EDG & Leviatan secure VALORANT Champions upper final berths

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

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