PROJECT PBE Set 17 is a competitive Teamfight Tactics event designed to bring together top players from around the world to compete on the PBE server. The event uses a custom Discord bot for ladder tracking and tournament management. Rankings are determined using a regional LP multiplier calculator that cross-references peak rank across different servers into a unified “True LP” score, allowing fair comparison between regions.
The formula behind the True LP calculator will be published publicly when sign-ups close. The calculator is still being refined ahead of the event based on feedback from top players across all regions.
For Set 17, PROJECT PBE is working with DataTFT to produce statistics during the event. These stats will be made available to the wider TFT community and will provide insights into meta trends, compositions, and player performance throughout the ladder phase.
PROJECT PBE Set 17 operates across three circuits. Placement into each circuit is determined by peak regional rank up until February 15th, 2026, cross-referenced using the True LP calculator.
A promotion and demotion system is active starting Set 17. Players who achieve a qualifying BLP threshold in their current circuit will start the following set in the next circuit up. This applies across all three circuits. The thresholds will be communicated before the end of the ladder phase.
Placement in the circuit is reflected via a role change in the official PROJECT PBE Discord after registration is confirmed.
All players must have a valid PBE account in good standing. Your PBE account name must be composed of purely alphanumeric characters only due to bot limitations. Players from outside of NA may participate but are responsible for obtaining and maintaining their own PBE access. PROJECT PBE is not responsible for any PBE access issues that prevent participation.
The ladder phase runs from April 6th to April 10th, 2026. Exact start and end times will be announced in the PROJECT PBE Discord. All circuits compete simultaneously during this window.
Players use the PROJECT PBE Discord bot to compete for Beta LP (BLP). Scores are updated every 20 minutes and can be viewed through leaderboard channels on mentr.gg or via bot commands in the Discord. Queue times are generally expected to be under 10 minutes, though this is not guaranteed.
The bot undergoes maintenance once per day, aligned with the PBE’s daily patch cycle. Any maintenance windows will be announced in #bot-updates. If the bot is updated while you are in queue, you will need to rejoin the queue after the reset.
All players who stream are required to have the PROJECT PBE tracker active during their streams. The tracker is an OBS browser source provided by the organizers. If a sponsor places their branding on the tracker and a player has a legal conflict of interest with that brand due to their organization or existing contracts, a brandless tracker with PROJECT PBE branding will be provided instead. If no sponsor is secured, all players will receive a brandless tracker.
Because the PBE is a beta environment, bugs are expected. The distinction is as follows, as per Mortdog: “Anything you could do by accident is a bug, but anything you can do on purpose is an exploit.” Bugs are allowed. Exploits are banned.
If you observe a player using an exploit, report it in #help-desk with proof. Confirmed exploit usage will result in immediate disqualification and an indefinite ban from all future events hosted by Kai, unless a different penalty is specified in #known-bugs for a particular exploit.
The decay system applies to Tier 1 only. At the end of each day, if a player has not played enough games to offset the decay, their BLP will be reduced based on their current ladder position. Decay operates differently from the live server decay system.
| Ladder Position | BLP Decay Per Day |
|---|---|
| Ranks 1 through 8 | 30 BLP |
| Ranks 9 through 16 | 25 BLP |
| Ranks 17 through 24 | 18 BLP |
| Ranks 25 through 32 | 10 BLP |
Decay is offset by playing games. The total absolute value of BLP gained or lost across all games in a day must equal or exceed your decay threshold. It does not matter whether the BLP was gained or lost – only the total movement counts.
For example, if you are ranked 5th, your daily decay is 30 BLP. The following combinations would all offset decay:
In the event of a tied BLP score at the end of the ladder phase, the following tiebreaker order applies:
The top 25 Tier 1 players at the end of the ladder phase advance to the PROJECT PBE MAJOR, a two-day tournament taking place April 11th and 12th, 2026. The first game starts at 10:00 AM EST each day. A two-step verification process is in place to manage lobby entry. If you have any issues joining a lobby, ping an admin immediately.
Day 1 is a multi-game format with reseeding after each game. The top 25 players compete across multiple lobbies. After Game 4, the bottom players are cut and the remaining top 8 advance to Day 2. Bonus points are awarded based on ladder placement entering Day 2:
Day 2 uses a Checkmate format. Players accumulate points across games. A player reaches “check” once they accumulate 20 points. From that point, the player must finish 1st in a subsequent game to “checkmate” and claim the championship. Players who have not reached check continue to accumulate points until they do. The event continues until one player achieves checkmate.
A prize pool is awarded to the top finishers of the MAJOR. The total prize amount for Set 17 is yet to be finalized and will be announced before the event. Set 16’s Tier 1 prize pool was $3,000 USD. All prizes are distributed exclusively via PayPal. Winners must provide a valid PayPal address within 7 days of the MAJOR. Players are responsible for any applicable taxes in their jurisdiction.
An updated video manual for Set 17 will be provided before the event begins. All participants are expected to review it to ensure familiarity with bot commands, lobby creation, and result submission.
Win-trading is strictly prohibited in PROJECT PBE. For the purposes of this event, win-trading is defined as any deliberate action that significantly weakens a player’s own position in order to benefit another player, with the intent of influencing standings or tournament advancement. All players are expected to play in a manner that maximizes their own placement at all times.
A play will only be considered win-trading if substantial evidence has been brought forward. Substantial evidence requires at least 3 of the following 5 conditions to be met. Condition 3 is mandatory and must always be satisfied. If Condition 5 is met, the player is automatically subjected to penalties regardless of the other conditions.
All participants are expected to maintain a high standard of sportsmanship and compete with integrity and respect throughout the event. The following rules apply to all circuits for the duration of PROJECT PBE Set 17.
For questions about the rulebook, disputes, or technical issues during the event, use the following channels: