by The second match at VALORANT Champions 2024 on Saturday showcased an exciting Europe vs. China clash, where Trace Esports secured China’s first victory by defeating Team Vitality, while Leviatan flexed their muscles in a dominant win over Talon Esports earlier in the day.
This triumph came after FunPlus Phoenix and Bilibili Gaming fell to Team Heretics and FNATIC, respectively, marking a significant achievement for Trace Esports in their international VALORANT debut in Seoul, South Korea.
UPSET ALERT: Trace Esports take down Team Vitality on their international debut! #VALORANTChampions pic.twitter.com/XClL1744Md
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) August 3, 2024
Trace Esports picked Ascent, a map on which they remained undefeated throughout the year.
They started strong, with Lu “Kai” Zhinan consistently finding openings in Vitality’s defence, leading to a 6-1 advantage.
Although Vitality managed to win some rounds, their gameplay remained scrappy.
Saif “Sayf” Jibraeel’s clutch in round eight marked a temporary recovery, but Trace kept Vitality’s economy on the brink, ending the half with a 9-3 lead.
In the second half, Vitality attempted a comeback, winning the round 11 eco and salvaging five rounds.
Despite losing the second pistol round to a Song “FengF” Xuefeng clutch, Vitality forced overtime by winning six of the final seven rounds.
However, Trace regained their momentum in overtime, securing a 15-13 victory.
Vitality chose Sunset, a map both teams were familiar with.
Trace initially looked to pull ahead, but an eco win in round five allowed Vitality to stabilise.
Their strong defence towards the B site and Nikita “trexx” Cherednichenko’s dominant performance (24-8) led to an 8-4 advantage at the half.
Vitality continued their momentum into the second half, winning 13-7.
Both teams had questionable records on Bind, each with a 33% win rate.
Trace’s unconventional composition, including both Cypher and Deadlock, aimed to capitalise on early-round pressure.
Despite Vitality’s initial 5-1 lead, Trace pulled back to a 6-6 half.
On attack, Trace’s quick executions and sentinel holds overwhelmed Vitality, resulting in a dominant 13-7 victory.
Zhang “LuoK1ng” Zhanpeng was a standout performer across all three maps, with 64 kills and 44 deaths.
Leviatán kicks off their #VALORANTChampions run with a clean series win! pic.twitter.com/WE6RbxPfue
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) August 3, 2024
Leviatán, the reigning VCT Americas champions, relied on heroic plays to secure a 13-11 win on Bind.
Notably, Corbin “C0M” Daniel Lee’s triple kill in round 22 turned the tide.
Talon’s Peter “Governor” No impressed on Neon, leading his team with a 20-17 performance, but Leviatán’s resilience prevailed.
Talon’s unconventional ‘Zombie Comp’ failed to secure a win.
Despite Papaphat “Primmie” Sriprapha’s strong showing with 22 kills, Leviatán’s Erick “aspas” Santos led his team with operator kills, resulting in a 13-8 victory.
Leviatán will face Trace Esports on August 7, while Talon Esports will play Team Vitality on August 9.
Sunday’s VALORANT Champions matches
- G2 Esports (-111.11) vs Paper Rex (-125) @ 5pm KST
- EDward Gaming (+110) vs FUT Esports (-151.52) @ 8pm KST
