Light Mates have been relegated from VCT following their 1-2 defeat to GIANTX in VCT 2025 EMEA: Stage 2. The French organisation are forged all the way down to challengers as they needed to make playoffs of Stage 2 to qualify for the Ascension event, which may have saved their place.
In Valorant, Ascension-qualified VCT groups should both qualify for Champions to retain their VCT spot or make playoffs of an EMEA stage as a way to qualify for Ascension and have a shot at defending their spot. As Light Mates at present sit 0-4 of their group in EMEA: Stage 2, they’ll now obtain neither of those feats this yr, condemning them to relegation.
Indicators level to the concept that Light Mates are questioning their place within the esport when confronted with that lengthy street again to Valorant’s high desk. In line with Sheep Esports, Light Mates founder and co-owner, Lucas ‘Squeezie’ Hauchard, said, “There’s a really robust, large probability we gained’t be competing in Valorant subsequent yr.”
The assertion was echoed by Valorant head at Light Mates, Marceau ‘Placido’ Lambert, who tweeted, “Past the unsure way forward for Light Mates in VCT, I sincerely hope that Riot will make the suitable choices to protect Valorant esports.”
The assertion raises questions in regards to the sustainability of Valorant for non-partnered groups. With Apeks dealing with the identical destiny solely a day prior, the query is raised: Is Valorant doing sufficient to help promoted Tier 2 groups?
Valorant partnered privileges vs Ascension struggles
Valorant at present makes use of a companion system, the place organisations have been admitted as companions in 2023 primarily based on a sequence of interviews between Riot and the organisations.
Metrics thought of reportedly embrace viewership, organisational status, and world engagement. In distinction to League of Legends, the place league charges price organisations eight-figure sums, Riot financially helps its Valorant companions, forgoing partnership prices.
The system permits partnered organisations to plan for the longer term, realizing that they are going to be of their regional VCT league come rain or shine, however that stability solely extends to these partnered groups. In a way, these partnerships make the scenario for promoted Tier 2 groups worse, as they can’t assure the identical stability to rosters.
Ascension-promoted groups can end above partnered groups and nonetheless get relegated. Light Mates themselves have completed above KOI in VCT 2024: EMEA Stage 1, 2024 Stage 2 and VCT 2025: EMEA League Kick off. But KOI is not going to have to fret about being forged all the way down to Challengers or to the relegation event as a result of their partnered standing.
The system permits for partnered groups to ‘tank” a season in NFL phrases, to be competitively weak and never make investments a lot right into a season, as a way to make investments at a later date. For non-partners, their standing is all the time in danger, in order that they must put all their sources into annually to outlive, but really attracting the expertise wanted to outlive is precluded by the actual fact that they’ll fall out of the league.
Placido’s tweet alluded to Light Mates’ incapability to draw expertise, stating, “We gave every part to save lots of the season and hold our slot, nevertheless it wasn’t sufficient. From the offseason, our standing weighed closely: many gamers didn’t even think about us.”
The brutal actuality of Tier 2 Valorant
Regardless of by no means performing nicely in VCT, Light Mates have been the longest-standing Ascension crew in EMEA, having been in VCT because the starting of the 2024 season. The truth that the French organisation has didn’t discover a footing within the esport might disincentivise different organisations from attempting to take action themselves.
Any Challengers crew hoping to hitch the VCT must undergo a fraught system, the place dozens of rosters are combating for one or two Ascension promotion locations. Success? Unattainable to ensure. The prize? Going right into a league the place you might be possible competitively outmatched, and have little alternative to draw gamers that may stabilise your place.
Moreover, you’ll all the time be susceptible to relegation in distinction to partnered groups. In Apeks and Light Mates’ instances, they won’t even have the possibility to defend their spots at Ascension.
The system contrasts with the system Riot makes use of for LTA North & South, the place groups promoted to the Americas leagues are assured to have the ability to defend their spots, however are additionally assured to contest the Promotion/Relegation no matter how nicely they do.
The argument may be made that Apeks and Light Mates merely have been poor groups, that they made the flawed roster choices, that it’s theoretically potential for an Ascension crew to interrupt via and discover success within the VCT, but with so many disadvantages for promoted groups, the probabilities of that coming to fruition appear vanishingly slim.
For now, Valorant Tier 2 is one million miles adrift of Tier 1; even when Tier 2 groups get promoted to VCT, they’re nonetheless Tier 2 within the system’s eyes. Light Mates and Apeks have proven that development to Tier 1 is probably not all it’s cracked as much as be. With Light Mates rethinking their participation in Valorant Challengers, the query is raised of whether or not different organisations will achieve this.
Valorant’s companion league could also be sustainable, however maybe solely to its partnered groups. For Tier 2, there are few indicators of hope.
Darragh Harbinson is an esports author specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports Information UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.
