be matched against each other, with rematch protection enabled.
- If an uneven number of teams show up for an event, the team with the lowest Premier Score will receive a bye instead of playing a match.
- Teams will qualify for the playoffs based on their standings after the conclusion of the weekly competition. (previously playoff qualification was based on Premier Score).
- At the end of the playoff tournaments, Premier will promote teams based on their final standings of the current stage’s leaderboard.
- Riot’s Esports Team will contact team owners promoting out of the Invite Division to provide details on where they will play now that they have earned their shot at Challengers.
On top of these changes, a “Contender Eligible” status will be added to the game which will acknowledge players primed for participation at the peak of Premier matchmaking. While this status is attainable at the Elite Division, the higher divisions of Premier will offer additional avenues for achieving this eligibility.
