VALORANT makes huge changes to Challengers and Ascension with new promotion rules

Since the VALORANT Champions Tour was introduced, we've been constantly examining the league's format and analysing its every crevice.

The pivot toward the international partnership leagues saw some cracks get filled in for this relatively new esport, but the cracks were only fixed on the surface level, and deeper into the tier-two scene, a chasm opened up with many problems.

Fixing Challengers and Ascension has been at the top of fans' lists for some time now, allowing for a healthier ecosystem. Riot Games has now finally addressed the tier-two competitions and its promotion event by revealing a year-long calendar and more opportunities to stay at the pinnacle of VALORANT esports.

VCT Ascension gets a well-needed makeover by scrapping auto-relegation and extending Challengers season

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Currently, teams in respective VCT International Leagues promoted through Ascension are automatically relegated when the season ends, giving the roster one year to show their worth as individuals and hope that they can get snapped up by pro teams again the following year. This is unsustainable and gives teams no real motivation to stick together and progress as a team.

However, Riot Games has now scrapped auto-relegation by offering the two promoted teams the chance to stay in the league. Instead of being relegated back to Challengers and having to start over, Ascension teams who do well in the VCT leagues can stay in the league by joining the Ascension playoffs again.

If an Ascension team now qualifies for Champions, its status will automatically be extended for another year. If an Ascension team reaches the regional playoffs, it will be resubmitted to Ascension, where it will compete against the best Challengers rosters to see who gets the Ascension title next year.

Of course, if an Ascension team flops and ends up in the bottom four of the VCT, the Ascension slot is no longer warranted, and the team will be relegated to Challengers while a new Ascension team is championed.

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The VCT Challengers programme is now being extended too. Riot Games is plugging the void between Ascension and the next season (which used to be a five-month off-season) by adding a third stage, which will see teams continue to compete through to December.

These changes will come into play immediately, and while there are still a lot of format tweaks that can be made to the top-tier competitions, this tier-two change is a massive step in the right direction.