We continue to discuss the matches of VCT 2025: China Kickoff. Today, let's talk about the upper bracket final, where BiliBili Gaming will face Trace Esports for the first slot in the grand final. The match promises to be exciting, so let’s dive into the finalists below.

Current Form of the Teams

BiliBili Gaming

Over the past month, BiliBili Gaming participated in the SOOP VALORANT League 2024, where they finished 7th-8th, falling short of expectations. However, in the ongoing VCT 2025: China Kickoff, the team is performing much better, already securing two victories.Out of their last five matches, BiliBili Gaming won two — against FunPlus Phoenix and XLG Gaming — but suffered losses to NRG, DRX, and Trace Esports.

Despite recent setbacks, the team remains one of the tournament favorites, given their past standing as the top-2 team in the Chinese region. Two playoff wins so far highlight their high level of preparation.

Trace Esports

Trace Esports recently participated in the Superb Cup, finishing 4th out of 8 teams. They have won three out of their last five matches, defeating All Gamers, EDward Gaming, and Dragon Rangers, with losses to Nova Esports and EDward Gaming.

In the current tournament, Trace Esports have already surprised viewers by defeating the reigning world champions, EDward Gaming, in their second match.Considering this victory, they can be regarded as one of the most prepared teams at the moment.

Team Map Pool

The maps where BiliBili Gaming performs most confidently are:

• Lotus (61% win rate, 41 matches)
• Ascent (70% win rate, 30 matches)
• Bind (54% win rate, 28 matches)

Most successful maps:

• Ascent (70%)
• Pearl (62%)
• Lotus (61%)

Prediction:

• Ban: Abyss
• Pick: Lotus (their strongest map).

Trace Esports frequently play on:

• Bind (44% win rate, 18 matches)
• Ascent (50% win rate, 24 matches)
• Split (50% win rate, 24 matches)

Most successful maps:

• Abyss (89%)
• Icebox (60%)
• Split (50%)

Prediction:

• Ban: Bind
• Pick: Abyss

Head-to-Head

RecordIn the past six months, the teams have faced each other once, at the Radiant Asia Invitational, where Trace Esports secured a 2-1 victory. Given the recency of this match, its outcome is worth considering in the overall statistics.

Match Prediction

Considering the current form of the teams and their performances in the ongoing tournament, the match promises to be intense. BiliBili Gaming holds an advantage in their map pool and their status as tournament favorites. However, Trace Esports have already proven their ability to handle strong opponents, including BiliBili, and their victory over the reigning world champions, EDward Gaming, highlights their high level of preparation. Therefore, the match is likely to end in favor of Trace Esports.

Match Result: Trace Esports wins 2-1.

Tournament OverviewVCT 2025: China Kickoff runs from January 11 to 25 as a LAN event at the VCT CN Arena in Shanghai. Twelve partner teams from the VCT program compete for two spots at Masters Bangkok and valuable China Points, critical for World Championship qualification.