MAD Lions barely made it to the LoL World Championship 2024 and were not very convincing through the play-ins either. Considering everything they have shown, Europe’s third seed should struggle against one of the tournament favourites.

Bilibili Gaming are among the leading candidates to lift the Summoner’s Cup. And while the LoL Worlds patch will introduce some uncertainty, especially early into the main stage, you must have an excellent reason to go against one of the hottest LoL esports teams.

BLG should win without any issues, but their handicap lines are a little too severe. Knowing both sides are fairly bloody, taking over 27.5 total kills is an appealing option.

T1 placed fourth in the LoL Champions Korea (LCK) 2024 Summer regular season, third in the playoffs, and barely made it past KT Roster in the LCK 2024 Regional Finals. Top Esports were not convincing in the last split either, with bronze medals from Group Ascend and the LPL 2024 Summer Playoffs.

On form, it is easy to understand why neither team is among the tournament favourites. However, it is much easier to trust TES, who have looked incredible against any team who failed to stop them early.

Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok and co. can wake up at any moment to defend their throne, but T1’s early game has not been the best, which could be a problem.

Gen.G have played incredibly well throughout the 2024 season and enter Worlds as one of the title favourites. Weibo Gaming, like usual, are very potent but inconsistent underdogs who can beat anyone on their day.

Gen.G are the better, more stable, and more reliable team, yet this does not justify their tag as $1.19 favourites. The long break and volatility of a new patch could shake things up a bit, so in a series between two elite squads, it is hard to pass on the outsiders to at least keep it close.

A smaller play on Weibo Gaming to win is worth a look as well.

Fnatic and Dplus KIA are not expected to compete for the Summoner’s Cup, but they can play at a very high level. This is more obvious with Dplus KIA, who have produced excellent games domestically; the problem is they have not done this consistently.

Fnatic collapsed at the Mid-Season Invitational and the Esports World Cup 2024 mainly due to the lack of experience of their bottom lane, namely ADC Oh “Noah” Hyeon-taek. This could again be a problem at LoL World Championship 2024, but after two international events, some improvement is expected.

Dplus KIA have a higher ceiling, but they are not consistent in reaching it. Fnatic, at $3.36 with the best LoL betting sites, are worth a look.

Even as $3.54 underdogs, Team Liquid might still be overrated. While the LoL Championship Series (LCS) second seed performed reasonably well at the Esports World Cup 2024, the gap between the LCS and LPL is significant enough to fade them.

LNG Esports might not be one of the main candidates to win the tournament, but they are very efficient in trashing weaker teams — as seen in their run through the LPL 2024 Summer. Expect a one-sided series.

Hanwha Life Esports exceeded expectations in the LCK 2024 Summer, yet most of that is thanks to Dplus KIA’s and T1’s struggles. Their LCK trophy aside, HLE are still the same counter-punching team, which will be a problem at LoL Worlds 2024.

PSG Talon had a rough run through the play-in stage; however, that does not take away from how stacked and experienced this lineup is. The added games in the play-ins also allowed PSG to warm up ahead of their first proper test of the tournament.

Even though Hanwha Life Esports are LCK’s top seed, $1.06 is an absurd price for a squad with a flawed playstyle.

Matches pitting minor and major regions against one another tend to be priced heavily in favour of the latter. However, it is hard to justify saying the LCS is much stronger than the Vietnam Championship Series (VCS).

GAM Esports have not been adequately tested in their league, so it is hard to say how high they can fly. But the same can be said for FlyQuest, who only had to deal with one formidable opponent domestically.

The North American squad should be priced as favourites, but not at this number. The value is with the underdogs.

G2 Esports were anything but great in the final split of the season; however, they shifted into a higher gear when it mattered and won both the LoL EMEA Championship (LEC) 2024 Summer Playoffs and the Season Finals.

PaiN Gaming looked very good in the first stage of the tournament, but they only had to defeat Vikings Esports and Movistar R7. Suffice it to say the Brazilians have not been properly tested yet.

G2 Esports are known to play with their food, but rarely on the international stage. They’re the superior team by all metrics, and it should show on Thursday.

Esports betting tips

Four teams have been eliminated, and 16 remain on the road to glory.

Even in the play-in stage, one major region has already fallen short of expectations.

100 Thieves, from North America, suffered a disappointing defeat to PSG Talon in the lower bracket final, marking an early exit from LoL Worlds 2024.

With the Swiss Stage now set, exciting first-round matchups are on the horizon.

#Words2024 Swiss Stage round 1 match order:@BilibiliGaming @MADLionsKOI @TOP_Esports_ @T1LoL@GenG @WeiboGamingLoL @FNATIC @DplusKIA @TeamLiquidLoL @LNG_Esports @HLEofficial @psgtalonlol @FlyQuest @GAMesportsVN @G2League @paiNGamingBR https://t.co/i0oHBJbfpe

— LoL Esports (@lolesports) September 29, 2024

T1 will start their title defence against Top Esports, while European fans have reason for cautious optimism: G2 Esports faces paiN Gaming, and Fnatic goes head-to-head with Dplus KIA.

On the other hand, MAD Lions fans may feel a pang of anxiety as their team has drawn LPL Summer champions, Bilibili Gaming, in the first round.

In an interview, Supa from MAD Lions expressed a desire to face a North American team for revenge, but it seems that match will have to wait.

GAM Esports, fresh off a strong play-in stage performance, will now face FlyQuest, while PSG Talon must take on the LCK Summer winners, Hanwha Life Esports.

Meanwhile, Team Liquid is set to face LNG Esports, and Weibo Gaming is lined up against Gen.G, the dominant second seed from the LCK.

This year’s World Championship will take place across Berlin, Paris, and London, with the Swiss Stage held in two parts: October 3-7 and October 10-13.

The opening day will feature best-of-one round one matchups, followed by 1-0 and 0-1 matchups on October 4.

From then on, the decisive best-of-three matches will determine who moves on to the knockout stage and who goes home.

The play-in stage has already concluded, with eight teams competing for four qualification spots.

These four teams will now join the twelve already qualified teams in the Swiss Stage, where many consider the ‘real’ Worlds to begin.

The 16 teams are divided into four pools, with Pool 1 teams facing Pool 4, and Pool 2 taking on Pool 3.

Importantly, no teams will face opponents from their own region in the first round.

After that, matchups will pair teams with the same record regardless of region, and rematches will be prohibited.

To qualify for the knockout stage, a team must win three matches, while three losses mean elimination from Worlds 2024.

The Swiss Stage format will feature best-of-one matches until the qualification and elimination series, which will be best of three.

Fans can catch all the Swiss Stage action on the official LoL Esports channels on Twitch and YouTube.

The final eight teams that survive this gruelling stage will advance to the knockout stage, bringing them one step closer to the Summoner’s Cup.

Thursday’s Swiss Stage matches

• Hanwha Life Esports ($1.06) vs PSG Talon ($8.00) @ 2pm CET
• FlyQuest ($1.36) vs GAM Esports ($3.00) @ 3pm CET
• G2 Esports ($1.16) vs paiN Gaming ($4.50) @ 4pm CET
• Bilibili Gaming ($1.08) vs MAD Lions KOI ($7.00) @ 5pm CET
• Top Esports ($2.00) vs T1 ($1.72) @ 6pm CET
• Team Liquid ($3.00) vs LNG Esports ($1.36) @ 7pm CET
• Fnatic ($3.75) vs Dplus KIA ($1.25) @ 8pm CET
• Gen.G ($1.20) vs Weibo Gaming ($4.33) @ 9pm CET

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After a 0-2 start to the stage, Fnatic picked up victories against ENCE and WYLDE last week, which puts them back into the playoff race. According to the top Rainbow Six Siege betting sites, however, winning will not come easy on Tuesday.

Virtus.pro have done relatively well in this stage, with victories against Into the Breach and Team Secret. But they also lost to Wolves Esports in the second round and suffered a huge defeat against ENCE on Wednesday.

Fnatic bested Virtus.pro in April, and while the Black & Orange have since made roster changes, the two teams’ past showings make it hard to find that many reasons to price VP as $1.46 favourites. The value is with the underdogs.

Into the Breach were billed as one of the more dangerous outsiders heading into Europe League Stage 2. However, five rounds in, Luke “Kendrew” Kendrew and co. have managed just one victory against Fnatic.

Team Secret are the complete opposite when comparing results against expectations. They have secured 10 points from five games, with victories against ENCE, G2 Esports and Team BDS.

Beating one good team can be considered a fluke, but a 7-4 victory against BDS suggests Team Secret are strong. At $2.35 to win with three rounds to spare, BLAST R6 Major Manchester 2024 quarterfinalists are an obvious choice.

ENCE picked up their first victory of the stage on Wednesday, when they made it past the struggling Virtus.pro in 12 rounds. Besides that victory, ENCE have not shown much of late, so it is not surprising to see them priced as outsiders for this series.

Wolves Esports have lost just one series against the region’s top dogs, Team BDS, and even that was a competitive series. The only concerning display from Yanis “Mowwwgli” Dahmani and his crew was an overtime victory against Fnatic, but that is more of an indication of Fnatic’s strength than anything else.

Wolves are effective in beating lesser teams, as they have already shown in the first stage of the season, so it is hard to doubt their chances to run over ENCE.

WYLDE had an explosive start to the stage, nearly beating Team BDS before adding a 7-1 victory against Team Secret in the third round. However, since then, WYLDE have not looked as potent with losses against Wolves Esports and Fnatic.

G2 Esports have so far lost only to Team BDS and the surging Team Secret, yet they’ve had an easy time beating Fnatic, ENCE and Into the Breach. This suggests G2 should not struggle too much against another weaker opponent.

WYLDE can be a bit up-and-down, yet they can be tough to beat when Layton “Layton” Goldring steps up — as seen in their victory against Secret. This is still G2’s game to lose, but we can expect a closer affair.

Esports betting tips

Both teams faced challenges, but Complexity’s individual prowess carried them over the line in overtime on Vertigo (19-17) and Inferno (16-14).

Complexity now faces Imperial Esports, while Astralis battles Rooster to stay alive in the Counter-Strike 2 tournament.

Despite rebuilding their roster after failing to qualify for the PGL Major Copenhagen, Astralis has seen their form decline since notable top-four finishes at IEM Chengdu and ESL Pro League Season 19.

Their recent loss to Fnatic in the EPL opener left them hoping for a rebound against a struggling Complexity.

However, Astralis fell short, with star AWPer Nicolai “device” Reedtz underperforming, leading to an apology on social media.

Not the best time to be on SoMe, but anyways want to give some insight to the fans.
Really disappointed with myself these last 2 games, not only as the awp but also IGLing.
Doing my best to bounce back I assure you

— Nicolai Reedtz (@dev1ce) September 11, 2024

Poor offensive play and bizarre mid-round decisions added to their woes.

Complexity, though far from perfect, edged out Astralis thanks to standout performances from Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski and H?kon “hallzerk” Fj?rli.

While Complexity may not take much pride in barely defeating an out-of-form Astralis, their better gun round performance on Inferno and individual firepower got the job done.

@imperialesports ARE IN THE #ESLProLeague XX PLAYOFFS @vini @felperaa @nowayzao@decentycs @TRYZSE1@zakkcs pic.twitter.com/oj06PR67Mj

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 11, 2024

MOUZ also saw disappointment in their ESL Pro League campaign, losing to Imperial in overtime on Dust2 (16-14) and Inferno (16-13).

Despite being ranked No. 1 earlier this year and having a strong season, MOUZ faltered, with players like Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin struggling significantly, posting just six kills on Inferno.

Imperial capitalised on MOUZ’s mistakes, with standout performances from Lucas “decenty” Bacelar and Jo?o “felps” Vasconcellos, advancing them to a seeding match.

#ESLProLeague XX Playoffs secured for @M80gg! pic.twitter.com/d4rsL4y3KM

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 11, 2024

M80 made headlines with a record-breaking 71-round match against fnatic on Anubis, the longest Counter-Strike 2 map on HLTV.

M80 won the epic battle in octuple overtime (37-34) before also taking Inferno in extra time (16-13).

Their victory secured a playoff spot and marked a breakthrough for North American CS, making them the first NA team outside Complexity and Liquid to reach Big Event playoffs since 2019.

Thursday’s ESL Pro League matches

• ATOX Esports ($6.50) vs Team Falcons ($1.10) @ 1:30pm CEST
• Team Liquid ($1.57) vs Virtus.pro ($2.25) @ 1:30pm CEST
• ENCE ($1.72) vs RED Canids ($2.00) @ 4:30pm CEST
• Team Vitality ($1.16) vs FURIA Esports ($4.50) @ 4:30pm CEST
• Complexity ($3.00) vs MOUZ ($1.36) @ 7:30pm CEST
• BIG ($2.00) vs Fnatic ($1.75) @ 7:30pm CEST

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The tournament will feature 16 of the best Counter-Strike 2 teams from around the world, competing for the lion’s share of the US$1,000,000 total prize pool, which includes the US$150,000 that was on offer for each of the six qualifiers.

The event kicks off with an online stage from October 21-26, where teams will battle in a single-elimination best-of-three bracket.

The top four teams will then advance to the LAN finals in Berlin.

The LAN event will follow the same format, concluding with a third-place decider match.

Six teams have already qualified for the tournament: Cloud9 and BLEED Esports from Europe, Legacy and M80 from North America, and BESTIA and Imperial from South America.

They will be joined by 10 invited teams, with Team Falcons, Heroic, Fnatic, and BIG among the first announced.

This is the second edition of the Thunderpick World Championship, with FaZe Clan winning last year’s entirely online event and claiming the $250,000 top prize.

This year’s prize pool has increased, with $500,000 reserved for the winner.

After a break following the online stage, the LAN finals promise to deliver two days of intense CS2 action.

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Group C at ESL Pro League Season 20 starts with a clash between Astralis and Fnatic, who have yet to face off this season. But even with no head-to-head fixtures, it is easy to see why Astralis are expected to win.

Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz and co. have not won a tournament this year and didn’t make it very far at Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2024 in August. However, Astralis have posted promising performances against the world’s elite teams over the last month, which gives hope they are slowly finding momentum.

Fnatic are 2-3 from their last five series, with those wins coming against Cloud9 and OG — hardly world-beaters. Nevertheless, they have shown improvement, and with the talent on this roster, they should be able to make some noise in Malta.

At $1.65 to take a map off Astralis, Fnatic are an obvious choice.

Imperial Esports are priced as slight favourites to defeat BIG, who have failed to find much success at the top level this year. On the other side, Imperial have not won any significant titles either, so it is not like the teams’ accomplishments are the main differentiating factor.

The Brazilians are in a much better spot in terms of map pools, with a better win rate on all maps except for Ancient, which is BIG’s second-best map, but it will likely get banned. Imperial also come out ahead on individual form, with all five players averaging a 1.04 performance rating or higher.

Despite all that, we have to consider that Imperial have been playing weaker opponents than BIG of late. Expect a close affair.

Team Liquid had an explosive start to IEM Cologne 2024 at the beginning of August but failed to make it past FaZe Clan (twice) and crashed out of the tournament in seventh-eighth place. Prior to that, Liquid won BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2024, and they did well at IEM Dallas 2024, so something is working for this lineup.

Since their former lineup fell apart, ENCE have not come close to winning a single big event. They’ve been particularly disappointing over the last month, with early exits from IEM Rio 2024, Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024, and ThunderPick World Championship 2024 qualifiers.

As the latest Counter-Strike esports odds suggest, this should be a one-sided affair. Anything less than a 2-0 sweep would be a major disappointment for Team Liquid.

Complexity beat M80 16-14 in the second round of the Esports World Cup 2024 in July, and they are expected to do just as well on Tuesday. This is unsurprising considering Complexity’s solid performances over the next month, which includes competitive games against the world’s elite teams.

M80 have also shown excellent form throughout August, although most of their wins have come from ESL Challenger League Season 48: North America, where Elias “s1n” Stein and co. faced lesser regional opponents.

Complexity are a more proven team at the top level. However, clashes between regional rivals are often closer than expected, which makes M80 a solid pick to take at least one map.

RED Canids are one of the lowest-ranked Counter-Strike teams at ESL Pro League Season 20, and according to the top Counter-Strike betting sites, they are not expected to make it very far. At $4.15, RED Canids are given a 24.1% implied probability of winning, but they face a Virtus.pro outfit that is not in the best shape.

The Russians are 3-7 from their last 10 outings, with those wins coming against Zero Tenacity, BIG, and the struggling Team Falcons. While that run includes clashes with stronger teams than what RED Canids have had to face, it does not change the fact that Virtus.pro have not been playing well.

RED Canids are in stronger form and have a better win rate on six of the seven maps in the rotation. Even though VP are rightly the favourites, the underdogs should be good for one map.

Esports betting tips

Hiro, who previously played for Papara SuperMassive, was brought on as a temporary replacement for Leo “Leo” Jannesson.

Leo had to step down due to health issues before the start of VALORANT Champions Tour EMEA Split 2.

Hiro was scouted independently of Fnatic’s affiliate partnership with Mandatory.

Bringing in Mandatory’s Damien “HyP” Souville would have meant removing the team’s in-game leader while they were competing for an Ascension slot, so FNATIC opted for Hiro, whose team faced a much tougher path to the promotional tournament.

Hiro played throughout Stage 2 and VALORANT Champions 2024 in Leo’s place, quickly becoming a key player in Fnatic’s success.

His performance contributed to Fnatic’s VCT EMEA title victory and their journey through VALORANT Champions.

Despite Hiro’s strong individual performance, Fnatic struggled in the world championship, ultimately finishing in the top six after being eliminated by G2 Esports.

With the season ending, Hiro’s time with Fnatic has come to a close, and he is now a free agent.

This departure leaves Fnatic with only three active players: Jake “Boaster” Howlett, Emir “Alfajer” Beder, and Timofey “Chronicle” Khromov.

Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev is currently a restricted free agent, and Leo’s return for the 2025 season remains uncertain, dependent on his health.

Fnatic’s official announcement on X included a heartfelt compilation of Hiro’s best moments with the team, capturing the sentiment of the organisation and its fans.

Hiro also expressed his gratitude towards Fnatic in a post.

Thanks to @FNATIC for everything, i will always apreciate the whole experience and the opportunity that was given to me. I'm proud to have been able to lift a trophy with this team and i really enjoyed my time with FNATIC https://t.co/CAEgRerLsx

— FNATIC hiro (@hiroaims) September 3, 2024

With Hiro’s departure, it is clear that Fnatic is preparing for a significant roster overhaul.

With the recent announcement of Liquid’s trio—Elias “Jamppi” Olkkonen, James “Mistic” Orfila, and Enzo “Enzo” Mestari—also entering free agency, Fnatic has several options to consider as they rebuild their roster.

As the 2024 VALORANT offseason begins, more changes are expected, which could potentially reshape the competitive landscape.

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This unprecedented achievement saw them win the Winter, Spring, Summer Splits, and the Season Finals in a single year, a feat never before accomplished in the region.

G2’s latest victory came in the LEC Season Finals, where they defeated their historic rivals, Fnatic, 3-1 in the grand final held at Munich’s Olympic Hall.

@G2LEAGUE ARE THE 2024 #LEC SEASON CHAMPIONS! pic.twitter.com/E1l0NpqHoF

— LEC (@LEC) September 1, 2024

The road to the grand final wasn’t smooth for G2, as they were sent to the lower bracket after a surprising loss to MAD Lions KOI in the first round of playoffs.

However, G2 showcased their resilience, battling their way back by defeating GiantX, narrowly avoiding elimination against Team BDS, and avenging their earlier defeat by beating MAD KOI to secure a spot in the final.

In the grand final, Fnatic, the winners of the upper bracket, put up a strong fight.

The first game of the series was the longest match of the split and the longest ever between the two rivals, with G2 narrowly securing the win.

Although Fnatic bounced back in game two with a convincing victory, G2 quickly dashed any hopes of a five-game series by winning the next two games, sealing the series and their 17th regional title.

This victory marks G2’s fourth European League of Legends trophy of 2024, and the rivalry between G2 and Fnatic, nearly a decade old, once again delivered an intense and entertaining series for fans.

However, Fnatic, once the dominant force in the European League, remains far from reclaiming its former glory, with their last title dating back to 2018 before the LEC rebranding.

G2’s dominance this year also serves as a preview of what they might bring to the 2024 World Championship, set to begin in less than a month in Berlin.

Both G2 and Fnatic have qualified for the World Championship, with MAD Lions KOI also progressing to the play-ins.

Worlds will take place across Europe, with the grand final set for the O2 Arena in London.

G2’s players and staff expressed their pride and relief after the win.

Your #LEC Grand Finals MVP: @Hanssama! pic.twitter.com/z9AVszQc8Y

— LEC (@LEC) September 1, 2024

Rasmus “Caps” Borregaard Winther, G2’s mid-laner, thanked the fans for their support, while Steve “Hans Sama” Liv, who earned the finals MVP, expressed his determination to continue improving.

Mihael “Mikyx” Mehle, G2’s support, acknowledged the pressure but emphasised the team’s confidence going into the international stage.

Assistant coach Christopher “Duffman” Duff highlighted the team’s focus on raising their floor rather than reaching a ceiling, a strategy that paid off throughout the year.

Fnatic, on the other hand, continues to grapple with their shortcomings.

Fnatic founder and CEO Sam Mathews acknowledged the disappointment of finishing second to G2 once again but emphasised the importance of preparing for Worlds.

The grand final between G2 and Fnatic was a riveting back-and-forth series, with the first game lasting 51 minutes and 20 seconds, setting a record for the longest game of the year in the LEC.

With the conclusion of the LEC Season Finals, the 2024 LEC season comes to an end, and all eyes now turn to Berlin as the world’s best teams prepare for the biggest event of the year—Worlds 2024.

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This was the fourth international meeting between the two teams, with Sentinels leading the head-to-head record heading into the second round lower bracket clash.

The elimination match was played across Sunset, Bind, and Lotus.

Sentinels chose Sunset, Fnatic picked Bind, and Lotus served as the decider.

The opening map, Sunset, saw Fnatic take a commanding 8-4 lead at halftime, thanks to solid team play and superior post-plant setups.

However, Sentinels’ IGL, Mohamed “johnqt” Amine Ouarid, made pivotal mid-game adjustments, enabling a strong comeback.

They edged out Fnatic 13-11 on the back of johnqt’s standout performance, where he led the server with 23 kills.

Fnatic responded on Bind, their map pick, dominating their attack half to secure a 13-9 victory.

Their execution on the B site in Round 20 was particularly impressive, leaving Sentinels’ economy in shambles for the remainder of the map.

The decider on Lotus was a more one-sided affair, with Sentinels controlling both halves.

Their clean attack led to an 8-4 halftime lead, and they swiftly closed out the map 13-6.

Despite Fnatic’s attempts to mount a comeback, they couldn’t overcome Sentinels’ economic and strategic advantage.

Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev finished with the most kills in the series at 61, but it wasn’t enough to keep Fnatic’s Champions campaign alive.

Sentinels now advance to the lower bracket semifinals at INSPIRE Arena, where they will face Team Heretics, who stunned DRX in another intense elimination series.

THE LOWER BRACKET RUN IS ON FOR SEN CITY!

SENTINELS LOCK IN TOP 4 AT #VALORANTChampions SEOUL! pic.twitter.com/3QCr8mr0yF

— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) August 18, 2024

Team Heretics vs. DRX was a clash of two teams undergoing roster turmoil throughout 2024.

Heretics entered Champions with momentum, despite their challenges, while DRX, on home soil, sought redemption.

The map veto slightly favoured Heretics, and the series began on Abyss, where DRX looked strong, winning 13-5 after a dominant defensive showing.

Heretics bounced back on Sunset, tying the series 1-1 with a commanding 13-5 victory of their own.

Their ability to suffocate DRX’s offence, combined with well-executed defensive strategies, set the stage for a thrilling decider on Icebox.

Icebox was a back-and-forth affair, but Heretics ultimately prevailed 13-10.

They capitalized on DRX’s weakened economy and used their ultimates effectively to secure the final rounds.

Heretics’ standout player, Dominykas “MiniBoo” Luka?evi?ius, topped the server in rating (1.30), kills (59), average combat score (260), and ADR (165), helping his team achieve a 2-1 victory and a top-four finish at their first Champions appearance.

TEAM HERETICS SURVIVES!

THEY ARE GOING TO THE INSPIRE AT #VALORANTChampions SEOUL! pic.twitter.com/HHy6nRYz41

— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) August 18, 2024

Now, Heretics and Sentinels will face off in the lower semifinal.

Both teams have been Masters finalists this year, but only Sentinels have claimed an international title.

This rematch of their earlier clash at Masters sets the stage for a high-stakes showdown, with a spot in the lower bracket final on the line.

Meanwhile, DRX’s home tournament ended in disappointment, as they were eliminated in the top six, mirroring their previous Champions performance.

VALORANT Champions will continue on Friday, August 23, with EDward Gaming and Leviatan kicking off the day in the upper bracket final before Sentinels and Team Heretics play off for the right to take on the loser in the lower bracket final.

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The series, played on Icebox and Abyss, showcased Leviátan’s dominance.

LEVIATáN WINS THE AMERICAS REGIONAL BATTLE TO KICK OFF THEIR PLAYOFF RUN! #VALORANTChampions pic.twitter.com/zTizXvrVEx

— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) August 15, 2024

Icebox, Leviátan’s pick and one of their strongest maps this year, saw them clinch a nail-biting 16-14 win.

Entering the match with a 12-3 record on Icebox, Leviátán faced a challenge from G2, who had previously handed them two of those losses.

G2 started strong on Icebox with a zero-duelist composition, putting Jacob “icy” Lange on Gekko and Nathan “leaf” Orf on Killjoy.

Their in-game leader, Jacob “valyn” Batio, orchestrated an early 5-1 lead.

However, Leviátan’s IGL, Francisco “kiNgg” Alberto Aravena, brought his team back into the game despite being detained by icy’s Gekko Thrash.

G2 managed to avoid the gun of Leviátán’s star player, Erick “aspas” Santos, who ended the map with just one Operator kill.

In a tense finish, Leviátán clinched the map 16-14.

On Abyss, G2’s map pick, Leviátan took control from the start.

Their defence, led by Corbin “C0M” Daniel Lee and kiNgg, dominated, ending the half 8-4 in their favour.

Leviátan won the pistol round on attack, and G2’s puzzling decision to abandon the map didn’t pay off, allowing Leviátan to secure an 11-4 lead.

From there, they cruised to a 13-5 victory, sweeping the series 2-0.

Despite aspas having a quiet series, his teammates shone, guiding Leviátán to victory.

G2’s head coach, Josh “JoshRT” Lee, attributed their performance on Abyss to the close loss on Icebox, stating, “We lost a close one. I could tell the nerves were a little high.”

No G2 player finished with a positive K/D on Abyss.

Ian “tex” Botsch, a former teammate of many G2 players, expressed satisfaction with the win, noting the friendly rivalry with his old team.

C0M led the server with 42 kills and a massive 1.42 rating across the series.

G2’s leaf followed with 38 kills, but it wasn’t enough to stop Leviátan.

TEAM HERETICS COME OUT ON TOP IN THE EMEA REGIONAL SHOWDOWN! #VALORANTChampions #VamosHeretics pic.twitter.com/MILuGmnBBL

— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) August 15, 2024

Team Heretics, in a surprising result, defeated FNATIC 2-0 in the VALORANT Champions 2024 playoffs, setting up a clash with Leviátan in the next round.

Heretics and FNATIC had faced each other four times in 2024 before this Champions clash, with Heretics winning twice.

Fnatic picked Lotus for the first map of the series; however, it backfired in the worst way possible.

Mert “WoOt” Alkan dominated for the Heretics, recording a massive rating of 1.80, 280 average combat score (ACS), and 188 ADR in their 13-3 demolition.

Heretics continued their dominance on Abyss, defeating FNATIC 14-12 in overtime.

Although Heretics won the second map in overtime, only Enes “RieNs” Ecirli finished with a positive kill/death difference (+9) and rating over 1.0 (1.36), with Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev topping the server with a 1.38 rating and 28 kills.

RieNs and Benjy “benjyfishy” David Fish were instrumental in Heretics’ win, which marked their third victory at Champions 2024.

With this win, Team Heretics advanced to play Leviátan, while FNATIC dropped to the lower bracket to face G2 in an elimination match.

The winner of Leviátan vs. Team Heretics will secure a top-three finish at VALORANT Champions 2024.

Friday’s VALORANT Champions fixtures

• DRX ($1.33) vs Trace Esports ($3.25) @ 5pm KST
• G2 Esports ($1.72) vs Fnatic ($2.00) @ 8pm KST

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