Every Americas representative won its opening series at VALORANT Champions Shanghai without dropping a map, Esports Insider reported. G2 Esports, NRG, LOUD and 100 Thieves each took their group-stage opener 2-0, and the results sent all four into winners’ matches.
G2 started the run against TYLOO, taking Lotus 13-6 after a tied first half and then closing out Sunset 13-3. Trent led the series with 38 kills, 17 deaths and 20 assists on 287 ACS, 174 ADR and 91 percent KAST, while Valyn and BABYBAY each finished with more than 24 kills.
NRG opened its title defence against Masters Santiago champions Nongshim RedForce, taking Lotus 13-5 and closing the series in two maps. Mada, who Esports Insider reports had recovered from a recent wrist injury, led NRG with 34 kills, 23 deaths and 16 assists for a plus-11 kill differential, with brawk and keiko adding 32 kills each.
LOUD swept EDward Gaming, finishing the series on Summit 13-5. Tkzin recorded three aces across the two maps, which Esports Insider describes as a record for a player’s debut at VALORANT Champions, and finished with 47 kills, 24 deaths and 7 assists on 321 ACS and 208 ADR.
100 Thieves came through the closest of the four series, beating T1 on T1’s own pick of Summit 13-8 before closing out Ascent 13-9. Cryocells led the series with 45 kills, 23 deaths and 6 assists, backed by 283 ACS, 169 ADR and 86 percent KAST, and Asuna put up 22 kills on Ascent alone. The result sent T1 into an elimination match.
The four wins are spread across all four groups, with 100 Thieves in Group A, LOUD in Group B, G2 in Group C and NRG in Group D. The openers ran across four days, beginning with G2’s win over TYLOO on the opening day and ending with the 100 Thieves result.
