In the fourth match of the second week of play at VCT 2025: China Stage 1, we’re set to witness a clash between Wolves Esports and Trace Esports. Both teams are well-known in their region, and below we’ll try to predict the outcome of this match.

Current Form

Wolves Esports

Wolves Esports is a mid-tier team in the region. They aren’t title contenders yet but consistently show solid results. At VCT 2025: China Kickoff, the team finished 9th–12th, missing out on a spot at Masters. In their last five matches, Wolves Esports have picked up four wins and suffered one loss. They confidently defeated JD Gaming twice, Titan Esports Club, and Dragon Ranger Gaming, but lost to Nova Esports.

As mentioned earlier, Wolves are a solid middle-of-the-pack team: they beat opponents of similar strength but struggle against top-tier teams - and their next opponent is exactly that.

Trace Esports

Trace Esports is one of the strongest teams in the region, second only to world champions EDward Gaming. They proved their caliber by finishing second at VCT 2025: China Kickoff, which earned them a spot at Masters Bangkok, making them one of two Chinese representatives on the international stage. In their last five matches, Trace have only managed one win—against All Gamers. The other matches ended in losses to T1, G2 Esports, Nova Esports, and EDward Gaming.

Despite this slump on the international stage, Trace remains one of the top teams domestically, and they are the clear favorites going into this match.

Map Pool

Expected bans:

• Wolves Esports will likely ban Ascent.
• Trace Esports will ban Fracture.

Expected picks:

• Wolves Esports might go for Pearl.
• Trace Esports are likely to pick Icebox.

Head-to-head

The two teams have not faced each other in the last six months.

Match Prediction

Trace Esports is the clear favorite. Their second-place finish at VCT 2025: China Kickoff ewarned them a spot at Masters Bangkok, and they currently trail only EDward Gaming in the region. Although their recent results have dipped, the losses came against top-tier teams. In crucial matches, Trace continues to show a high level of play. Most likely, Trace Esports will take this match convincingly, though Wolves Esports may put up a fight on individual maps. However, the difference in skill and experience favors Trace.

Predicted result: Trace Esports to win 2:0.

VCT 2025: China Stage 1 runs from March 13 to May 4 in LAN format at the VCT CN Arena in Shanghai. Twelve partnered teams from VCT China are battling for three spots at Masters Toronto, as well as China Points that are crucial for qualifying for the upcoming World Championship.