Riot Games officially launched the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Pacific League 2023 with a kickoff event in the Philippines. There, Filipino Valorant players and community members got to see a preview of what to expect in the upcoming Pacific championship leg which will begin on March 25.
The VCT Pacific tournament promises to deliver impressive esports action, and it will give Filipino fans something to cheer for as the PH squad Team Secret is currently in Seoul and preparing for the world stage.
Specifically, Team Secret will feature Jessie Cristy “JessieVash” Cuyco, Jayvee “DubsteP” Paguirigan, Jim “BORKUM” Timbreza, Jeremy “Jremy” Cabrera, and Adrian “invy” Reyes, along with reserve Lionel “lenne” Lim You Xiang, and coach Evan “Warbirds” Orzem.
Other teams that fans should look out for include the Indonesian squad Rex Regum Qeon, which features two Pinoys in their roster, DetonatioN FocusMe, DRX, Gen.G, Global Esports, RRQ, T1, Talon Esports, and ZETA DIVISION.
All of these teams are competing for the first-ever VCT Pacific title, as well as the lion’s share of the USD 250,000 prize pool.
Joel Guzman, Country Manager of Riot Games Philippines, said: “The Filipino community is one of the biggest and most passionate VALORANT communities in the region. The start of this new competitive league in the Philippines is a natural step for our continued expansion in APAC, having already established a strong and growing presence in the region. We are committed to creating hyper-local experiences in the region, tailored to meet the needs of their passionate VALORANT players.”
In case you missed the previous reveal of Riot Game’s 2023 esports plans, the Valorant Champions Tour 2023 is one the three international leagues in the new VCT structure. This new setup is aimed at providing a new method for teams to qualify for Valorant global tournaments.
This league will commence with an eight-week League Play that will feature a best-of-three, single round-robin format. The six top teams at the end of this stage will move on to Playoffs which will have a double elimination, best-of-three format. Finally, the semi and grand finals will feature a best-of-five format.
At the end of VCT Pacific, the top three teams will qualify for VCT Masters this June where they will face off against the top teams in the Americas and the EMEA Leagues. The teams will also qualify for VCT Champions in August where the world’s best squad will fight to be the World Champions.