We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website.

-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"VALORANT to officially launch 'path-to-pro' Invite Division for Premier mode in Episode 9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The path opens this summer.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dot Esports\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DOTesports\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-23T15:15:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-04-23T15:15:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gekko-premier-valorant-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Scott Robertson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@counterscottGO\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@DotEsports\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Scott Robertson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Scott Robertson\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9ae8908fc06b5bf4a70685c4f377f689\"},\"headline\":\"VALORANT to officially launch ‘path-to-pro’ Invite Division for Premier mode in Episode 9\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-23T15:15:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-23T15:15:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9\"},\"wordCount\":362,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gekko-premier-valorant-1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Valorant\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9\",\"name\":\"VALORANT to officially launch 'path-to-pro' Invite Division for Premier mode in Episode 9\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gekko-premier-valorant-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-23T15:15:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-23T15:15:47+00:00\",\"description\":\"The path opens this summer.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gekko-premier-valorant-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gekko-premier-valorant-1.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"Image via Riot Games\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"VALORANT to officially launch ‘path-to-pro’ Invite Division for Premier mode in Episode 9\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/\",\"name\":\"Dot Esports\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Dot Esports\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/05103313\/logo-dot_esports-mark-black.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/05103313\/logo-dot_esports-mark-black.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"Dot Esports\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DOTesports\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/DotEsports\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/dotesports\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCckaIn-3KqLYfppkj4DeTAw\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9ae8908fc06b5bf4a70685c4f377f689\",\"name\":\"Scott Robertson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/d5c7ac849ef47bf8299de2223405827c\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/26121439\/Scott-Robertson_.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/26121439\/Scott-Robertson_.png\",\"caption\":\"Scott Robertson\"},\"description\":\"VALORANT lead staff writer, also covering CS:GO, FPS games, other titles, and the wider esports industry. Watching and writing esports since 2014. Previously wrote for Dexerto, Upcomer, Splyce, and somehow MySpace. Jack of all games, master of none.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/counterscottGO\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/author\/scott-robertson\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"VALORANT to officially launch 'path-to-pro' Invite Division for Premier mode in Episode 9","description":"The path opens this summer.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"VALORANT to officially launch 'path-to-pro' Invite Division for Premier mode in Episode 9","og_description":"The path opens this summer.","og_url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9","og_site_name":"Dot Esports","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DOTesports\/","article_published_time":"2024-04-23T15:15:45+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-04-23T15:15:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":675,"url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gekko-premier-valorant-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Scott Robertson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@counterscottGO","twitter_site":"@DotEsports","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Scott Robertson","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9"},"author":{"name":"Scott Robertson","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9ae8908fc06b5bf4a70685c4f377f689"},"headline":"VALORANT to officially launch ‘path-to-pro’ Invite Division for Premier mode in Episode 9","datePublished":"2024-04-23T15:15:45+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-23T15:15:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9"},"wordCount":362,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gekko-premier-valorant-1.jpg","articleSection":["Valorant"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9","url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9","name":"VALORANT to officially launch 'path-to-pro' Invite Division for Premier mode in Episode 9","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gekko-premier-valorant-1.jpg","datePublished":"2024-04-23T15:15:45+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-23T15:15:47+00:00","description":"The path opens this summer.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gekko-premier-valorant-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gekko-premier-valorant-1.jpg","width":1200,"height":675,"caption":"Image via Riot Games"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"VALORANT to officially launch ‘path-to-pro’ Invite Division for Premier mode in Episode 9"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/","name":"Dot Esports","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#organization","name":"Dot Esports","url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/05103313\/logo-dot_esports-mark-black.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/05103313\/logo-dot_esports-mark-black.png","width":300,"height":300,"caption":"Dot Esports"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DOTesports\/","https:\/\/x.com\/DotEsports","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/dotesports\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCckaIn-3KqLYfppkj4DeTAw"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9ae8908fc06b5bf4a70685c4f377f689","name":"Scott Robertson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/d5c7ac849ef47bf8299de2223405827c","url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/26121439\/Scott-Robertson_.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/26121439\/Scott-Robertson_.png","caption":"Scott Robertson"},"description":"VALORANT lead staff writer, also covering CS:GO, FPS games, other titles, and the wider esports industry. Watching and writing esports since 2014. Previously wrote for Dexerto, Upcomer, Splyce, and somehow MySpace. Jack of all games, master of none.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/counterscottGO"],"url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/author\/scott-robertson"}]}},"raw_content":"The \"final step\" of the completion of VALORANT's in-game path-to-pro pipeline has an official launch date: June. Invite Division, a new Premier mode division that will slot in over Contender, will launch on June 25 with the start of Episode Nine. VALORANT teams competing in the Invite Division will have the opportunity to win and qualify for VCT Challenger Leagues around the world. At the end of the current episode's third act, teams that won a Contender Division playoff tournament or finished in the top 32 of a Contender Division standings will be promoted into Invite. With the new division comes significant changes to the Contender and Invite Divisions to \"foster a hyper-competitive environment,\" according to Riot Games. All teams in both divisions must play at least two scheduled Premier matches every week. Losses are worth zero points instead of the usual 25. Teams with similar records will be matched against each other. Standings instead of Premier score will determine playoff qualification. To compete in either Contender or Invite, players need to obtain Contender Eligibility by playing a Competitive match with an Immortal Three or higher rank, playing a Premier playoff match in the Elite Five division, or playing a weekly match in Contender or Invite. These are all on top of the existing base requirements for playing Premier. A handful of new changes to Premier should streamline the promotion process for all teams at all divisions, starting immediately at the beginning of Episode Eight, Act Three. A team owner or captain can add or remove players after a successful promotion and still compete in the higher division. The entire team could theoretically be replaced, and replacing players with higher MMR players could push your team into an even higher division. All teams will earn a promotion each time they win a playoff tournament. With the Invite Division launching in June, the teams that win out can find themselves in contention for promotion into their respective regional Challengers leagues by the end of the year.","apple_news_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gekko-premier-valorant-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1206854"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/928"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1206854"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1206854\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1207635,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1206854\/revisions\/1207635"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1207615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1206854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1206854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1206854"},{"taxonomy":"invoiceable_action","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/invoiceable_action?post=1206854"},{"taxonomy":"internal-label","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-label?post=1206854"},{"taxonomy":"article_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_type?post=1206854"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1206854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

{"id":1206854,"date":"2024-04-23T10:15:45","date_gmt":"2024-04-23T15:15:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/?p=1206854"},"modified":"2024-04-23T10:15:47","modified_gmt":"2024-04-23T15:15:47","slug":"valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9","title":{"rendered":"VALORANT to officially launch ‘path-to-pro’ Invite Division for Premier mode in Episode 9"},"content":{"rendered":"

The “final step” of the completion of VALORANT<\/em>‘s in-game path-to-pro pipeline has an official launch date: June. Invite Division, a new Premier mode division that will slot in over Contender, will launch on June 25 with the start of Episode Nine.<\/p>

VALORANT<\/a><\/em> teams competing in the Invite Division will have the opportunity to win and qualify for VCT Challenger Leagues around the world. At the end of the current episode’s third act, teams that won a Contender Division playoff tournament or finished in the top 32 of a Contender Division standings will be promoted into Invite.<\/p>

\"Image
Don’t let the name Invite fool you, you gotta earn it. Image via Riot Games<\/figcaption><\/figure>

With the new division comes significant changes to the Contender and Invite Divisions to “foster a hyper-competitive environment,” according to Riot Games. All teams in both divisions must play at least two scheduled Premier matches every week<\/a>. Losses are worth zero points instead of the usual 25. Teams with similar records will be matched against each other. Standings instead of Premier score will determine playoff qualification.<\/p>

To compete in either Contender or Invite, players need to obtain Contender Eligibility by playing a Competitive match with an Immortal Three or higher rank, playing a Premier playoff match in the Elite Five division, or playing a weekly match in Contender or Invite. These are all on top of the existing base requirements for playing Premier<\/a>.<\/p>

A handful of new changes to Premier should streamline the promotion process for all teams at all divisions, starting immediately at the beginning of Episode Eight, Act Three. A team owner or captain can add or remove players after a successful promotion and still compete in the higher division. The entire team could theoretically be replaced, and replacing players with higher MMR players could push your team into an even higher division. All teams will earn a promotion each time they win a playoff tournament.<\/p>

With the Invite Division launching in June, the teams that win out can find themselves in contention for promotion into their respective regional Challengers leagues by the end of the year.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The path opens this summer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":928,"featured_media":1207615,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"gamurs_wordpress_blocks_hide_tags":true,"_is_affiliated":false,"dotesports_deal_href":"","dotesports_featured_video":"","_notify_users":2,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-04-23T15:15:53Z","apple_news_api_id":"964b1abc-b156-4fb4-a57f-3753b8a5af49","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-04-23T15:15:53Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AlksavLFWT7SlfzdTuKWvSQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44104],"tags":[],"invoiceable_action":[46995],"internal-label":[46550,46551,47238],"article_type":[44125],"coauthors":[{"id":928,"display_name":"Scott Robertson","user_login":"scott robertson","user_nicename":"scott-robertson"}],"class_list":["post-1206854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-valorant","internal-label-esports","internal-label-gaming","internal-label-writer-pitch","article_type-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nVALORANT to officially launch 'path-to-pro' Invite Division for Premier mode in Episode 9<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The path opens this summer.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"VALORANT to officially launch 'path-to-pro' Invite Division for Premier mode in Episode 9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The path opens this summer.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dot Esports\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DOTesports\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-23T15:15:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-04-23T15:15:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gekko-premier-valorant-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Scott Robertson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@counterscottGO\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@DotEsports\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Scott Robertson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Scott Robertson\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9ae8908fc06b5bf4a70685c4f377f689\"},\"headline\":\"VALORANT to officially launch ‘path-to-pro’ Invite Division for Premier mode in Episode 9\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-23T15:15:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-23T15:15:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9\"},\"wordCount\":362,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gekko-premier-valorant-1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Valorant\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9\",\"name\":\"VALORANT to officially launch 'path-to-pro' Invite Division for Premier mode in Episode 9\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gekko-premier-valorant-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-23T15:15:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-23T15:15:47+00:00\",\"description\":\"The path opens this summer.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gekko-premier-valorant-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gekko-premier-valorant-1.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"Image via Riot Games\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"VALORANT to officially launch ‘path-to-pro’ Invite Division for Premier mode in Episode 9\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/\",\"name\":\"Dot Esports\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Dot Esports\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/05103313\/logo-dot_esports-mark-black.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/05103313\/logo-dot_esports-mark-black.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"Dot Esports\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DOTesports\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/DotEsports\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/dotesports\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCckaIn-3KqLYfppkj4DeTAw\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9ae8908fc06b5bf4a70685c4f377f689\",\"name\":\"Scott Robertson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/d5c7ac849ef47bf8299de2223405827c\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/26121439\/Scott-Robertson_.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/26121439\/Scott-Robertson_.png\",\"caption\":\"Scott Robertson\"},\"description\":\"VALORANT lead staff writer, also covering CS:GO, FPS games, other titles, and the wider esports industry. Watching and writing esports since 2014. Previously wrote for Dexerto, Upcomer, Splyce, and somehow MySpace. Jack of all games, master of none.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/counterscottGO\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/author\/scott-robertson\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"VALORANT to officially launch 'path-to-pro' Invite Division for Premier mode in Episode 9","description":"The path opens this summer.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"VALORANT to officially launch 'path-to-pro' Invite Division for Premier mode in Episode 9","og_description":"The path opens this summer.","og_url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9","og_site_name":"Dot Esports","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DOTesports\/","article_published_time":"2024-04-23T15:15:45+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-04-23T15:15:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":675,"url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gekko-premier-valorant-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Scott Robertson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@counterscottGO","twitter_site":"@DotEsports","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Scott Robertson","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9"},"author":{"name":"Scott Robertson","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9ae8908fc06b5bf4a70685c4f377f689"},"headline":"VALORANT to officially launch ‘path-to-pro’ Invite Division for Premier mode in Episode 9","datePublished":"2024-04-23T15:15:45+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-23T15:15:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9"},"wordCount":362,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gekko-premier-valorant-1.jpg","articleSection":["Valorant"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9","url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9","name":"VALORANT to officially launch 'path-to-pro' Invite Division for Premier mode in Episode 9","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gekko-premier-valorant-1.jpg","datePublished":"2024-04-23T15:15:45+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-23T15:15:47+00:00","description":"The path opens this summer.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gekko-premier-valorant-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gekko-premier-valorant-1.jpg","width":1200,"height":675,"caption":"Image via Riot Games"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/valorant-to-officially-launch-path-to-pro-invite-division-for-premier-mode-in-episode-9#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"VALORANT to officially launch ‘path-to-pro’ Invite Division for Premier mode in Episode 9"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/","name":"Dot Esports","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#organization","name":"Dot Esports","url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/05103313\/logo-dot_esports-mark-black.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/05103313\/logo-dot_esports-mark-black.png","width":300,"height":300,"caption":"Dot Esports"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DOTesports\/","https:\/\/x.com\/DotEsports","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/dotesports\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCckaIn-3KqLYfppkj4DeTAw"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9ae8908fc06b5bf4a70685c4f377f689","name":"Scott Robertson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/d5c7ac849ef47bf8299de2223405827c","url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/26121439\/Scott-Robertson_.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/26121439\/Scott-Robertson_.png","caption":"Scott Robertson"},"description":"VALORANT lead staff writer, also covering CS:GO, FPS games, other titles, and the wider esports industry. Watching and writing esports since 2014. Previously wrote for Dexerto, Upcomer, Splyce, and somehow MySpace. Jack of all games, master of none.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/counterscottGO"],"url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/author\/scott-robertson"}]}},"raw_content":"The \"final step\" of the completion of VALORANT's in-game path-to-pro pipeline has an official launch date: June. Invite Division, a new Premier mode division that will slot in over Contender, will launch on June 25 with the start of Episode Nine. VALORANT teams competing in the Invite Division will have the opportunity to win and qualify for VCT Challenger Leagues around the world. At the end of the current episode's third act, teams that won a Contender Division playoff tournament or finished in the top 32 of a Contender Division standings will be promoted into Invite. With the new division comes significant changes to the Contender and Invite Divisions to \"foster a hyper-competitive environment,\" according to Riot Games. All teams in both divisions must play at least two scheduled Premier matches every week. Losses are worth zero points instead of the usual 25. Teams with similar records will be matched against each other. Standings instead of Premier score will determine playoff qualification. To compete in either Contender or Invite, players need to obtain Contender Eligibility by playing a Competitive match with an Immortal Three or higher rank, playing a Premier playoff match in the Elite Five division, or playing a weekly match in Contender or Invite. These are all on top of the existing base requirements for playing Premier. A handful of new changes to Premier should streamline the promotion process for all teams at all divisions, starting immediately at the beginning of Episode Eight, Act Three. A team owner or captain can add or remove players after a successful promotion and still compete in the higher division. The entire team could theoretically be replaced, and replacing players with higher MMR players could push your team into an even higher division. All teams will earn a promotion each time they win a playoff tournament. With the Invite Division launching in June, the teams that win out can find themselves in contention for promotion into their respective regional Challengers leagues by the end of the year.","apple_news_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gekko-premier-valorant-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1206854"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/928"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1206854"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1206854\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1207635,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1206854\/revisions\/1207635"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1207615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1206854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1206854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1206854"},{"taxonomy":"invoiceable_action","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/invoiceable_action?post=1206854"},{"taxonomy":"internal-label","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-label?post=1206854"},{"taxonomy":"article_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_type?post=1206854"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1206854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Also Read