VALORANT — VCT Stage 2: EDG are stunned by DRG, the Pacific playoff bracket is finalised, the Americas race goes to the final week

A new week of VALORANT VCT Stage 2 competition across the Pacific, Chinese and American leagues came to a close on Sunday, 10 August, with plenty of surprises along the way. In VCT China, the defending world champions, Edward Gaming, suffered a shock upset in their opening playoff match and were knocked down to the lower bracket.

In VCT Pacific, the group stage concluded, finalizing the playoff bracket and eliminating a notable former contender. Meanwhile, the VCT Americas playoff picture is coming into focus, with several teams securing postseason berths with just one week of group play remaining and others on the brink of elimination.

In the Chinese league, Edward Gaming the 2024 Champions fell flat in the playoff quarterfinals. They were swept 0–2 by underdogs Dragon Ranger Gaming (DRG) at the start of the playoffs, a stunning result that sent the tournament favorites down to the lower bracket. In the other upper quarter-final, TYLOO dominated All Gamers, winning 2–0. This means that group winners Bilibili Gaming (BLG) and Xi Lai Gaming (XLG) will face DRG and TYLOO respectively in the semi-finals next week.

Despite their early setback, EDG managed to stay in the competition the following day. The world champions bounced back with a 2–1 win over Trace Esports in the lower bracket, eliminating them from the playoffs. All Gamers also survived by edging out FunPlus Phoenix (FPX) 2–1. These results mean that Trace and FPX will finish 7th–8th in Stage 2, ending their hopes of becoming Champions. EDG and All Gamers will advance to the next lower-bracket round, where they will attempt to progress further. Notably, Wolves Esports, who were surprisingly eliminated in the group stage last week, remain outside the playoffs but could still qualify for the Champions stage depending on how the remaining contenders place.

In the Americas League, the race for the playoffs is heating up as we enter the final week of group play. In Group Alpha, Sentinels are in a strong position with a perfect 4–0 record, having already secured a playoff berth and a spot in the Champions stage. G2 Esports and Cloud9 are both on 3–1, securing their top-three positions and postseason qualification. At the other end of the table, FURIA remain winless at 0–4 and have been knocked out of playoff contention. The fourth and final playoff spot in Group Alpha is likely to be decided between Evil Geniuses (EG) and 2Game Esports, who are currently tied on 1–3. EG have the advantage going into the final week and can secure the spot with a win over FURIA.

Group Omega is similarly close. 100 Thieves and NRG Esports are in the lead with 3–1, ensuring that both will progress to the playoff stage. The remaining two places are contested by Leviatán and KRÜ Esports (both 2–2), as well as Brazil’s LOUD and MIBR (both 1–3). Leviatán and KRÜ are currently in the lead, but a final week showdown, including LOUD vs. MIBR and head-to-head matchups, even though MIBR's fate is already sealed and they have been eliminated. Former world champions LOUD face elimination, despite their late surge falling short against 100T this week. All eyes are on these crucial Week 5 matches, which will decide the last three playoff spots in the Americas.

In the Pacific league, only two playoff spots remained up for grabs at the start of the week, and these have now been claimed. In Group Alpha, DRX secured first place with a score of 4–1. Meanwhile, Rex Regum Qeon (RRQ), Nongshim RedForce and Gen.G Esports all finished with a score of 3–2, taking the remaining playoff berths. The decisive result came on Sunday, when RRQ defeated Team Secret 2–1 in a do-or-die match, eliminating Team Secret from playoff contention. Fellow underdogs Global Esports were also knocked out after a 0–4 start, sealed by a loss to DRX.

Meanwhile, the playoff picture in Group Omega had already been settled. As expected, the champions of the Masters Toronto tournament, Paper Rex, topped the Omega group with a 4–1 record. Joining them in the next stage are TALON Esports, T1 and DetonatioN FocusMe, who each finished with a record of 3–2. Notably, this marks the first-ever VCT playoff appearance for DetonatioN FocusMe, an organisation that had never previously made it past the group stage. In contrast, Japan’s ZETA DIVISION (2–3) and Indonesia’s BOOM Esports (0–5) missed out on a place in the next stage and will need to regroup for next season. With all eight Pacific postseason teams confirmed, the Stage 2 playoff bracket will kick off on 13 August in Seoul.