Premier Ignition Stage FAQ : Summary of What’s Changed:
Enrollment Period
Premier Ignition Stage FAQ : Enrollment period has been extended from four days to 1 week. Team creation and enrollment flow have been improved.
Weekly Format
Queue schedules are now tailored to each Zone.
Playoff Tournament
Tournament brackets will now update progress in real time. Consolation bracket has been removed.
PREMIER IGNITION STAGE FAQ
GENERAL – Premier Ignition Stage FAQ
How long is the Premier Ignition Stage?
The Premier Ignition Stage will run from July 11 to August 13. The enrollment period is from July 11 to July 20, weekly matches will take place from July 20 to August 12, and the Playoff Tournament will be held on August 13.
What will transfer from Ignition to Stage 1 (launch) in August?
Your team, match history, and Premier MMR will carry over to Stage 1. However, Premier Score, Division, Zone, and Enrollment will NOT carry over between stages.
Where can I find Premier in the client?
Premier will be featured on the full-screen takeover upon launch. You can also access it from the homepage navigation, listed as the second entry under “Play.” The first time you visit the Premier Hub, an explanation modal will pop up.
When will I get my rewards?
Rewards for participating and winning the Playoff Tournament will be distributed on August 13, the day after the Ignition Stage ends. The rewards include a unique Gun Buddy and Title for winning, as well as a Player Card for playing at least one match. Don’t forget to visit your collection to equip them!
ELIGIBILITY & VERIFICATION
How do I become eligible for Premier Ignition?
To be eligible to create or join a Premier team, you need to fulfill two conditions:Verify your identity through SMS verification. Establish your MMR by completing your ranked placements at any point in your account lifetime. If you’re already eligible, you will automatically skip to the next step and see the option to “CREATE A TEAM.”
Can anyone play in Premier Ignition?
Aside from the eligibility requirements mentioned above, anyone with a VALORANT account in good standing can participate during the Premier Beta period. An account in good standing means it is not currently banned or facing a Ranked queue restriction coinciding with the enrollment or play period. Players with recent Comms Restrictions, Game Bans, or Vanguard Interventions will also be ineligible to join a Premier Team.
How do I verify my phone number?
To verify your phone number, follow these steps:From the Premier Hub, click on “Verify.” Select your country code from the dropdown. Enter your phone number (including the area code) into the second box. You’ll receive a text message with a confirmation code. Enter that code on the next screen. You only need to submit your phone number once initially. Please note that the confirmation message may be delayed. Once you receive it, you’re verified!
What if I have issues verifying my phone number?
If you encounter issues verifying your phone number, try waiting for ten minutes and then attempting again. In some cases, resolution settings in the client can cause text box compression, leading to errors. Switching to a resolution of 1920×1080 might resolve this issue. For any other verification issues, reach out to Player Support for assistance.
What happens if I un-verify my account?
If you un-verify your account, the client will notify you that you will not be able to play in Premier until you go through the verification process again. Each account is allowed only one phone number, with a 6-month cooldown on changing phone numbers. If you unlink a phone number from your account, you won’t be able to use a different number for six months. However, you can relink the original number at any time without a lockout. If you are unverified and already on a team, you will NOT be kicked from your team but will be ineligible to queue.
INVITES
What is the difference between a Party Leader and Team Owner?
The Team Owner has more privileges, including the ability to invite players, customize the team logo, promote another player to owner, delete the team entirely, and leave the team (if they do, the Team Owner role will be passed to the player who has been on the team the longest). The party leader, on the other hand, is responsible for getting the team into the queue when ready to play a Premier match and locking in choices during map pick-and-ban in tournaments. The Team Owner doesn’t have to be present for the team to play a Premier match.
Can I join more than one team?
No, you can only join one team per account.
Can I cancel team invites or remove teammates?
As a Team Owner, you have the authority to cancel team invite requests and remove players from your team.
Are there restrictions on who I can be on a team with?
No restrictions apply. You can join a team with friends of different ranks, such as a Bronze friend and a Diamond friend. The system will determine the best Division for your team based on the MMR of the top 5 players. However, once your team enrolls, you’ll be limited to inviting players who won’t cause your team to change Divisions. If inviting a player would result in a Division change, the Team Owner will receive an error message when attempting to invite them. If Enrollment hasn’t ended, you can unenroll your team and invite anyone you’d like. Just remember to re-enroll before the cutoff time.
After weekly matches begin, can I still make roster changes on my team?
Once the weekly matches begin, you can only make changes to the roster that won’t affect the Division.
ENROLLMENT & ZONES
Can I unenroll my entire team?
If your team is enrolled, the “Choose Zone” button will convert to an “Unenroll” button, and your team will have the option to opt-out.
How do I know which Zone to choose?
During the enrollment process, the Team Owner will select a Zone. Based on the lowest average latency of the Team Owner, the top two pods in the chosen Zone will be recommended. Players selecting Zones with multiple pods will be matchmade as per usual matchmaking heuristics (ping-based). Note that once your team is enrolled, you cannot edit your Zone, but you can unenroll and re-enroll to select a new Zone. If you decide to unenroll to change Zones, you’ll have to go through the team enrollment process again.
My team missed enrollment. Can we still play?
Unfortunately, if your team misses the enrollment process, you will not be able to participate.
Can I add a new player to my team after the weekly matches have started?
Yes! You can invite new players as long as their addition doesn’t cause your team to change Divisions. If adding a player would lead to a Division change, the Team Owner will see an error message when attempting to invite them.
Where can I see my team enrollment status?
You can view your team’s enrollment status in the Premier Hub and the Team Tab.
TEAM HUB & PREMIER SCORE – Premier Ignition Stage FAQ
Where can I view team standings?
To view team standings, go to the Premier Hub and navigate to > PREMIER > STANDINGS. The standings are sectioned based on whether teams have made the qualification cutoff. Standings are updated when Premier matches are completed.
How are ties in standings broken?
Teams are listed in the standings based on their Premier Score. In the case of ties, the tiebreaker criteria are match win/loss records followed by round win/loss records.
Where can I view my team’s match history?
The match history tab shows your team’s match history at the team level. Individual game participation still appears in the player-level match history. The Team Match History also provides access to view past tournament match brackets and final standings.
What is the Premier Score?
The Premier Score is a point system where each match you play earns points. The Premier Score determines your team’s qualification for the Playoff Tournament at the end of Open Beta.
How do I accumulate points?
Teams earn 100 points for a weekly match win and 25 points for a loss. Tournament matches do not award points.
QUEUEING UP
Where can I queue for Premier matches?
To queue for Premier matches, click the “Play” button under the Premier Hub or in the general client navigation. Both options will take you to the lobby. Ensure that you have your party together before queuing up.
When can I queue for my Premier matches?
The schedule on the Premier Hub shows the queue window for your Zone. You can only queue during these windows. It is recommended to queue as early as possible within the one-hour window to increase the chances of finding a match. The complete schedule will be available in your Team Hub when Premier launches in the client. Generally, expect to have at least two evenings per week in your local time zone for weekly matches.
When are the queue windows?
Queue windows are unique to each Zone and occur on match days or tournament days in the evening for your local time zone. Most weekly matches are held around 7 pm local time, but this may vary per Zone between 7-9 pm local time. Check your Team Hub for the exact queue windows.
What if a player in my party is displayed as ineligible to queue?
Ensure that the player is verified via SMS, all players are on the same Premier team, and player accounts are not restricted for disruptive behavior.
What if my party is unable to queue?
For any match, confirm that the queue windows are open, your party consists of 5 eligible players, and your roster is currently enrolled. For weekly matches, make sure you haven’t reached your weekly match limit. For the Tournament, ensure that your roster has enough points to qualify and that the tournament limit has not been reached.
WEEKLY MATCHES
How many matches can I play each week?
Premier teams can play two matches per week, which reset on Tuesday.
Can I play both of my weekly matches in one day?
Yes! If you queue up early in the window, complete your match, and the queue window for your Zone is still open, you can queue up again. However, if you play two matches on a specific map during a weekly match window, you won’t be able to play on that same map in the other match window(s). The weekly match window resets on Tuesday.
How do I know what map I am playing for each match?
The featured map for each weekly match is listed on the schedule in the Premier Hub, allowing you enough time to prepare.
MATCHMAKING
How fair is matchmaking in Premier Ignition?
Matchmaking ensures that you play against teams within your Division, meaning they are within a consistent range of team MMR thresholds. The system aims to find matches against teams within your Division that have similar performance at that point in time.
How long can I expect for queues?
Most weekly matches are expected to be made within 8 minutes at maximum. If you end up waiting longer, please stay in the queue, as leaving and re-queuing will only increase the total time your team waits. Tournament brackets are expected to be made within 20 minutes at maximum. Similar to weekly matches, if you wait longer, it’s best to remain in the queue.
I’ve been waiting in the queue for a long time. Will my match still be fair?
If you wait in queues longer, there’s a possibility of playing against teams with better performance within your Division. However, since you’ll always be matched against teams within your Division, you should always have a fair chance at winning.
My team was queued, but a match was never found. What should I do?
While it’s highly unlikely that your team never finds a match, there may be rare instances where your team is the only one in the queue. If you exceed the maximum expected wait time (8 minutes), please stay in the queue, as you should get matched against the next team that joins. Additionally, it’s crucial to queue as early as possible within the weekly window to avoid difficulties finding a match.
LIVE MATCHES – Premier Ignition Stage FAQ
Are the rules different from standard competitive matches?
Yes, overtime rules differ in Premier matches. The first team to win 12 rounds gains Overtime Priority. The team with Overtime Priority chooses the starting side for Overtime by voting, using a simple majority of the 5 players. Teams must win by 2 rounds, and each round, teams swap sides. If two sets of Overtime have been played, a final round of Sudden Death is played. The side choice in Sudden Death is based on what the team with Overtime Priority chose during the Overtime Starting Side Choice Phase.
Are weekly matches best of 1?
Yes, weekly matches are best of 1.
TOURNAMENTS – Premier Ignition Stage FAQ
What Premier Ignition Score qualifies for the Playoff Tournament?
To qualify for the Playoff Tournament, teams must earn 375 points.
How are ties for qualification resolved?
Qualification for Playoffs is based on your team’s Premier Score rather than your position on the Standings. As long as your team meets the qualifying Premier Score and queues up at the right time, you’ll be eligible to be placed into a bracket.
Is there more than one winning team per Division?
Yes! All teams within a Division that qualify for the Tournament are matched into a bracket of up to 8 teams. Each bracket results in one winning team.
What if my team misses the tournament queue window?
If your team misses the tournament queue window, you will not be able to participate in the tournament.
How many teams are in a playoff bracket?
A tournament bracket can have up to 8 teams and may start with as few as 5.
What happens if my team loses?
If your team loses in a tournament match, you’ll be eliminated from the tournament.
What is the map pick-and-ban system?
During map pick-and-bans, teams take turns banning maps. All members of the team can vote on which map to ban, and the party leader locks in the team’s choice. The process alternates between teams until a map is chosen. The team that didn’t choose the map then gets to decide whether they want to attack or defend. The map pick-and-ban system is only available in Tournament matches.
Can you pause a match (timeout) and strategize?
Currently, pausing matches during Premier matches is not supported.
Can I substitute a player in between matches?
Substitutions during tournaments are not currently supported. The 5 players who queue up for the first match of the tournament will be locked in for the rest of the matches.
How much time do I have between tournament matches?
Teams will have at least a 5-minute rest period between tournament matches. Depending on your upcoming opponent’s match, you may have to wait longer.
Do we play all tournament matches in one day?
Yes, matches will be played consecutively until your team is eliminated or reaches the finals.
Will I know in advance what teams are in my tournament bracket?
No, tournament brackets are decided based on the teams that queue up at the designated time.
Thanks for read Valorant Premier Ignition Stage FAQ
