Riot Games has officially revealed the tournament format for the upcoming VCT Stage 1 Masters Reykjavik 2022, the first international Valorant LAN event of the year.
The 12 best Valorant teams from around the world are set to compete in Iceland, where they will earn crucial VCT circuit points that go toward qualifying for Valorant Champions at the end of the year.
There are two major changes to the tournament format compared to last year. The playoffs will now follow a double-elimination format, instead of the previous single-elimination bracket.
On top of that, four teams who finished first in the most competitive regions will advance directly to the Masters Reykjavik’s playoffs. This includes the top-seeded sides from North America, EMEA, APAC, and either Brazil or Latin America.
VCT Stage 1 Masters Reykjavík 2022’s new tournament format features a double-elimination bracket for the playoffs
As the winners of their respective VCT regional playoffs, The Guard, G2 Esports, and Paper Rex start directly in the playoffs. These three teams will be joined by the top seed from either Brazil or Latin America, which will be determined by the result of the Brazil and Latin America playoffs match between Ninjas in Pyjamas and Leviatán.
If Brazil’s Ninjas in Pyjamas wins, fellow Brazilian team Loud will secure a playoffs spot. But if Leviatán wins, then KRÜ Esports will start in the playoffs.
VCT EMEA Stage 1 Challengers playoffs champions FunPlus Phoenix will not be able to attend Masters Reyjkavík due to travel restrictions that affected the majority of its players. As a result, EMEA Stage 1 Challengers runner-up G2 Esports was moved to the top seed, while the fourth-placed Team Liquid will take FPX’s spot as EMEA’s final representative.
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The eight remaining teams will be sorted into two groups. Each group will then play through a double-elimination bracket, with the top two squads advancing to the playoffs.
The four teams that emerge from the group stage will be placed randomly in the playoffs bracket, where the top-seeded squads from each region will be waiting.
Teams from the same group will be placed on opposite sides of the playoffs bracket to avoid a repeat match-up too early in the winner’s bracket.
All matches will play out in best-of-three series, except for the lower bracket final and grand final, which will be best-of-five games.
VCT Stage 1 Masters Reykjavik 2022’s group stage will take place from April 10 to 18, followed by the playoffs from April 22 to 24.
You can watch the matches live on the official Valorant Twitch and YouTube channels.
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