What a wild ride it’s been in today’s VALORANT Champions knockout stage showdowns. The Chinese teams have genuinely shown their mettle and earned their spot on the Los Angeles stage alongside the cream of the crop.

Check out the full VALORANT Champions schedule!

In the EDward Gaming (EDG) vs. Giants match, most folks probably had their money on EDG, but guess what? The story took an unexpected turn as the international LAN rookies, Bilibili Gaming (BLG), strutted into the scene for a rematch against NRG. Talk about underdogs, right?

Sure, BLG had taken the W in their first face-off with NRG during the Champions group stage, but let’s be honest, NRG has a reputation for not dropping rematches. I mean, seriously, only a handful of teams have pulled off beating them back-to-back lately. Think LOUD in the LOCK//IN tournament in São Paulo and the Americas League earlier this year. So, with that history in mind, you can imagine how confident the NRG crew was marching into their do-or-die match against BLG.

Ardis “ardiis” Svarenieks, the duelist from NRG, didn’t hold back in a post-match chat after knocking out ZETA DIVISION. He straight up declared, “You guys are going home. 100 per cent.” Sounds bold, right?

.@ardiis has a message for @BilibiliGaming ?#VALORANTChampions pic.twitter.com/HXr8Chg1rg

— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) August 12, 2023

But, you know what they say about twists in the plot – things didn’t quite pan out as NRG had hoped. The BLG squad pulled off another clean sweep, 2-0. ardiis, bless his heart, didn’t manage to deliver on his promise this time. And it was a showdown between him and BLG’s duelist, Wang “whzy” Haozhe, who brought his A-game, racking up a 313 ACS with a whopping 45 kills across the maps, while Ardiis trailed with 176 ACS and 24 kills.

But hold on, the spotlight wasn’t all on whzy. BLG’s Viper ace, Lei “yosemite” Wang, took the limelight, notching up 41 kills and making game-changing moves to keep BLG ahead.

And i took it personal. https://t.co/Xe52VXDyz0

— BLG yosemite (@yosemiteOvO) August 13, 2023

So, there you have it. NRG’s run in the 2023 VCT season is officially a wrap, but don’t think they’re retiring their jerseys just yet. They’ll likely jump into the action of Riot’s over 40 upcoming VALORANT tournaments in the OFF//SEASON.

Meanwhile, keep your eyes on the prize because BLG isn’t slowing down. They’re set to collide with South Korean powerhouse DRX in the playoffs alongside their fellow Chinese contenders, EDG. The stakes are high, and the game is far from over.