VALORANT Champions Tour to use 1v1 Skirmish Side Selection in equally seeded matches

A format change for VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) 2026 has been announced with the tournament set to bring in 1v1 Skirmish matches with no ability usage as the map side selection decider in some matches. The change particularly applies to matches featuring two teams that have been equally seeded, with the winner of the five-round Skirmish getting an edge going into map selection.

What is a Skirmish in VALORANT?

Skirmish was introduced as a game mode in VALORANT on Oct. 3, 2025. In the game, it is a best-of-19 duel mode where the team that kills all of the opposing team players wins the round. By default, the mode disables ability usage, and features an infinite round timer with a buy phase timer.