Dragon Ranger Gaming have returned to
VCT China for the 2027 season as a Guest Team after winning VCT Threshold China 2026. The organization defeated
Nova Esports 3-0 in the Week 1 Grand Final of the LAN event, which gives them another opportunity to compete in the VCT circuit
after being left out of the partnered team selection.
This will be DRG’s fourth consecutive appearance in VCT despite being a non-partnered team, making them one of the most successful Tier 2 organizations in the region. With that, one final slot is up for grabs that the rest of VCT Threshold China teams will fight for during Week 2 of the tournament. The Threshold and these two additional slots in VCT are specific to VCT China.
DRG take down former VCT partner teams
Dragon Ranger Gaming began their campaign with a clean 2-0 win against Rare Atom to set up a clash with FunPlus Phoenix. After a nail-biting first map that ended in DRG’s favor with an 18-16 scoreline, FPX forced a decider but failed to convert it into a victory, as DRG closed out the series 2-1 to advance to the semifinals.
Titan Esports Club was Dragon Ranger Gaming’s next challenge; however, the match ended up being a one-sided affair, with DRG securing a 2-0 victory. The Grand Final featured a best-of-five series between Nova Esports and Dragon Ranger Gaming, which was another clean sweep for the latter, as they booked their place in VCT China 2027.
All the opponents DRG faced during their VCT China Threshold run, except Rare Atom, were former partner teams that failed to renew their partnerships for the 2027-28 cycle. First
reported by Sheep Esports, all three teams, along with Wolves Esports, didn’t make the cut after Riot Games announced
changes to the VCT format that reduced the number of partnered organizations from ten to eight.
The road ahead
As a Guest Team, Dragon Ranger Gaming will receive direct invitations to participate in China Kickoff, Cup 1, and Cup 2. DRG already have plenty of experience competing at the Tier 1 level, with two Masters appearances and a
Champions qualification to their name during their time in the VCT circuit
The organization will begin their 2027 VCT campaign at
Kickoff Hangzhou to be held in January and will offer three slots at Masters Seoul. Along with the two Guest Teams, the Kickoff tournament will also feature two organizations coming from Open Qualifiers scheduled to take place in November.
