The 2024 VCT Ascension event for China kicks off on September 11 in Shanghai. Here’s all you need to know about the tournament, where teams will battle it out for a coveted temporary spot in the tier-one VCT CN League!
CHINA – VCT Ascension CN 2024 kicks off on September 11, featuring eight teams fighting for a coveted spot in next year’s CN League and looking to follow in the footsteps of 2023 Ascension CN winners Dragon Ranger Gaming. The tournament begins with five days of group stages, followed by the playoffs from September 18-21, all held at the VCT CN Arena in Shanghai, China.
The eight teams secured their spots in VCT Ascension CN through the National Competition circuit, a series of tournaments held from the start of the year to July. Only teams that passed background checks and met legal requirements were able to move forward to this stage of competition.
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The eight teams have been distributed into two groups of four, which look as follows:
- Group A: XLG, ZYG, RA, XG
- Group B: KBG, CCG, ALG, Q9
These will be played in a best-of-three GSL format during the first five days of competition, from September 11-15. The top two teams from each group will advance to the double-elimination playoffs, which will take place from September 18-21. In the playoffs, the lower bracket final and grand final will be best-of-five series.
(Photo courtesy of VALORANT CN)
XLG Esports come into the tournament as the heavy favorite, fresh off their victory over KeepBest Gaming in the Season Finale in Hangzhou. Their roster includes Savva “Kr1stal” Fedorov, who will be competing in his third Ascension event after stints with SCARZ and Night Wings Gaming last year. Joining him is former Rare Atom player Zhuo “MarT1n” Zhengjie, with ex-Reckoning Esports player Aleksandr “hvoya” Eremin and ex-Team Secret’s Chong “Fayde” Hoc Wah supporting the team as part of the coaching staff.
KeepBest Gaming, despite their loss in the Season Finale, KBG have strengthened their lineup with new reinforcements including former KOI player Berkant “Wolfen” Joshkun, who competed at VCT LOCK//IN last year. They’ve also added two Korean coaches, Woo “m4hogany” Sang-hoo and Kim “Jfeel” Jeong-min, to support ex-FUT Iván “Inthra” Argüello in the coaching booth
(Photo courtesy of (Photo by Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games)
Rare Atom, former Global Esports coach Hong “Eraser” Chang-pyo is spearheading their efforts to rejoin the tier-one scene. He’s teamed up with ex-Shadow Corporation player Go “UdoTan” Kyung-won and former Oblivion Force player James “NoMan” Man, who spent the past two seasons in tier-two EMEA. The key to their success could be No “Freeing” Ha-jun, who was with Dplus KIA during the 2024 Challengers Korea season and was the second-highest-rated player in the entire event.
ZY Gaming feature players with tier-one experience who weren’t regular starters. This includes Geng “Babyblue” Haoran and Leong “FFs” Nam from Wolves Esports, as well as Shen “Maizi” Xiangpeng and Sun “SLOWLY” Kelun, who had brief appearances with TYLOO.
Vitaliy “B1SK” Emelyanov has been listed as part of ZY Gaming’s roster after competing with KPI Gaming in Challengers Spain since 2022 and recently participating in the Ascension EMEA Play-In stage last July. This will be his second Ascension event in just two months. Another import listed is Hoàng “f1cio” Ngọc Sơn, formerly with Fancy United, who brings experience from Ascension Pacific and AfreecaTV VALORANT League last year.
(Photo courtesy of VALORANT Esports CN)
He “WudiYuChEn” Cai is set to defend his Ascension title this year, now with Qing Jiu Club. The 26-year-old originally competed as a player for Dragon Ranger Gaming during their Ascension-winning run but transitioned to a coaching role for the 2024 VCT CN season, leading the team to a VALORANT Masters Shanghai appearance. Now, he’s returning to the playing field to seek back-to-back victories.
Chosen Clique Gaming feature Elvin “Maple” Sun from the Land Down Under and Portuguese player Martim “KaweNtw” Ferreira as their two imports. Rounding out the competing lineup are ALG and Xtreme Gaming, who are aiming to make a name for themselves as rising teams despite being relatively unknown.
You can see the opening matchups and full schedule for VCT Ascension CN 2024 below:
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Cover photo courtesy of VALORANT Esports CN
