IMPORTANT

Join the Discord for regular tournament communications: https://discord.gg/AphEazVd3n

Update: The EAST Open Qualifier will now promote six (6) teams to Challengers NORTH//EAST. The losers of the Quarter Finals will compete for the final two (2) spots in BO3 formats. These matches will be played external to the Challengermode platform on Sunday 12th January at 18:00 CET.

To compete in the Challengers EAST Open Qualifier, teams must consist of 2/5 players from their qualifier's region and a maximum of 2 players from outside from the NORTH//EAST region.

E.g. a team from EAST must have 2/5 players from EAST + 1 from NORTH or 3/5 from EAST.

Additional Restrictions

• The Agent, Tejo, is prohibited from use.
• The RGX and Araxys Outlaw skins are prohibited from use.

Maximum 64 teams

• The first 64 teams to check-in will participate in the tournament.

Overview

VALORANT Challengers NORTH//EAST is the combined Challengers League for NORTH and EAST. The VALORANT Challengers Leagues are the peak of regional VALORANT esports, providing a highly competitive platform for talent development with a distinctly national flair.

Each VALORANT Challengers League is the exclusive Riot-sanctioned non-amateur competition in the country/territory. The VALORANT Challengers NORTH//EAST covers over 30 countries across the Northern Europe region (UK, Ireland and Nordics) and the Eastern Europe region.

The Challengers EAST Open Qualifier consists of teams from the EAST region, competing for 4 spots into Challengers NORTH//EAST from 2025, in a single elimination best-of-three (Bo3) bracket.

Rules

Team Member Eligibility

Player Age

• No player shall be considered eligible to participate in the Event before their 16th birthday, defined as having lived 16 full years.
• If a player is 16 years of age or older but under the age of majority in their country of residence before the start of the Event, they may still compete in the Event if (a) they meet the other eligibility criteria in these Rules and the Global Policy,and (b) a parent or legal guardian accepts these Rules and the Global Policy on behalf of the player, and consents to the player’s participation in the Event using a parental consent form provided by the Event Officials.

Residency & Representation

• A Player can be an Resident and a Locally-Trained Representative (“LTR”) simultaneously. Players that have not claimed LTR status in a Challengers Region will be considered a “Non-Representative”.
• Each Team will be required to have a minimum of three (3) LTRs and three (3) Residents on their starting roster at all times during any Challengers Season.

LTRs are defined as players who have fulfilled one or more of the following criteria:

• The Player has legally resided and been primarily present in the competitive area of the Challengers for no less than 36 out of the last 60 months immediately prior to their participation in the first game of the applicable competition.

• The Player has legally resided and been primarily present in the competitive area of the Challengers League for at least 36 months after their 13th birthday, defined as having lived 13 full years.

• The Player has played in or was on the roster of a Challengers Team for the majority of applicable regular season matches in a Challengers League in no less than two of the last three splits immediately prior to their participation in the first game of the applicable competition. *Please note, Challengers splits

• Additionally, a split will count towards the LTR requirement for a player who has been on the roster of a Challengers Team for the majority of the split, even if the player has not been actively participating in the respective Challengers League, as long as they have not participated in any other Challengers League.

• A Player may only claim LTR status for the Challengers region in which they are currently participating and may only be an LTR of a single Challengers region at one time. Upon joining another Challengers League, the Player will have to prove their LTR status for the respective Challengers League, otherwise they will be considered a Non-Representative.

• A player will not be considered an LTR until they have claimed this status with the respective Challengers League.

• Players are not required to claim LTR status and may choose to remain a Non-Representative despite being eligible.

• Residents are defined as players that, at the time of registration to the Challengers League, are either:

• A lawful permanent resident of a jurisdiction in the region for at least six (6) months.

• A citizen or national of a country in the region.

• A player may only be a Resident of a single Region at any point in time, regardless of whether that player has lawful resident status in multiple Regions. Any player who relocates to a new region, will remain a resident of their prior region until the one-year anniversary of their relocation.

• Players may prove Residency and LTR eligibility by submitting documentary evidence of eligibility. There are two general categories of evidence: government-issued documentation (e.g., government benefits records, military/draft registration papers) and private documentation (e.g., school records, deeds, leases, homeowner association documents, utility bills, bank records/statements, tax returns, insurance documents, medical records & employment records).

• Minors may also have a parent or guardian prove Residency or LTR status on their behalf by first, providing documentary evidence of the parent- /guardian-child relationship (e.g., a birth certificate) and second,submitting documentary evidence belonging to the parent/guardian, as outlined above.

Work Eligibility

• Each Player must submit proof, prior to being added to a Team’s Challengers Roster, that they will be work-eligible in their respective jurisdiction and/or Challengers host country/countries.

Player & Team Eligibility

• All Players may only compete in one Challengers League at a time.
• Players may not be registered on a VCT and Challengers roster at the same time.
• Players competing in a Challengers League are ineligible to compete in a VALORANT Regional Circuit (VRC) event.

Team Member Vetting

• As part of the Team Member registration process, Teams must submit the username and Riot ID for their main and up to one secondary (smurf) VALORANT account used in the last 3 months, for each member of the Team, to Event Officials. Failure to do so may result in penalties.
• The vetting process will consist of anti-cheat and behavior checks across the submitted accounts and determine whether or not they are in line with the standards we expect from Players in NORTH//EAST.
• Event Officials will inform Teams of their Players’ behavior check results upon completion.
• If a Player fails the anti-cheat and/or behavior check, a report containing information on why the Player did not pass vetting will be compiled. Event Officials may share this report with the Team upon receiving written permission from the Player.
• Players that fail the checks may also be subject to penalties depending on the severity of the case. At minimum, players will receive increased monitoring and be expected to demonstrate improved behavior during the next round of checks.
• Players that pass the check may still be subject to official sanctions such as warnings, suspensions and/or fines based on the specific results.

No Riot Employees

• Team Owners and Team employees may not be employees of Riot Games Limited. (“RGL”) or the Challengers entity or any of their respective affiliates. “Affiliate” is defined as any person or other entity which owns or controls, is under the ownership or control of, or is under common ownership or control, with the named Riot entities above. “Control” shall mean the power, through any means, to determine the policies or management of an entity, whether through the power to elect, appoint or approve, directly or indirectly, the directors, officers, managers or trustees of such entity or otherwise.

Ownership And Participation

Recognition of Ownership

• Riot shall have the right to make final and binding determinations regarding Team ownership, issues relating to the multiple Team restriction and other relationships that may otherwise have an adverse impact on the competitive integrity of the Event. Any person that petitions for ownership into the Event can be denied admission at the sole discretion of Riot. Team Owners agree that they will not contest any final determination of Riot in connection therewith.
• If an Owner is found to have any financial interest or benefit or any level of influence in another Team, the Owner will be required to immediately divest said interest in one of the two Teams and may be subject to punishment by Riot.

Roster Rules

Starters & Substitutes

• Each Team must maintain, at all times during the Event, five players in the Team’s Starting Roster (“Starters”). A Team has the option of fielding two additional players to act as substitutes (“Substitutes”).

Minimum Roster Requirements

• All Starters, and any Substitute who replaces a Starter, must be eligible to participate in the Event. Teams must comply with the minimum roster requirement at all times during the Event. If at any point a Team’s roster falls below five players, that Team may be disqualified or otherwise sanctioned, unless given permission to drop below the minimum roster by Event Officials, at their sole discretion.
• The right to participate in the Event is contingent on the Team retaining a minimum of three players that were on their Roster and played at least one official Challengers match during the qualification process.

Multiple Teams

• A Team Member will not be allowed to compete for more than one Team simultaneously and cannot be listed on the Roster of more than one Team.
• A Team Member cannot have a contractual or financial arrangement with another Team unless explicitly allowed by Event Officials in writing.

Substitutions

• Any substitution must result in the Team having an eligible Roster or Starting Roster.
• For Matches involving more than one Map (i.e., a best-of-three or best-of-five Match), a Team may replace their then-current Starters with Substitutes in between Maps, provided that the Team informs the opposing Team and receives approval from the Referees of such substitution no later than five minutes after the conclusion of the previous game.
• In the event that a Player disconnects during a map and is unable to return within the allocated pause time, the Team will be permitted to replace them with a Substitute from their Roster. The lobby will need to be remade, and the game manually reverted to the previous game state.
• In the event of an emergency at any point during a Match, a Team will be given up to ten minutes to produce an eligible Substitute on-site. If a replacement cannot be found then the Team will forfeit. Event Officials will determine if an incident qualifies as an emergency. Any substitute must be an eligible member of the Team roster.

Coaches

• Teams may have one coach that is designated as the Head Coach that is allowed to communicate with the Team’s Players during the Agent and Map selection process for each Match, timeouts, half-times, in between regulation and overtime, and in between Maps (if applicable).
• If a Team has a coach designated as the Head Coach, then that Head Coach may be present for every Match in which the Team participates.
• For online tournaments (“Online Events”), the Team’s designated Head Coach is required be connected to Discord channel provided by Event Officials and will only be allowed to talk to players during the Agent and Map selection process for each Match, timeouts, half-times, in between regulation and overtime, and in between Maps (if applicable) in Teamspeak.
• The Team’s designated Head Coach is only permitted to be in the Match Area during Agent and Map selection, Timeouts, Half-Times, in between regulation and overtime, and in between Maps. For the purposes of online competition, any room in which the player competes will be considered part of the Match Area.
• The other coaches and/or Team personnel are not permitted to be in the Match Area, and may not communicate with the Players during a Match unless authorized by the Event Officials.
• In the event of an emergency, the Team can designate an interim Head Coach. Whether or not an event qualifies as an emergency is determined at the sole discretion of the Event Officials. The interim Head Coach can be a Team Manager.

Player Names

• A player’s official nickname (Tournament Handle) or Riot ID will be selected at the time of registration and may not be changed at any time without the prior written approval of Event Officials.
• Tournament Handles may not exceed 11 characters, including spaces, and may use upper-case letters, lower-case letters, digits, underscores, or single spaces between words only.
• Tournament Handles must be unique globally. In the event of a conflict, Event officials will notify Teams and request submission of a new name.
• A Tournament Handle may not include any word or phrase in any language that is offensive, toxic or hurtful.
• A Tournament Handle may not include all or part of a corporate name or make use of the trademarks or other intellectual property of Riot, VALORANT or any third party without the prior written approval of Event Officials. In order to secure such approval, a player must provide a license agreement, sponsorship agreement or other documentary evidence to Event Officials sufficient to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Event Officials that the player is properly licensed to use such third party’s intellectual property. Notwithstanding any approval that may be provided by the Event Officials, the entire risk and responsibility for obtaining the right to use a corporate name or the intellectual property of a third party in or as part of a player’s name or Riot ID shall be with the player.
• Event Officials reserve the right to reject any Tournament Handle or Riot ID selected by a player for any reason and to require the player to select an alternate name that complies with these rules and the Global Policy.

Team Tags (Tricodes)

• Teams will be permitted a team tag of 2-4 characters to be added to the front of each Player’s Tournament Handle on the Tournament Realm. These team tags must be a combination of uppercase letters and/or digits, and they must be unique globally.

Match Process

Changes to Schedule

• Event Officials may, at their sole discretion, re-order the schedule of Matches within a given day and/or change the date of a Match to a different date or otherwise modify the schedule of Matches. In the event that the Event Officials modify a Match schedule, they will notify all Teams as soon as possible.

Punctuality

• Team Members participating in an official match are required to be fully ready in the respective Game Lobby no later than the time specified by Event Officials.
• If a Team is not fully ready at the specified times, penalties may be applied.
• If a Team or any of their Players do not show up at the specified time for any of their Matches, due to unforeseen circumstances, Teams must inform Event Officials immediately. Event Officials may postpone, suspend or cancel the Game or Match at their sole discretion.
• If a Match is postponed, it will be rescheduled to a date within the same or the following week, unless another agreement can be found among Teams and Event Officials. The exact Match date will be communicated by Event Officials at their earliest convenience.

Competition Patches

• The EAST Open Qualifier will be played on Patch 10.00

Additional Restrictions

• The RGX and Araxys Outlaw skins are prohibited from use.

• Other Additional Restrictions - (e.g. disabling certain weapons) may be added by Riot or Challengers representatives at any time before or during a match, if there are known bugs with any items, Agents, skins, or abilities.

Pre-Match Setup

• Players will have designated blocks of time prior, as outlined in the Match Operations Procedures to their Match time to ensure they are fully prepared. Event Officials will inform players and Teams of their scheduled setup time and duration as part of their Match schedule.
• Event Officials may change the schedule at any time. Setup time is considered to have begun once players enter the Match Area, at which point they are not allowed to leave without permission of an Event Official.
• Setup consists of the following:

1. Confirm Tournament Realm account name accuracy
2. Ensuring the working function of all equipment, network connection and DDOS protection.
3. Connecting and calibrating peripherals.
4. Ensuring proper function of voice chat system.
5. Selecting skins.
6. Adjusting in-game settings
7. Limited in-game warm-up.

• Technical Failure of Equipment - If a player encounters any equipment problems during any phase of the setup process, the player must notify an Event Official immediately.
• Players are responsible for ensuring the performance of their chosen setup, including computer hardware and peripherals, internet connection, DDOS protection and power. Issues with this setup are not an acceptable reason for lateness or pausing beyond a Team’s allowance.

Player Ready State & Lobby Creation

• It is expected that players will resolve any issues with the setup process within the allotted time and that the Match will begin at the scheduled time. Sanctions for tardiness may be assessed at the discretion of Event Officials.

Lobby Setup

• The Match Lobby must be set to "Tournament Mode" with "Overtime: Win by Two" turned on.
• The default server location will be: Frankfurt. The server location may be changed provided both teams agree.

Additional Rules for Online Events

Coaching Slot in the VALORANT Client

• In order to secure and protect the competitive integrity of Online Events in the VALORANT Champions Tour from misuse of the Coaching Slot privilege granted to Teams during these events, Event Officials have the right to prohibit access to the Coaching Slot, audit any in-client communications of a Player or a Coach in an Online Event, and mandate additional rules and processes for monitoring a Player or Coach’s adherence to these Rules for Online Events.

Match Communications

• Players and Coaches in an ongoing match of an Online Event shall only communicate with the other Players and Coaches in the same ongoing match, and Event Officials of the Online Event.
• Any unauthorized communication with anyone other than the Players and Coaches in the ongoing match and Event Officials is prohibited. Players and Coaches must obtain authorization from an Event Official before engaging in any communication with anyone outside of the ongoing match.

Ongoing Match Points of View

• Players and Coaches in an ongoing match shall only view the Point of View (“POV”) afforded to that Player or Coach by the VALORANT client being used for the Online Event.

Allowed POV

• Players in a player slot of the VALORANT client are allowed to view the POV afforded to that player slot by the VALORANT client.
• Players on the same Team are allowed to observe each other's monitors showing the POV afforded to those players by the VALORANT client.
• Coaches in a coach slot of the VALORANT client are allowed to view the POVs afforded to that coach slot by the VALORANT client.

Prohibited POV

• Players and Coaches in an ongoing match are prohibited from using any broadcast, stream, or other method for presenting video or audio content of the ongoing match outside of the POV afforded to that Player or Coach by the VALORANT client.
• A Player or Coach that views a prohibited POV without authorization by an Event Official shall be subject to disciplinary action including, but not limited to, Official Warnings, fines, match forfeiture, and Player or Coach suspensions.

Exploit Adjudication

• A player-caused bug that has the potential to significantly alter the competitive integrity of the game and provide an unintended competitive advantage. As a standard, regardless of impact, exploit usage is not permitted and if found will result in a penalty, as outlined below.

Agent Specific Exploits

• Non-limiting examples of “Agent Specific Exploits” are detailed in the Esports Bug List. Any use of a bug or exploit specifically listed in the Esports Bug List, or covered under a blanket prohibition will be considered a violation of these rules.

Cypher

• All Cypher cam placements that afford an unfair competitive advantage via abusing map textures and/or geometry to prevent the Cypher cam from being destroyed or seen are considered banned exploits. All Cypher cam placements must result in a Cypher cam that is destructible, that is viewable by both teams, and that does not exploit map textures and/or geometry to create a one-way view that provides an unfair advantage. Any other uses of a Cypher cam that are determined by a League Official to provide an unfair competitive advantage will also be considered banned exploits.

General Agent Utility Rule

• All uses of agent utility that afford an unfair competitive advantage via abusing map textures and/or geometry to prevent the agent utility from being destroyed or seen are considered banned exploits. Agent utility cannot be used in areas that are outside of map boundaries while potentially providing any useful information or advantage at any point. Areas that are within map boundaries are defined as areas where all utility is (1) destructible as intended for that utility, (2) has the ability to be seen by both teams as intended for that utility, and (3) does not exploit map texture and/or geometry to provide an unfair competitive advantage.
• A player shall not alter the utility’s intended purpose and scope of usage by abusing map textures and/or geometry, abusing unintended interactions with other utility, unintended interactions with weapons, or other types of unintended interactions to gain an unfair competitive advantage. Any other uses of an agent's utility that are determined by a League Official to provide an unfair competitive advantage will also be considered banned exploits.
• SPECIAL EXCEPTIONS: KAY/O's ZERO/POINT ability is intended to be usable outside of map boundaries, and is a special exception regarding these rules. KAY/O's ZERO/POINT ability is allowed to be placed outside of map boundaries, and at other locations that cause KAY/O's ZERO/POINT ability to be indestructible and/or unviewable by the enemy players. However, the knife model of KAY/O's ZERO/POINT ability cannot abuse or exploit map textures and/or geometry to travel to unintended locations. For example, the knife model of KAY/O's ZERO/POINT ability may not travel through or inside map textures and/or geometry that are intended to be solid. Teams should clear specific trajectories or end locations for KAYO's ZERO/POINT ability with League Officials prior to usage if the Team is unsure whether that usage complies with this special exception rule.

Agent Character Model Boosting

• Players are prohibited from using another agent's character model to boost to a location out of intended jumping range.

Assessment of Penalties

• When assessing the appropriate penalty, League Officials shall take into account the past punishments for the same or similar situation, exploit classification, prior communication, impact, and intent. The following questions and assessments shall be considered by League Officials in each category to apply appropriate penalties.

Exploit Classification

• Is the exploit on the Esports Bug List, and how is it classified?
• If the exploit isn’t in the Esports Bug List, is it similar enough to another that a reasonable person would assume that the classification would be the same?
• If the exploit isn’t in the Esports Bug List and isn’t similar to another known exploit, League Officials should use the other criteria to help inform any action.

Prior Communication

• Has the Esports Bug List been shared with the team and/or player?
• Was the Esports Bug List for the patch version designated by the League Officials for the event shared within a reasonable timeframe for them to inform themselves and make necessary adjustments?
• If the Esports Bug List hasn’t been communicated at all or in a reasonable timeframe, this should be a mitigating factor.

Impact

• What impact did the exploit have on the round and/or outcome of the map - e.g., Damage dealt, info gained (vision, sound etc.), prevented opponents actions (bomb defusal/plant).
• What impact could this exploit have on the perception of the sport? Could it bring the sport into disrepute?

Intent

• How hard is it to use the exploit accidentally? Does it require a specific set of actions that don’t occur in the normal course of play?
• Has the player or Team received penalties for the same exploit in the past?
• Did the player or Team discuss usage in voice comms?
• Did the player or Team notify a referee immediately after the exploit had occurred?

Types of Penalties

• The following list of penalties is a non-exhaustive list. Event Officials may, at their sole discretion, issue other types of Disciplinary Actions such as Fines or Suspensions on a case-by-case basis.

Warning

• Event Officials may issue warnings for a low impact first offense in order to prevent widespread usage of low impact exploits.
• Warnings may be issued for unintended bugs that did not give a competitive advantage, or bugs deemed small enough to not have a significant impact on the competitive integrity of the Match.

Round Rollback

• Event Officials may perform a round rollback when an exploit has had a significant impact on the outcome of the round, but the intent of the player that performed the exploit cannot be determined, or for low impact second offenses.
• Round rollbacks may be used for unintended exploits that give a competitive advantage. Event Officials shall evaluate the intent of the player that performed the exploit on a case by case basis. If a player contacts an official immediately after the unintended exploit occurs, then Event Officials shall consider issuing a round rollback.
• Round rollbacks may also be issued for a major exploit that impacts the integrity of the round, but is not the fault of any player or coach.

Round Loss

• League Officials may issue a round loss when an exploit has a significant impact on the outcome of the round, and League Officials have determined that the player or team intended to perform the exploit. Round losses may also be issued if a round rollback threshold has been exceeded, as determined by League Officials.

• Round losses may be applied using the following methods:

1. Roll back to the round where the exploit was used and award the Team that did not perform the exploit the round win via elimination in round rollback settings.
2. If rolling back isn’t an option, round loss should be applied at the start of the next round. If the current round could result in the map ending, the loss should be applied to the current round.
3. Round losses may be issued for intended exploits that give a competitive advantage. Intent will be assessed by League Officials. If the exploit is listed on the current Esports Bug List given to Teams in a reasonable timeframe, the exploit will automatically be classified as an intended exploit if considered egregious.

Map Forfeit Loss

• League Officials may issue a forfeit loss for a map of the Match in the following scenarios: An exploit had a significant impact on the outcome of a map or provided a significant unintended competitive advantage, but the map has concluded and round rollback and/or remake is not possible.
• Second offenses for low impact exploits where round rollback and/or remake is not possible.
• Second offenses for high impact exploits while the map is still being played, and a round loss has already been applied.
• Egregious cases that warrant an immediate escalated penalty, as determined at the sole discretion of the League Officials.

Match Forfeit Loss

• League Officials may issue a forfeit loss for a Match when the actions of the Team Personnel of one of the participating Teams has irreversibly undermined the competitive integrity of the Match, including, but not limited to, cheating and match fixing. League Officials may issue a forfeit loss for a Match where one of the Teams used an exploit that would have resulted in a map forfeit loss, but was not caught until the Match had already concluded, and no reasonable mitigation steps are available.

Finality of Judgment on Bug and Exploit Adjudication

• League Officials have the right to assess and make final calls on all exploit decisions. All decisions regarding the interpretation of this Section 14 lie solely with the Event Officials; such decisions are final, cannot be appealed, and shall not give rise to any claim for monetary damages or any other legal or equitable remedy.

Pauses

Timeouts

• Teams are allowed to call timeouts of sixty (60) seconds in duration (“Timeouts”) two times per map during the first 24 rounds of the map (“Regulation”), at any time not limited by half. The sixty second clock will begin when both Teams’ Match Coaches are connected and able to communicate with their players. In the event of overtime, each team will be granted one Timeout to use for overtime. Unused Timeouts from Regulation will not carry over to overtime.

Timeout Protocol

• Communication will be limited to players and coaches. All Timeouts must be taken within the first twenty (20) seconds of a Buy Phase. Any Timeout taken after twenty seconds will be deferred to the next round, unless the next round is after the end of the half or the end of regulation, in which case the Timeout will be spent with no additional time given.
• Players are not allowed to leave the Match Area at any time during a Timeout.

Timeout Agent Control

• During a Timeout, headsets have to stay on and players are prohibited from controlling their agent (i.e., players can not move or use utility during a Timeout).

Code of Conduct

Conduct Generally

1. Competitive Integrity.

• All Teams, players, and coaches are expected to compete to the best of their skill and ability at all times in any Official Competition.

2. High Standards.

• All Teams, players, and coaches must observe the highest standards of personal integrity and good sportsmanship at all times. Players and coaches must behave in a professional and sportsmanlike manner in their interactions with other competitors, Event Officials, the Tournament Operator, the media, sponsors and fans.

3. Disciplinary Action and Sanctions.

• A violation of this Ruleset will result in disciplinary action or sanctions at the discretion of Riot.

Competitive Integrity

• Set forth below is a non-exclusive list of examples of conduct that has an adverse impact on the competitive integrity of the game, all of which are prohibited:

1. Match-Fixing.

• No Team Personnel may offer, agree, or conspire to fix a match or take any other action to intentionally and unfairly alter, or attempt to alter, the results of any game (or any play or component thereof). If a Team, player, or coach is asked to “fix” the outcome of a game or to otherwise take part in any actions prohibited by this Ruleset, that Team, player, or coach must immediately report this request to the Tournament Operator.

2. Bribery.

• No Team or Team Personnel may offer any gift, cash, or other reward to a player, coach, manager, other Team Personnel, Event Official, the Tournament Operator or any other person connected with or employed by another Team in order to influence the outcome of a game in an Official Competition.

3. Gifts.

• No player or coach may accept any gift, reward or compensation from another Team or player (or anyone acting on behalf of another team or player) in connection with any Official Competition.

4. Gambling.

• Gambling on the outcome of a tournament, match or game in any esport competition (including any plays or components of a game) can pose a serious threat to the integrity of, and public confidence in, esports competitions. Players and coaches are not allowed to (a) place, or attempt to place, bets on any esports competition (or any plays or components thereof), or (b) associate with high volume gamblers, or deliver information to others that might influence their bets.

5. Cheating.

• Cheating is prohibited. Any modification of the VALORANT game client by a Team, player, or coach is prohibited. The use of any kind of cheating device or cheat program shall be deemed cheating.

6. Exploiting.

• Intentionally using any in-game bug to seek an advantage is exploiting and is prohibited. Exploiting includes acts such as making use of any game function that, in Riot’s sole judgment, is not functioning as intended and violates the design purpose of VALORANT. Teams may confidentially check with the referee at the beginning of a competition to determine if a specific act would be considered exploiting. Riot reserves the right to make an ex-post-facto determination of whether an exploit has occurred.

7. Ringing.

• Playing under another player’s account or Riot ID, or soliciting or inducing someone else to play under another player’s account or Riot ID, is prohibited.

8. Studio Interference.

• At Live Events, no player or coach may interfere with lights, cameras or other studio equipment.

9. Unauthorized Communications.

• At Live Events, all communication devices other than devices authorized by the Event Officials for use at that Live Event must be removed from the play area before any official game begins. Players may not text/email or use social media while in the match area. During the match, communication by a player shall be limited to the other players on the Team.

10. Drop Outs and Refusals to Participate.

• If a Team, player, or coach registers for, or agrees to participate in, any Official Competition, he or she may not, without the prior written consent of the Event Officials, drop out or refuse to participate in any game or other related event held during the applicable season. An unexcused absence from a game after the registration process is complete may result in sanctions.

11. Non-Compliance.

• No player or coach may refuse to comply with the instructions or decisions of the Tournament Operator or the Event Officials.

12. Unprofessional Behavior or Illegal Acts

• Set forth below is a non-exclusive list of examples of unprofessional behavior or illegal activities, all of which are prohibited.

13. Vulgar or Hateful Speech.

• Team Personnel, during a Live Event, Online Event, Media Event or in any communication relating to any Official Competition or VALORANT, use any language that is offensive, insulting, libelous, slanderous, defamatory, obscene, discriminatory, threatening, foul or vulgar. Team Personnel may not post, transmit, or disseminate any such prohibited communications. Team Personnel may not use this type of language on social media or during any public-facing events or in any broadcast or stream of VALORANT. This rule applies to speech in English and all other languages. In addition, Team Personnel may not encourage members of the public to engage in any activities that are prohibited by this rule.

14. Violence.

• Team Personnel are expected to settle their differences in a respectful manner and without resort to violence, threats or intimidation (physical or non-physical). Violence is never permitted at Live Event or against any competitor, fan or Competition Official.

15. Drugs and Alcohol.

• The use, possession, distribution or sale of controlled substances, such as drugs or alcohol, or being under the influence of such controlled substances, is strictly prohibited while a player or coach is engaged in any Official Competition or other event or on premises that are owned by or leased to Riot or the Tournament Operator. The unauthorized use or possession of prescription drugs by a player or coach is prohibited. Prescription drugs may be used only by the person to whom they are prescribed and in the manner, combination and quantity as prescribed. Prescription drugs may only be used to treat the condition for which they are prescribed and may not be used to enhance performance in a game. Each player or coach must report any violation of this rule to the Tournament Operator.

16. Harassment.

• Harassment is prohibited. Harassment is defined as systematic, hostile and repeated acts taking place over a period of time, or a singular egregious instance, which is/are intended to isolate or ostracize a person and/or diminish the dignity of the person.

17. Sexual Harassment.

• Sexual harassment is prohibited. Sexual Harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances. The assessment is based on whether the person being harassed would regard the conduct as undesirable or offensive. There is zero tolerance for any sexual threats/coercion or the promise of advantages in exchange for sexual favors.

18. Discrimination and Denigration.

• Team Personnel may not offend the dignity or integrity of a country, private person, or group of people through contemptuous, discriminatory or denigrating words or actions on account of race, skin color, ethnic, national or social origin, gender, language, religion, political opinion or any other opinion, financial status, birth or any other status, sexual orientation or any other reason.

19. Defamatory Statements.

• Team Personnel may not make, issue, authorize or publish any statement that denigrates, disparages or defames any Official Competition, Tournament Operator, Competition Official, Riot or its affiliates, sponsors, or VALORANT.

20. Illegal Activity.

• Teams and Team Personnel must comply with all applicable laws at all times. A Team or Team Personnel may not engage in any activity which is in violation of public health, safety or security regulations.

21. Immoral Activity.

• Team Personnel may not engage in any activity which, in the sole determination of the Tournament Operator, is unethical, immoral or disgraceful.

22. Confidentiality.

• Team Personnel may not, without the consent of the Tournament Operator, disclose any confidential or proprietary information provided or made available by Riot or the Tournament Operator to the Team Personnel in relation to any Official Competition. Team Personnel shall be obligated to keep the confidential or proprietary information provided by Riot or the Tournament Operator. The “confidential or proprietary information” of Riot and the Tournament Operator includes all information and materials disclosed (whether in oral, written, or other tangible or intangible form) or otherwise made available by Riot or the Tournament Operator to Team Personnel concerning or related to VALORANT, any Official Competition or any Official Competition which the Team Personnel knows or should know, given the facts and circumstances surrounding the disclosure of the information, is confidential information of Riot or the Tournament Operator. Confidential information includes, without limitation, development plans and release dates for updates to VALORANT, information and materials concerning or related to the content of all protests, discussions or any other correspondence between Team Personnel and Riot or the Tournament Operator, the configuration of the stage used at Live Events and other similar information that is withheld from fans in order to preserve the “reveal” at an Online Event or a Live Event.

23. Terms of Use

• Any conduct that (a) violates the Terms of Use for VALORANT; (b) violates any guidelines, or any policy posted on the official websites or social media accounts for VALORANT; or (c) interferes with use or enjoyment of VALORANT by others is prohibited and a violation of this Ruleset.

24. False Information

• Tax forms, registration forms, parental consents, and other documentation may be required at various times by the Tournament Operator. Team Personnel violates this Ruleset if he or she knowingly provides false or inaccurate information to the Tournament Operator. A Team may be subject to sanctions if the documentation is not completed to the standards set by the Tournament Operator.