Project Blender: New VALORANT tournament brings unique format to EMEA

Part of the VCT Partner Series, Project Blender features a distinctive competition format and an experimental drafting and seeding system. The tournament will run from October to December and is open to all players, with a €75,000 prize pool combining cash rewards and performance-based bounties.

Format Overview

Project Blender is split into four phases:

Phase 1 (October): Open to up to 1,024 teams in a single-elimination bracket. Mixed-gender rosters are eligible for the Blender Spotlight, where the winning team secures direct entry into Phase 3. Second and third place advance to Phase 2.

Phase 2 (November): A two-week round-robin featuring 64 teams - 16 from Phase 1 and 48 from across Challengers, Game Changers, Premier, and the VALORANT Regional Circuits (VRC).

Phase 3 (early December): Swiss stage and single-elimination bracket with 32 teams. VCT EMEA teams may join at this stage.

Phase 4 Finals (late December): The top eight teams compete in a LAN event.

Unique Competitive Systems

Project Blender introduces two innovative mechanics:

Blender Draft: Inspired by League of Legends' Fearless Draft, teams can pick any agents in the first game of a series. In subsequent maps, previously used agents are banned for that team - encouraging variety and deeper strategy.

Challengers Call: A seeding mechanic that allows teams progressing from Phase 1 or 2 to choose their opponents in the next phase - a rare level of agency in competitive matchmaking.

Bounty System and Prize Pool

The 75,000 euro prize pool includes base rewards and bounty incentives that reward underdog wins. Starting in Phase 2, amateur teams can earn "mid bounties" for beating tier-two squads. In Phase 3, both "mid" and "high" bounties are available for upsets over tier-two and tier-one teams respectively.