Day four of the 2025 VALORANT Game Changers Championship marked the beginning of the lower bracket, where tournament lives are on the line and a stumble can mean a flight home the next day. The stage featured two elimination matches: the all-Pacific showdown between Xipto Esports GC and Ninetails, followed by KRÜ Blaze vs GIANTX GC. Both pairs of teams were familiar with each other, both sets carried regional weight, and both series delivered full displays of desperation VALORANT.
By the end of the day, two teams extended their stay in Seoul, while two bowed out after a short but eventful run.
This matchup was more than a lower-bracket opener — it was a rerun of one of the most important regional rivalries in the Pacific Game Changers circuit. Xipto Esports GC, the first seed from PAC, had defeated Ninetails in both of their GC Pacific matchups earlier this year. Both teams came into today after 2–0 losses to EMEA and China’s representatives, making this a do-or-die rematch with higher stakes than ever.
Xipto selected Pearl, starting on defense, and immediately looked poised to repeat history. They took the pistol, the anti-eco, and the bonus to jump ahead 3–0. But the match turned on a single thrifty round from Ninetails. That win injected the confidence the Korean roster had lacked all tournament, and from that point onward they took complete control.
Ninetails strung together round after round, most with multiple players surviving, and suffocated every attempt Xipto made to reclaim space or momentum. Their pace, spacing, and discipline all sharpened at once as they surged to a 9–3 lead at halftime.
The second half was even more decisive. Ninetails won the pistol and bonus to reach 12–3, and although Xipto picked up one round, Ninetails closed the map 13–4, stealing their opponent’s pick with authority. The entire roster looked revitalized, but the MVP went to FullMoon on Vyse, whose impeccable lurks and game sense earned her 305 ACS and 19 kills, while 16-year-old prodigy dana delivered the highlight of the map with a clean ace.
Bind, Ninetails’ pick, started with another Xipto pistol win — though once again, Ninetails stole the anti-eco with just Classics, shifting early momentum their way. The score reached 3–2, but a mid-half timeout from Xipto reset their approach. They then surged through a five-round streak, taking firm control of the half before securing an 8–4 advantage.
Xipto carried that momentum into the second half, winning the pistol and anti-eco to reach double digits. Ninetails patched together several defensive rounds, but the early deficit proved too steep, and Xipto closed the map 13–8 to force a decider.
A major reason for Xipto’s recovery was the dominance of their duelist duo, grahams on Yoru and Yxqme on Waylay, who combined for nine first kills and consistently won opening duels that unraveled Ninetails’ setups.
With the series tied, the final map came down to Split, and Ninetails once again opened explosively. They won the first five rounds off of superior site pressure, coordinated utility, and excellent early picks from 332 and dana. After a timeout, Xipto stabilized to win three in a row, but Ninetails’ attack remained too polished, consistently converting post-plants and punishing Xipto’s retakes. The half ended 9–3 in Ninetails’ favor.
Xipto took the second-half pistol but, in a repeat of earlier rounds, Ninetails instantly stole the follow-up with Classics, breaking Xipto’s money and confidence. Ninetails reached 11–4 soon after, and though Xipto grabbed one more round, the Korean side closed out the map 13–5, completing their strongest series of the tournament and eliminating the Pacific first seed.
332, piloting Yoru, earned map MVP, and across the series she was Ninetails’ standout with 246 ACS, nine first kills, and a +17 kill differential. Ninetails finally captured their first international win on home soil. For Xipto, the elimination comes under complicated circumstances; the team faced severe typhoon-related travel disruptions and visa issues, making them unable to find precious practice and bootcamp time before arriving in Seoul.
The second elimination match featured a cross-regional meeting between KRÜ Blaze, the only team to qualify for every Game Changers Championship in history, and GIANTX GC, EMEA’s third seed. Both teams entered the match after decisive day two losses but with vastly different expectations — KRÜ seeking to preserve their legacy, GX to prove they belonged among the world’s best.
KRÜ’s map pick of Split proved immediately justified. Starting on defense, the LATAM squad built a wall around each site using a Sage/Omen/Viper core that controlled space, slowed GX’s entries, and consistently forced them into disadvantageous duels. KRÜ surged to a 4–0 lead, and although GX answered with two rounds, KRÜ slammed the door shut with six straight to secure a 10–2 half.
After the side swap, KRÜ won their pistol yet again and reached 12–2 before GX found their first gun-round conversion. It would be their last. KRÜ closed out the map 13–4, powered by dods, who produced a monstrous 363 ACS and 23 kills on Raze.
A pleasure having you at #VCTGameChangers Seoul, @GIANTXVALORANT GC! pic.twitter.com/hmXAijpQSC
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) November 23, 2025
GX entered Haven with renewed determination. Although KRÜ opened with a 4–2 defensive lead, GX pieced together an excellent mid-half run, winning five consecutive rounds behind improved utility layering and stronger opening contacts. They took the half 7–5, and momentum accelerated after the side-swap as GX extended their lead to 11–5.
Just when it looked like a third map was inevitable, KRÜ produced one of their best stretches of the tournament. They rattled off seven rounds in a row, turning a 5–11 deficit into a 12–11 lead. GX held firm to force overtime, and after three tense OTs, they finally closed out the map to tie the series and push it to a decider with a 16-14 score-line.
The final map of the day was Pearl, and KRÜ began on attack with devastating momentum. Dods opened the map at full throttle, reaching a 14/3 K/D as KRÜ stormed to a 6–0 lead. GX recovered well out of a timeout, winning the next four rounds and stabilizing the half at 7–5, but KRÜ’s defensive side proved impenetrable. In the second half, KRÜ won six straight defensive rounds, shutting down every attempt GX made to establish early control or reach post-plant positions. The map ended decisively 13–5, and with it, GX’s tournament run came to an end.
Dods was the clear series MVP with 69 kills, 16 first kills, and a +25 kill differential across the three maps, a dominant performance that kept KRÜ alive.
With today’s results, both Xipto Esports GC and GIANTX GC exit the Game Changers Championship. Meanwhile, Ninetails and KRÜ Blaze survive to fight another day. Day 5 now features two enormous elimination matches: Ninetails vs MIBR GC, and KRÜ Blaze vs Nova Esports GC.
Two will move on. Two more will go home.
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