Valorant Team BONK Disqualified from VCT EMEA Kickoff After Cheating Confirmation

Riot Games has officially disqualified the team BONK from the VCT EMEA Kickoff Europe Qualifier following the confirmation that a player utilized unauthorized cheating software. The disqualification comes just days after the squad eliminated Aurora Gaming, led by Masters champion Derke, in a 2-1 series during the Round of 32 on November 6.

As reported by Dexerto, Riot stated on November 8 that its anti-cheat team investigated suspicious behavior and confirmed the use of illicit software by a participant. Consequently, all BONK players and team members have been provisionally suspended from Riot-sanctioned events while the investigation into individual involvement continues. Leo Faria, Riot’s global head of Valorant esports, addressed the situation on X, warning that those involved should not expect leniency.

Restoring Tournament Integrity

In what Riot termed an “exceptional measure” that does not set a precedent, the organization has decided to replay the two rounds that followed BONK’s win over Aurora Gaming. This allows Aurora a second chance in the tournament, with the team scheduled to face Project 100K in the Round of 16. The subsequent stages, including the semi-finals against Pixel Lumina and the grand final, have been rescheduled for November 10 to manage the tournament bracket effectively.

Previous Allegations and Suspicion

The disqualification has sparked conversation within the professional community regarding how long the team may have been circumventing anti-cheat systems. Former Team Vitality player nataNk, currently with Pixel Lumina, claimed he reported the team to Riot anti-cheat analyst GamerDoc as early as October 11, alleging that the team appeared to enable cheats mid-match during a previous tournament final. Others, including G2 Gozen assistant coach JTayy, questioned why the alleged cheating was only caught now, noting that BONK had been competing at a consistent level in Challengers and LAN events for approximately a year.

Why it matters

For the average Valorant player, this incident highlights the rigorous, ongoing efforts by Riot’s anti-cheat team to maintain competitive integrity at the professional level. While the disqualification validates the reports filed by competing teams, it also highlights the potential for bad actors to participate in high-stakes qualifiers for extended periods before being detected.

Players should note that this ruling reinforces the necessity of using official dispute channels when encountering suspicious behavior in competitive play. As the investigation into individual members of BONK continues, Riot has indicated that final sanctions for each person involved remain to be determined, underscoring a zero-tolerance policy for cheating in the VCT ecosystem.