The current world champions are close to exiting the tournament - LOUD lost to the Korean tops from DRX

Last night, the second match in Group D concluded as part of the group stage of Valorant Champions 2023, where LOUD faced DRX. After 3 intense maps, the Korean team secured their first win of the championship.

What happened in the match?

The first skirmish took place on Lotus, which was LOUD's pick. However, things did not go according to plan for the map's owners. The first half of the game was under DRX's control and ended with a score of 7-5. After switching sides, the world champions reversed the situation and went into overtime, where they took 3 rounds, giving away only 1. As a result, LOUD won the match 15-13.

Despite LOUD winning their pick, it became clear that they were inferior to the Koreans, which was confirmed later on. The teams then moved on to Split, where DRX easily overpowered their opponents. Winning the first half of the game 8-4 and the second 5-2, DRX claimed the match victory, 13-6.

The final map was Ascent, and on it, LOUD did fight slightly better than before but not enough. The first half was controlled by DRX with a score of 8-4. After switching sides, LOUD tried to turn things around, taking 4 consecutive rounds, but DRX eventually regained their momentum, securing 5 rounds for themselves. The match ended 13-8 in favor of the Koreans.

The outcome was quite unexpected, as the favorites were the Brazilians from LOUD. They now move to the bottom of the group table, where on August 10 they will face Team Liquid in an elimination match for a chance to continue their tournament journey. DRX, on the other hand, will play against NAVI tomorrow for a chance to advance to the playoff stage of the tournament.

We remind you that Valorant Champions 2023 is taking place from August 6 to 26 in Los Angeles. 16 of the strongest teams from different parts of the world are competing for a huge prize pool of $2,250,000, the champion's cup, and the right to wear the world champion title for the entire next year.

Also read: NAVI proved to be stronger than Team Liquid in the opening match of Valorant Champions 2023.