Points for Valve Ranking are No Longer Awarded for CCT Tournaments

Valve has decided to strip all CCT tournaments of their ranked status. As of January 17, these tournaments have been categorized as "unranked" due to identified infractions in the invitation process. This means that the series tournaments can no longer earn points for the Valve Regional Standings, which could significantly impact teams.

This change could drastically alter the ecosystem, especially for young teams. Online tournaments like CCT and Yalla, which also became "unranked," previously provided opportunities for smaller organizations to make a name for themselves. Now this path is noticeably more complicated.

A Death Sentence for New Teams?
Coach lmbt shared his opinion on social media, calling this decision a serious blow to new and smaller organizations. According to him, the absence of ranked CCT tournaments means young teams will be forced to rely solely on limited open qualifiers, which occur only a few times a year.

lmbt also noted that the path to the VRS ranking now lies through the long ladder of ESEA leagues — Open, Advanced, and Challenger — before teams can dream of the ESL Pro League. This process takes from six months to a year, which is quite different from the shorter path through CCT.

A Blow to the Competitive Spirit
Former NaVi coach kane supported these concerns, criticizing Valve for prioritizing profit over sportsmanship. He described the company's decisions as fear-inducing, noting that opportunities for young teams continue to shrink.

"When was the last time we expected good news from Valve?
he questioned
The main question now is whether Valve will pay attention to the difficulties for new teams, or if, as many react, they will remain uninterested. Only time will tell, but feel free to share your opinions in the comments.