BONK thrown out of VCT EMEA Kickoff Qualifier over cheat software

Riot Games has removed BONK from the VCT EMEA Kickoff Europe Qualifier after confirming that one of the team's players ran unauthorised cheating software, according to Dexerto Esports.

The disqualification lands just two days after BONK stunned Aurora Gaming, the side featuring Masters champion Derke, with a 2-1 win in the Round of 32 on 6 November. BONK had advanced all the way to the top four of the bracket before the ruling.

Riot said in a statement on 8 November that its anti-cheat staff had been monitoring qualifier matches throughout the event and had received reports flagging unusual behaviour from the team. The investigation that followed, Riot said, established that a BONK player had been using unauthorised cheating software.

Every player and registered staff member on the BONK roster has now been provisionally suspended from Riot-run competitions while officials work out how much each individual knew or was involved, with separate sanctions expected once that process concludes.

Leo Faria, Riot's global head of Valorant esports, posted a pointed message on X aimed at the team. "Imagine cheating in OQs and thinking we wouldn't catch you. If you're involved, don't expect a slap on the wrist," he wrote.

Riot has opted to replay both rounds that BONK played after beating Aurora, describing the move as an exceptional step that does not set a precedent for how future cheating cases will be handled.

That decision hands Aurora a fresh shot at the bracket. The team now meets Project 100K in the Round of 16 on 8 November, with the winner advancing to face YCATABLE for a quarter-final spot and a route into the qualifier playoffs. Because of the restructured schedule, the semi-final involving Pixel Lumina and the eventual final have both been pushed to 10 November so no side has to play more than two series in a day.

Riot's player management team confirmed in a Discord message to YCATABLE that the case against BONK began after the team lodged a formal dispute, and thanked them for going through official channels to raise it, Dexerto reported.

Not everyone is convinced the cheating only started recently. JTayy, assistant coach for G2 Gozen's Game Changers side, argued that BONK's form had looked consistent for far longer than the suspicious run flagged by Riot. "BONK have been playing together for a year, have played at LAN events, played in Challengers, and have been playing at a similar level the whole time," he wrote.

A more specific allegation came from nataNk, a former Team Vitality player now with Pixel Lumina, whose team had lost 2-1 to BONK in the semi-finals of EVC: The Surge 14 on 11 October. BONK went on to win that tournament and its $1,500 prize. NataNk wrote that the opening map of that series had felt straightforward before BONK's level shifted, saying: "1st map was so easy, they activated and won the Bo3 and the tournament."

NataNk said he had reported BONK at the time to GamerDoc, a principal anti-cheat analyst at Riot Vanguard, and shared a screenshot of that message as proof. He suggested the report had not been acted on quickly, saying he either was not taken seriously or the message was missed.

Pixel Lumina had been drawn to meet BONK again in this qualifier's semi-finals before the disqualification intervened, a rematch that will no longer take place under the restructured bracket.