We witnessed a huge upset at Valorant Champions yesterday. The Chinese Underdog Bilibili Gaming took down NA's NRG to place them second in Group C. They now have 2 chances to qualify for Playoffs in their first Champions tournament.
On day 3 of Valorant Champions in Los Angeles, we witnessed the biggest upset so far. The bookmakers separated Group C in two parts. The two teams most likely to proceed to the playoffs - Fnatic and NRG - and the two teams that are heavily favored for an early exit after the group stage ends. These two teams are Japanese side ZETA Division and Chinese debutants Bilibili Gaming.
Huge Upset At Valorant Champions: Underdog Beats Top Team
The first match of Group C saw NRG facing Bilibili Gaming (BLG). It was the Chinese side that picked Lotus as the first Map, NRG picking Split and Pearl being the deciding map if needed. NRG went into the match as the clear favorites, being ranked second in North America.
Lotus started as expected with NRG winning the first 5 rounds, adding up 2 more to win the half 7-5 on attack. BLG responded with a 7-5 attack-half of their own, bringing map 1 into Overtime. After getting a Spike defuse on defense, BLG won their Attack round to bring their map pick home and go up 1-0 in the match. A first major step, but nothing to feel safe about.
- You can receive a lot of cool free items like Sprays and Gun buddies with a free Amazon Prime Membership that includes Prime Gaming!
NRG's pick Split started as intended for the NA powerhouse, winning the Pistol round on attack. But then the game slipped out of their hands. BLG won 8 out of the following 10 rounds, losing the last round in the half, preventing a 9-3 curse. After the break, BLG won the pistol, bonus and first gun round to go up 11-4.
NRG, with their backs against the wall, won four on the spin, minimizing the deficit down to three, but it all was a little bit too late. Bilibili broke NRG's run, putting the Chinese squad on Match Point with 4 opportunities to cause a big upset. They only needed one.
- You also only need one: EarlyGame covers all the important Valorant news for you!
BLG's secret on Split? Their Raze in the hand of "whzy". Dropping 31 and assisting 4, collecting 5 3K's and one 4K for good measure, and winning 8 out of 10 opening duels he had. After 21 rounds, his rating was at 1.74 with an ADR (average damage per round) of 227. Sublime performance from "whzy" to upset the Valorant community.
This win gives BLG two chances to qualify for Playoffs. The Chinese debutants face Valorant's number one Fnatic on Thursday. If they win, BLG makes the Playoffs on their debut, exceeding all odds. If they lose, Bilibili will face the winner of NRG and ZETA for the last Place in the Upper Bracket.
NRG are now on the brink of elimination, a possible 2 maps away from leaving Champions prematurely. This would be a big disappointment for the NA-based organization, who want to play in front of their home crowd in Los Angeles.
It's safe to say that BLG shocked everyone with their win over NRG, it might be a sign of what's to come at Valorant Champions, so make sure to not miss another upset and make sure to remain with us here on EarlyGame.