- The Esports Club will host a four-season tournament series for Valorant in India
- There will be $71,000 up for grabs split across the four seasons running through January 2022
- A total of 256 teams can try and qualify for each season through open qualifiers
Valorant’s competitive scene is rapidly developing, with The Esports Club now hosting a new tournament series in India that will run through early 2022.
With $72,000 on the Line, Valorant Continues to Develop in India
The competitive ecosystem around Riot Games’ Valorant continues to develop in leaps and bounds with another host organization, The Esports Club, announcing a $71,000 tournament series that will run across four seasons and give Indian players the opportunity to build their country’s competitive community.
Each leg of the race will feature its own playoffs, and the purse will be divvied up between the separate seasons. Each of the “Esports Club Gauntlets” will be jam-packed with action.
Fleshing out the details, Esports Club had time to break down the qualifiers, the mini all-star events, and how the regular seasons will culminate into playoffs. The first season is kicking in June 2021, and the entire four-event series will run through January 2022, so prepare yourself for a lengthy competitive season in the Valorant universe.
Esports Club Valorant Gauntlet: What to Expect?
The first event will reunite 16 teams who will be determined via qualifiers, which is fair given the novel status of Valorant and the fact that promising teams are only now making their mark on the game. Once registration has been completed for the qualifiers, all brackets and schedules will be released so that players would know what to expect.
As explained before, each season will have its own rite of passage, featuring the qualifiers, regular seasons, and playoffs. The start and end dates for all events of the Esports Club Gauntlet have already been set:
- Season 1: June 2021 – July 2021
- Season 2: August 2021 – September 211
- Season 3: October 2021 – November 2021
- Season 4 December 2021 – January 2022
Open Qualifiers
For those already looking for an entry, they are making the cut should not be too difficult at all. The open qualifiers will bring 256 teams together in a single-elimination bracket that will guarantee swift qualifications and also spare organizers and participants much of the hassle other events usually bring along with them. Once that is out of the way, players will be able to progress to the regular season.
Regular Seasons
The regular season is where the bulk of the action will be taking place. There will be a total of 16 participating teams, with all contestants split into two separate groups of 8 teams each. The groups will be played in a round-robin, Bo3 format.
The top four teams of each group will then progress to the playoffs, and as to the 5th and 6th best teams, they will get an automatic spot in next season’s Gauntlet. The bottom two teams from each group will have to go, though, and take their chances at next Gauntlet’s open qualifier.
All-Star Events
Before the playoffs begin, the Gauntlets will each have their All-Star mini-events. However, no details have been provided just yet as to who makes the cut, especially in the context of not too developed Valorant esports ecosystem in India.
Playoffs
As explained before, the top four teams of each group will make it into the playoffs and play to a Bo3 double-elimination bracket.
How Are Prizes Awarded for Each Gauntlet?
Once the Gauntlet is over with the Bo5 finals, teams will be awarded the first-place squad taking the bulk of the award, around $6,900. The entire breakdown of the prize squad for each season goes as follows:
- 1st place – $6,900
- 2nd place – $3,400
- 3rd place – $1,350
- 4th place – $690
All prize numbers have been converted from Indian rupees, with the total purse for all four seasons standing at INR 5,200,000 or around $71,000.
