EDward Gaming have knocked NAVI out of VCT Masters Tokyo, picking up China’s first win in international Valorant history.
“EDG beating NAVI – I’m sorry, it’s f**ked up – would cause pure chaos,” streamer and content creator Tarik ‘tarik’ Celik said. “I’m down for it. That’s crazy.”
The first upset of VCT Masters Tokyo came courtesy of EDward Gaming, who defeated NAVI 2-0 in Group A’s elimination match. It was a high-octane series and a much tighter affair than the scoreline might suggest, with both maps going to overtime (17-15 on Pearl and 14-12 on Bind).
The significance of the moment can’t be overlooked. After seven consecutive losses at international events, a record that stretched back to Valorant Champions 2022, China finally got its first victory at a major event.
“It means a start, a beginning,” star player Zheng ‘ZmjjKK’ Yongkang, also known as ‘KangKang’, said after the match.
Pure joy! 👏 @EDG_Edward #VALORANTMasters pic.twitter.com/LvclCgfg4o
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) June 13, 2023
The 19-year-old star was the star of the show after putting in a jaw-dropping performance, headlined by 29 Operator frags, ten first kills and two 1v2 clutches. He was so dominant that the official English-language analyst desk couldn’t help but instantly put him in the conversation for the title of best Operator in the world.
“In those two maps, he put together a lifetime’s worth of frags,” Doug ‘EsportsDoug’ Cortez said. Arten ‘Balla’ Esa added: “I’d put him in the top five.”
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The loss means that NAVI are one of the first two teams knocked out of VCT Masters Tokyo, along with China’s Attacking Soul Esports. To make matters worse, as the worst-performing team in the EMEA region, they will have to go through the last-chance qualifier for Valorant Champions in order to secure a spot at the season-ending event.
After taking NAVI’s scalp, EDward Gaming will now switch their focus to Wednesday’s grudge match against T1, with a playoff spot on the line.
“We will take revenge on them,” ‘ZmjjKK’ said. “We will perform ten times better tomorrow and we will definitely take them down.”
China’s international Valorant record:
Valorant Champions 2022:
- EDward Gaming 1-2 Paper Rex
- EDward Gaming 0-2 Team Liquid
VCT LOCK//IN:
- FunPlus Phoenix 1-2 Karmine Corp
- EDward Gaming 1-2 100 Thieves
VCT Masters Tokyo:
- EDward Gaming 1-2 T1
- Attacking Soul Esports 0-2 DRX
- Attacking Soul Esports 1-2 FUT
- EDward Gaming 2-0 NAVI
