by At VALORANT Champions 2024, EDward Gaming (EDG) secured a historic victory against Sentinels in a thrilling 2-1 upper semifinal match, advancing to the upper final.
This match marked the first-ever showdown between the two regional giants, both of whom had won their previous playoff matches with a 2-0 scoreline.
The winner would clinch their first top-three finish at a Champions event.
HISTORY FOR EDWARD GAMING!
THEY DEFEAT SENTINELS AND EARN THEIR HIGHEST PLACEMENT IN GLOBAL COMPETITION! #VALORANTChampions pic.twitter.com/yYLthQu7gK
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) August 17, 2024
EDG kicked off the series on Haven with a pistol-round win but quickly fell behind as Sentinels responded with a dominant seven-round streak.
Tyson “TenZ” Van Ngo spearheaded Sentinels’ attack with a stunning 17 kills in the first half, propelling his team to an 8-4 lead.
Although EDG showed signs of life, including a strong showing by Hsieh “S1mon” Meng-hsun, Sentinels closed out Haven 13–9.
While both Zachary “zekken” Jude Patrone and Zheng “ZmjjKK” Yongkang recorded 23 kills, zekken’s 9-1 first blood record had a greater impact.
The momentum shifted on Lotus, where Sentinels took an early lead, but EDG clawed back to tie the half 6-6.
EDG gained control in the second half, leading 10-6 after securing the pistol and bonus rounds.
Although Sentinels fought back, EDG’s strong A-site defence helped them take the map 13–9, forcing a decider on Sunset.
Sunset turned out to be the most lopsided map of the series, with EDG dominating the first half 10-2, focusing heavily on B post-plants.
They closed out the map 13-6, thanks to Wan “CHICHOO” Shunzhi’s impressive 23 kills, 333 ACS, and a 1.72 rating.
EDG’s victory secured them the first-ever top-three placement for a Chinese team at a global VALORANT event.
Sentinels now face FNATIC in the lower bracket in a rematch of their VCT Masters Reykjavik grand final.
LEVIATáN CLAIMS THEIR SPOT IN THE UPPER BRACKET FINALS BY DEFEATING TEAM HERETICS! #VALORANTChampions pic.twitter.com/PdD6ddSutj
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) August 17, 2024
In the second upper semifinal, Americas’ top seed, LEVIATáN, swept Team Heretics 2-0 to advance to the upper final against EDG.
LEVIATáN started strong on Icebox with a 7-1 lead but had to fend off a fierce comeback from Heretics to win the map 15-13 in overtime.
On Lotus, Heretics led 8-4 at halftime, but LEVIATáN stormed back, winning seven straight rounds to secure a 13-10 victory.
LEVIATáN will face EDward Gaming in the upper final, while Team Heretics drops to the lower bracket to face DRX.
Sunday’s VALORANT Champions fixtures
- Sentinels (+110) vs Fnatic (-151.52) @ 5pm KST
- Team Heretics (-188.68) vs DRX (+137) @ 8pm KST
