VALORANT Champions 2025: G2 Esports, GIANTX bow out in Paris

VALORANT Champions Paris claimed two heavyweights in one lower-bracket swing on Saturday, as G2 Esports and GIANTX exited after bruising three-map losses that laid bare recurring faults under playoff pressure.

For G2, the defeat to DRX stings twice—first for the bracket position, second for how familiar it felt.

The three-time VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Americas champions opened with authority on Lotus, riding Alexander “jawgemo” Mor’s 28-kill performance en route to a 13-7 win.

Then the series tilted on Abyss, where G2’s Tejo-anchored identity initially looked vindicated.

Their post-plant utility chained nine straight rounds to flip a 1-8 hole into the lead, only for composure to crack late.

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  Fast Payouts

DRX halted the surge, and Song “HYUNMIN” Hyun-min’s 30 frags on Waylay powered a five-round streak to close the map, 13-10.

Bind was the gut punch: a 10-2 halftime deficit behind DRX’s airtight defense, and Cho “Flashback” Min-hyuk’s unflinching Operator finished off the series, securing a 13-7 victory.

Across the final two maps, G2 leaked pivotal advantages—lost thriftys, stalled retakes, and a quiet day from normally reliable closers—echoing the upper-bracket collapse versus Paper Rex.

For a roster that hoisted three domestic trophies, back-to-back early exits at Champions underline a ceiling question they’d seemed to answer all year.

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  The bookies' bookie

GIANTX’s departure was a different flavor of regret.

Swept aside 13-4 on Ascent by a surging Team Heretics—Enes “RieNs” Ecirli’s Sova clinic (23/8/4, 224 ADR) set the tone—they answered with a ruthless 13-3 on Lotus, exploiting soft spots in Heretics’ Deadlock-Chamber looks and letting Eduard-George “ara” Hanceriuc’s Raze dictate pace.

Bind became the decider and the mirror: GIANTX led 7-5, then bled chaos.

Two full-stick defuses from Ričardas “Boo” Lukaševičius flipped momentum, utility combos punished slow clears, and a desperate 2v5 fizzled.

Heretics closed 13-9; GIANTX’s year ended in the top eight—a commendable rebound from a Stage 1 slump, yet another lesson in closing volatile maps where structure frays.

Two exits, one theme: when margins thinned, both teams lost their nerve in post-plants, pistol conversions, and late-round calls.

G2 left with the bigger question marks from the two eliminated squads, as their international drought extended despite a title-caliber résumé, whereas GIANTX improved but fell short of hardened contender status.

VALORANT Champions will continue on Sunday, with Fnatic taking on Paper Rex, followed by a clash between MIBR and NRG.