Valorant Champions Playoffs Starts With a Bang

The first round of the Playoffs of the Valorant Champions tournament is in the books. The first round brought plenty of excitement, including the tournament’s biggest upset so far.

The losers of the first round are down but not out as they prepare for their lower-bracket matches. With ten matches to determine who will be the 2023 Valorant World Champions, you already know the competition is only going to heat up.

You can catch all of the action live from Los Angeles on YouTube and Twitch.

• When: Friday, August 18th – 3 PM ET
• Odds: Fnatic (-1200) vs. FUT Esports (+600)

Fnatic came into this tournament seemingly as the team of destiny, having had an absolutely dominant year both domestically and internationally. They were both fan and oddsmakers’ favorites to take the whole thing. It came as a total shock to the whole Valorant community when they fell to LOUD in a rather one-sided 2-0.

They will face off against fellow EMEA League members FUT Esports, who put up a comparable performance in their 0-2 loss to Paper Rex. These teams know each other well, making what should be a highly calculated game where each team will look to force mistakes.

How will the tournament favorites react to being a match away from elimination? You won’t want to miss this one.

• When: Friday, August 18th – 6 PM ET
• Odds: Bilibili Gaming (+650) vs. Edward Gaming (-1200)

Bilibili Gaming and Edward Gaming are the only two Chinese teams to make it to the Valorant Champions Playoffs. Unfortunately, after their next match, only one of them will remain in the hunt for the title of World Champion.

Bilibili Gaming had a tough-fought Group Stage that saw them go 2-1, matching them against DRX in the first round of the playoffs. Unfortunately, DRX was on their A-game, taking down Bilibili Gaming 2-0 in two rather competitive games.

Edward Gaming also had a solid Group Stage going 2-1, which matched them against Evil Geniuses in the opening round of the Playoffs.

Though they were able to take the first game in the match, Evil Geniuses responded in a big way taking the last two games in dominant fashion ending both games 13-5.

• When: Saturday, August 19th – 3 PM
• Odds: Paper Rex (-138) vs. LOUD (+105)

This matches two of the biggest fan favorites in the Valorant competitive scene. The Brazilian squad LOUD was already beloved by fans internationally, but their latest win over Fnatic made them even more of a following.

The first game was close, ending 11-13, but the second game saw LOUD turn the lights out, taking the second match and the series 13-6. Paper Rex is one of the fan favorites from the Pacific League, and for a good reason.

This past match saw them 2-0 FUT Esports starting with a close 13-10 game before Paper Rex closed it out in the second 13-4. This will be a highly anticipated match that should deliver fireworks.

• When: Saturday, August 19th – 6 PM ET
• Odds: DRX (+155) vs. Evil Geniuses (-205)

DRX was able to take down Bilibili Gaming 2-0 in the opening round of the Valorant Champions Playoffs.

Both games were rather close, but DRX has shown poise all season long when the pressure is on. They look to down Evil Geniuses, who were able to take down Edward Gaming in a convincing 2-1.

Though they did lose the opening game, the dominance in the following two games has to give the team a ton of confidence going into the next round of matches.