Chao Hui EDG are out of the running at the VCT Game Changers Championship after losing 0-2 series against both Shopify Rebellion and KRÜ BLAZE, ending in 7-8th place.
BRAZIL – Chao Hui EDG (Super Empowerment EDward Gaming) have been eliminated in last place of the VCT Game Changers Championship after clear defeats to Shopify Rebellion and KRÜ BLAZE.
In their inaugural international appearance, the Chinese team departed without securing a single map victory, a difficult but anticipated outcome as they entered the São Paulo event as the lowest-ranked team and had the additional hurdle of competing without their star player, “Lizhi”.
“We’re so happy that we were able to show a better performance on stage, and I’d like to give credit to everyone here,” Huang “XiMiLu” Hsi-chen said of EDGS’ run at the tournament following the defeat. “This was definitely a very exciting experience where we could feel the passion [of everyone]. I must say that perhaps this tournament experience is the memory I won’t forget for my entire life.”
Among the other teams that confronted elimination on day three of the championship is North America’s top seed, Evil Geniuses GC, who fell at the hands of Team Liquid Brazil. Meanwhile, KRÜ BLAZE will carry on their battle for tournament survival into Saturday when they face the top-seeded APAC team, Team SMG, at 1 AM SGT (UTC+8).
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The team led by Wang “Clem” Ke-ching has been on an upward trajectory in recent months, following their second-place finish in the VCT Game Changers China competition, which they followed up with an impressive 4-0 run through the East Asian Qualifier against the likes of ZETA DIVISION, Nuclear GC, and Chosen Clique Gaming.
Their journey began in São Paulo with a match against the heavily favored Shopify Rebellion, where they faced the most one-sided series of the tournament so far, suffering defeats on Haven (1-13) and Sunset (2-13). There’s no shame in this result, as Shopify Rebellion demonstrated today that they are also operating on a different level than BBL Queens, the EMEA’s top seed, who managed to secure only seven rounds combined in the two maps they played.
Moving into their first lower-bracket matchup against LATAM-based KRÜ BLAZE, EDGS appeared to be a different team compared to their performance against SR on the tournament’s first day. Although they lost their map pick of Split with a scoreline of 13-7, EDGS came close to leveling the playing field on Ascent but ultimately let their comeback attempt slip away in overtime, 12-14.
The elimination leaves EDGS with no events on their calendar at the time being, and they will be awaiting the kickoff of the new season of VCT Game Changers China next year.
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Cover photo courtesy of Adela Sznajder/Riot Games
