The match between TYLOO and TEC Esports will mark the opening of the competitive season in the Chinese region with the first tournament — VCT 2025 China Kickoff. Both teams, along with others, will fight for two slots at Masters Bangkok and valuable championship points. Below, we’ll analyze the current form of both teams and their chances of winning the match.

Current Form of the Teams

TYLOO

Recently, TYLOO participated in three tournaments: the Superb Cup, the FGC VALORANT Invitational 2024, and the WALL-E Cup. Unfortunately, none of these tournaments brought the desired results. TYLOO placed in the mid-table standings, which didn’t allow them to compete with the top teams in the scene.

Their recent matches are also concerning. TYLOO lost four out of their last five encounters with a 0-2 scoreline against other Chinese teams. The only exception was a victory over Dragon Ranger Gaming.

Following a series of poor performances, TYLOO decided to strengthen their roster by signing a new player — 5cm. However, there are doubts about his effectiveness on the big stage due to his lack of experience at this level.

TEC Esports

The situation with TEC Esports is quite similar. They also participated in the Superb Cup, the FGC VALORANT Invitational 2024, and the WALL-E Cup but performed even worse. In one of these tournaments, TEC Esports finished lower than TYLOO.

Their recent matches look slightly better: out of five encounters, they won two, defeating All Gamers and Xi Lai Gaming. However, the other three matches ended in 0-2 defeats.

Like TYLOO, TEC Esports made roster changes before the new season, trying to refresh their lineup and find a new approach to improve upon their previous season.

Map Pool Analysis

When selecting maps for their match, TYLOO and TEC Esports will likely choose their tested options and avoid weaker maps.

TYLOO

TYLOO usually bans Abyss and Pearl, depending on their opponent. In their recent matches, they favored Bind and Split.

Their most successful maps over the past year:

• Bind — played 9 times, 56% win rate
• Split — played 7 times, 43% win rate

Expected Map Picks for TYLOO:

• Bans: Abyss and Lotus
• Pick: Bind

TEC Esports

TEC Esports tend to ban Ascent and Sunset. Their preferred picks are usually Abyss and Lotus.

Their best maps over the past year:

• Pearl — played 3 times, 67% win rate
• Sunset — played 6 times, 50% win rate

Expected Map Picks for TEC Esports:

• Bans: Fracture and Split
• Pick: Pearl

The expected decider map for this matchup is Haven.

Head-to-Head Matches

Over the past year, TYLOO and TEC Esports have faced each other twice. Both matches ended in victories for TYLOO with a 2-1 scoreline. These encounters demonstrated that TYLOO holds a slight advantage over their opponent. However, both teams have undergone changes since then, and this upcoming match carries more significance, so past results shouldn’t be the sole focus.

Match Prediction

Considering both teams' current form and head-to-head history, TYLOO seems to be the favorite. Despite their recent inconsistent results, the team already has experience defeating TEC Esports.

This match is unpredictable, as both teams are on a similar low level in the Chinese region, making the outcome uncertain. However, we lean toward another victory for TYLOO over TEC Esports.

Prediction: TYLOO will win 2-1.

The VCT 2025 China Kickoff will take place from January 11 to 25 in a LAN format at the VCT CN Arena in Shanghai. Twelve teams from the VCT partner program will compete for two invitations to Masters Bangkok and championship points necessary to qualify for the World Championship.