Yesterday marked the end of the second match day within the upper bracket of Valorant Champions 2023. Despite a spirited start in the group stage, both Chinese representatives - EDward Gaming and Bilibili Gaming - failed to beat their opponents and have been relegated to the losers' bracket.
.@DRX_VS and EG extend their lives in the #VALORANTChampions Los Angeles Playoffs by advancing to the Upper Bracket Semifinals! pic.twitter.com/sQddLUfAnW
— VCT Pacific @ Champions (@vctpacific) August 18, 2023
The first match took place between DRX and Bilibili Gaming and was quite a spectacle. The first map, Lotus, chosen by the Chinese players will go down in the championship's history as an epic comeback. The score in the first half of the match before switching sides was 2-10 in favor of Bilibili Gaming, leading most viewers to assume the outcome was clear. However, the DRX players thought differently, and after switching sides, stax and his team confidently took 11 rounds in a row, leaving no chance for their opponents.
The second map, Haven, was also tense, though without dramatic turnarounds. DRX, with a slight advantage, won the first half and steadily pressured their opponents after the side switch.
The next match was crucial for both participants because the teams had been engaging in a verbal tussle on social media and expressing themselves in press conferences. The primary point of contention was the arrogance of EG players, who believe that Chinese teams are inferior to participants from other regions. In this match, the "Geniuses" affirmed they were indeed stronger than the Chinese, albeit not without challenges. The first map, Split, chosen by EDward Gaming was pretty tense and even went into overtime, but in the end, the American aces clinched the victory. This became a turning point in the encounter, as in the subsequent maps, the Chinese team couldn't muster any resistance and was decimated with a twofold advantage.
Based on the match outcomes, both Chinese teams move into the losers' bracket, where they'll vie for a chance to continue their journey in the tournament tomorrow night. Meanwhile, DRX and Evil Geniuses advance to the upper bracket semi-finals where they'll face off for a spot in the final. It's worth noting that the Valorant Champions 2023 playoffs take place from August 16 to 26, with the top 8 teams emerging from the group stage competing for the champion title and $1,000,000 for the first place.
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