Day three of the 2025 VALORANT Game Changers Championship marked a dramatic escalation in the level of play as G2 Gozen, Nova Esports GC, Shopify Rebellion Gold, and MIBR GC returned to the stage. While day two showcased dominant sweeps from Karmine Corp and Team Liquid Brazil, the third day of competition delivered a mixture of decisive victories and a brutal rematch of last year’s world final. The result is an upper bracket that now features four of the tournament’s biggest names, and a lower bracket about to erupt with the pressure of elimination.
The day opened with a high-profile showdown between G2 Gozen, entering their first game after reclaiming their regional throne, and Nova Esports GC, China’s undefeated 2025 representatives who stormed their domestic circuit without dropping a single match. Nova entered the matchup fresh off a convincing win against Ninetails, while G2 were expected to display the full force of their synergy, depth, and experience.
Nova chose Corrode to start the series, fielding a double-controller composition aimed at containing G2’s tempo. G2 countered with a bold double-duelist setup featuring IGL mimi on Yoru and Akita on Waylay, signaling their intention to dictate pace from the opening round. G2 won the first pistol on defense, though Nova stabilized immediately after their full buy.
The half unfolded as a tightly contested exchange of rounds, each team adapting mid-half and refusing to surrender momentum for long stretches. Only in the final few rounds did G2 begin to edge ahead, entering halftime with a 7–5 lead founded on clean retakes and superior mid-site decision-making.
Once G2 moved to attack, the map shifted decisively. Their double-duelist composition began stretching Nova’s defensive anchor points to breaking, repeatedly forcing Nova into retakes down a player. G2’s entries were crisp, their spacing sharp, and their timing superior. They closed out the map 13–7, with four players finishing positive. The standout performer was Vania on Brimstone, who anchored the map with 19 kills and 260 ACS. Nova’s brightest moments came from shirazi, whose multi-kill rounds, including a memorable 4K clutch, kept them competitive, but G2’s cohesion was unmistakably stronger.
G2’s pick of Split highlighted their confidence, and sticking with their double-duelist identity paid off immediately. Starting on attack, G2 won their second pistol of the series and blitzed through Nova’s defensive setups with well-layered utility and assertive site entries. Despite Nova’s shift toward a double-Initiator plus controller composition, G2 consistently found early picks and removed key anchors from the equation. Their dominance culminated in an 8–4 halftime lead.
G2 claimed their third pistol win of the day after the sideswap, though Nova answered with a determined anti-eco break to push the score toward a possible comeback. Nova closed the gap to 10–7, but G2 produced the round that irrevocably turned the tide: a stunning thrifty capped by Petra’s 1v2 Sheriff clutch. The round shattered Nova’s economy and morale simultaneously. G2 closed the map 13–8 to take the 2–0 sweep.
Akita emerged the star of Split, finishing with 22 kills, 354 ACS, and eight first kills, and ending the series with the highest aggregate ACS at 271. Shirazi once again led Nova with 241 ACS, but they were outpaced across the board as a team. With the win, G2 advance to face Team Liquid Brazil in the upper bracket semifinal — a matchup loaded with history and star power.
The second match of the day was a direct callback to last year’s championship decider: Shopify Rebellion Gold vs MIBR GC. The two teams are among the most accomplished in the Game Changers ecosystem, and their meeting today carried both legacy and revenge narratives. Instead of another multi-map epic, however, SRG produced one of their most overwhelming performances of the year.
MIBR chose Pearl to open the series, running a composition nearly identical to SRG’s: Killjoy, Waylay, KAY/O, and Astra, with the only variation being MIBR’s use of Tejo instead of Sova. The match began competitively, with SRG winning the pistol before MIBR answered with the anti-eco. Then came the turning point.
THE CLUTCH GENE IS REAL! @NoiaFPS with another CRAZY 1v3! #VCTGameChangers pic.twitter.com/nS7BX8PfjT
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) November 22, 2025
A brilliant mid-round call from team IGL meL, built on a perfectly executed double fake, cracked MIBR’s rotations apart. From that moment forward, SRG took full control of the map. Their pace became suffocating, their spacing immaculate, and their post-plants airtight. MIBR were unable to generate space or momentum, dropping round after round until SRG closed out the most lopsided map of the tournament so far: 13–1.
Noia, starring on Killjoy, earned map MVP with 283 ACS, while dodonut added six first kills in one of SRG’s cleanest showings of the season.
SRG’s pick of Corrode opened with their third pistol win of the day. Starting on defense with a double-Initiator composition, SRG went round-for-round against MIBR’s double-duelist setup. The half remained tight until MIBR found a late push to secure a 7–5 halftime lead.
MIBR extended their lead to 9–5 after winning the next pistol, but SRG responded with the resolve of a team accustomed to championship pressure. They rattled off five consecutive rounds behind smart mid-round pacing and a reinvigorated defensive read, taking the lead 10–9. MIBR tied the score at 10–10, but the momentum had clearly shifted. SRG closed out the final three rounds to win 13–10 and finish the sweep.
As on the first map, Noia led the way, this time on Viper, dropping 20 kills with a +11 differential, earning her second MVP of the series. With this win, SRG advance to face Karmine Corp GC in an upper bracket showdown that promises some of the sharpest tactical VALORANT of the tournament.
With today’s results, the upper bracket now features two blockbuster matchups: G2 Gozen vs Team Liquid Brazil, and Shopify Rebellion Gold vs Karmine Corp GC.
Meanwhile, day four will introduce the tournament’s first elimination matches. Xipto Esports GC and Ninetails, the two Pacific representatives, must fight each other to stay alive, while KRÜ Blaze and GIANTX GC face off in a do-or-die EMEA vs LATAM battle.
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