DRX continue their 11-game unbeaten record at VALORANT Champions Paris

Valorant Champions Paris Day 2 started off with the Group C games. Two high-stakes matchups were on the line, the first between last year’s Champions EDG and NRG, a team with three rookies who were on the international stage for the first time. The second game had a fully in-form Liquid going up against a consistent DRX, yet a DRX that had shown signs of weakness during the Pacific playoffs and had squeaked in off the back of circuit points.

Neither of these matchups had happened in the past, meaning both teams were facing off for the first time. While EDG and Team Liquid might have been favorites, NRG and DRX each secured 2-0 wins over strong opponents. They did so in very different ways, however: NRG with narrow margins and clutch finishes, DRX with more controlled dominance. For DRX especially, this puts their record of success in their opening game at international events 11-0, a record no other team are close to matching.

NRG gets first win against current VALORANT Champions holders

NRG went up against Edward Gaming in the opening series of Day 2 of Champions Paris and came away with a 2-0 victory. The first map was Abyss, where the defending Champions, who had won last year’s event after winning this very map, found a devastatingly strong start on their attacking side. Their combination of Yoru and Neon enabled them to get to a 10-2 half, a dominant scoreline.

When EDG won the next pistol, it seemed like it was the end, but after that, NRG clawed back the game round by round, pushing it to overtime where NRG eventually eked out an extremely tight win with a score of 17-15 after several momentum swings and a crucial 4K in the penultimate round by s0m.

Edward Gaming looked strong early, but NRG hung on, winning crucial rounds toward the end of regulation and in overtime to take the map. On Abyss, the standout performance for EDG came from ZmjjKK, who posted an ACS of 208 despite the loss, but the real star of the map was rookie duelist mada, a player who was playing his first game at an international major. For NRG, both of their other rookies also contributed heavily to the comeback shown by the team, with consistent impact across the board.

On the second map, Corrode, NRG again edged out EDG, this time 13-11, maintaining pressure and leveraging rounds where EDG’s defense flinched under assault. Despite an even first half, NRG slowly won round after round, and at 11-11, got to match point while leaving EDG’s economy looking shaky. The match was similarly tight to Abyss, but the result was the same; NRG capitalized on EDG’s mistakes in mid-rounds and kept calm during critical late-round situations.

Skuba was NRG’s MVP on the defensive half, with his anchoring abilities denying EDG access round after round to the B site, and brawk with his Odin was a major menace on A. Despite ZmjjKK having an ACS of 282 on the map, overall NRG had more impact as a team.  Ultimately the overall MVP of the series was skuba on the Sentinel/Flex role, netting himself 47 kills across both maps and a 79% KAST.

With this win, NRG are just one more game victory away from qualifying for the playoffs. Meanwhile, EDG will have to fight against EMEA’s #1 seed Team Liquid for survival, a similar situation to Masters Bangkok.

DRX handles Team Liquid

In the second series, DRX faced off with Team Liquid and also won 2-0, but with more room to breathe in their victories. The first map was once again Abyss, which DRX took 13-8. The map started slow for Team Liquid, as DRX shot off to a 4-0 start, one they pushed to a 6-1 lead before TL stabilized. TL came back to end the half 6-6, but DRX, well known for their defensive prowess on the map, leveraged their extremely mobile double duelists perfectly to cut off rotations and get early information.

From the start, DRX imposed pressure, especially in opening duels and in securing key rounds after defensive switches. Liquid attempted to mount comebacks in the second half but couldn’t fully stabilize against DRX’s aggression and coordinated utility usage, with DRX winning four rounds in a row at the end to take the map 13-8. DRX’s Flashback put up the stat line that earned him the map MVP with 21 kills and an ACS of 252, leveraging his Yoru picks to split defenses and create space.

The second map, Bind, was more contested. Liquid came into it looking to leverage their expertise on that map, and early rounds went back and forth, once again culminating in a 6-6 half. However, DRX held steady, especially on defense, and closed the map 13-10. Several rounds where Liquid seemed poised to gain momentum were broken by Flashback and MaKo with impact plays that swung major rounds in favor of DRX.

On Bind, BeYN turned in a very solid game on Fade, but for DRX, the overall MVP of the series was Flashback. He helped set the pace for DRX both maps, had big multi-kills, and generally forced Liquid to adjust their gameplan thanks to his positioning and operator skills. DRX now has to defeat NRG to qualify for playoffs, while Team Liquid will fight for life in the lower bracket vs EDG.

G2 starts their title charge today

Today’s matches in Group D promise just as much intrigue as what we saw in Group C. Dragon Ranger Gaming (DRG) face off against T1, marking their first-ever match against one another at Champions. The lack of history means DRG will have to bring fresh plans as they face off against the Masters Bangkok winners, while T1 will lean on their experience in high-pressure international stages to try and avoid an upset.

Meanwhile, G2 Esports take on Team Heretics, a pairing loaded with history: they’ve met multiple times in Masters events, including Shanghai 2024 and other international matchups. G2 have generally had the edge in those encounters, though Heretics scored a commanding 3-0 win over them in Shanghai in one of those past matches.

For DRG, they need to place higher than fellow Chinese team XLG to guarantee their stay in the VCT, while for T1, they want to show off their international prowess again. For G2 and Heretics, every single round matters — these teams know each one might be a stepping stone or a stumbling block.