by The final day of the VALORANT Champions group stage delivered thrilling matches, as Leviatán and EDward Gaming secured their spots in the playoffs, while Team Vitality and Paper Rex saw their seasons come to an end.
Leviatán faced off against Team Vitality in the Group C decider match, with both teams having suffered 2-1 losses to Trace Esports and secured 2-0 wins over Talon Esports.
Leviatán, aiming for their first international VALORANT tournament playoff berth since Champions 2022, showed determination from the start.
Their pick of Icebox was a closely contested battle, with Leviatán edging out a 7-5 lead at the half.
Vitality’s efforts, led by standout performances from Saif “Sayf” Jibraeel and Nikita “trexx” Cherednichenko, brought them to a 12-10 lead.
However, Leviatán, driven by Francisco “kiNgg” Alberto Aravena and Erick “aspas” Santos, rallied to take the map 14–12 in overtime.
kiNgg led the scoreboard with 22 kills and a 229 average combat score (ACS), while trexx delivered 22 kills and 225 ACS for Vitality.
Sunset was a different story, with Leviatán dominating from the start.
A 10-2 first half, bolstered by strong defensive setups and individual plays from Corbin “C0M” Daniel Lee and aspas, set the tone.
Vitality managed to win the second pistol round, but Leviatán quickly closed out the map 13-4, securing a 2-0 series victory.
Roberto “Mazino” Francisco Rivas Bugue?o topped the ratings on Sunset with a 1.45 rating, 169 ADR, and 15 kills, while C0M followed closely with a 1.43 rating and 16 kills.
When asked about their upcoming playoff opponent, C0M confidently stated, “Give us anyone. We’ll beat them.”
Leviatán will look to back up this bold claim when the playoffs begin on August 14 and they clash with G2 Esports.
LEVIATáN SECURES THEIR PLAYOFF SPOT AT #VALORANTChampions SEOUL! pic.twitter.com/NkGd41hAPe
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) August 11, 2024
In a dramatic clash, EDward Gaming (EDG) overcame Paper Rex 2-1 to secure their place in the playoffs, marking their fourth consecutive appearance in the knockout stage since China’s inclusion in the VALORANT Champions Tour circuit.
This match was the sixth time these two squads faced off, with Paper Rex having won four of the previous five encounters.
The series began on Icebox, where Paper Rex started strong, taking the first map 13-3, thanks to an outstanding performance from Jason “f0rsakeN” Susanto, who recorded a massive 1.76 rating and 235 ADR.
However, EDG adjusted swiftly on Sunset, rallying to a 13-8 victory thanks to impressive performances from Wang “nobody” Senxu and Zhang “Smoggy” Zhao, who combined for 34 kills and over 300 ADR.
The decider map, Lotus, saw EDG take control early, punishing Paper Rex’s defensive mistakes and securing a commanding 9-3 lead at halftime.
Despite a brief resurgence from Paper Rex, EDG closed out the map 13-4, sending Paper Rex home and advancing to the playoffs.
Wan “CHICHOO” Shunzhi, reflecting on the victory, noted their ability to quickly adapt after the first map.
“We’ve played Paper Rex so many times that we were able to fix our mistakes on the last two maps,” he said.
Despite expressing a desire to avoid facing fellow Chinese squad Trace Esports, EDward Gaming will now face them in the playoffs.
EDWARD GAMING ELIMINATES PAPER REX TO CLAIM THE FINAL PLAYOFF SPOT! #VALORANTChampions pic.twitter.com/dwIKvoC3xf
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) August 11, 2024
