Team Liquid made history again and got back into the game with hopes of VCT 2025 Champtionship title. They beat the defending world champions EDward Gaming 2-1 and sent them home first from VALORANT Champions Paris 2025.
Coaches Ready for Last Chance
Team Liquid coaches LohaN and yaotziN knew their team was in trouble. After losing badly to DRX 2-0 in their first match, they had to beat EDG or go home.”We’re excited,” said LohaN before the match. “The last game didn’t go as we expected. We lacked energy and were struggling. This week we took a different approach.”The coaches said their team looked “dead” against DRX. Players weren’t hyped up. They seemed tired and not ready to fight for the championship.”We just came from winning Split 2 and we were maybe too comfortable,” LohaN explained. “We didn’t have the energy or willingness to be champions.”
DRX Caught Them Off Guard
Team Liquid had never seen the weird team setups that DRX used. They usually adapt quickly to new strategies, but this time was different.
“We never faced these compositions on Abyss and Bind,” said LohaN. “Usually we can adapt to any composition and find solutions, but we didn’t have the correct mindset.”
The coaches spent the whole week fixing their approach. They worked on being more brave and aggressive instead of playing scared.
The Big Match Against EDG
Map 1 – Sunset (3-13): EDward Gaming came out strong and crushed Team Liquid on their own map pick. EDG looked confident and seemed ready to win the series quickly.
Map 2 – Abyss (13-6): Team Liquid fought back hard on the second map. They won convincingly to tie the series 1-1 and force a third map.
Map 3 – Bind (15-13): The final map went to overtime. Both teams were desperate to stay alive in the tournament. Team Liquid won the closest rounds to complete their comeback.
nAts Saves the Day
Ayaz “nAts” Akhmetshin played amazing when his team needed him most. After struggling on the first map, he topped the scoreboard on maps 2 and 3. He finished with 60 kills and only 37 deaths. Even EDG’s coach said nAts was their biggest problem: “nAts really popped off today. He always gave us a lot of pressure during the game.” His teammate Kamil “kamo” Frąckowiak praised nAts: “With nAts on the team, I don’t have to worry about the emotional side. He helps everyone and he frags out too.”
ZmjjKK’s Disappointment
Zheng “ZmjjKK” Yongkang was Champions MVP last year when EDG won the title. This year, he couldn’t perform at the same level. “To get a champions trophy, you need the right time and right plays with the right people,” ZmjjKK said after the loss. “This year, I didn’t perform as good as last year. I need to work on my form.” He tried to learn new agents like Yoru but couldn’t adapt fast enough. “I couldn’t adapt to the pace of Yoru. I can’t play as comfortably as traditional Duelist agents.”
EDG’s Early Elimination
EDward Gaming became the first team eliminated from Champions 2025. One year ago, they stood on stage in Seoul as world champions. Now they’re going home early from Paris.
This is shocking because defending champions usually perform well. EDG dominated China all year and looked strong coming into the tournament.
What’s Next for Team Liquid
Team Liquid now faces DRX again for a playoff spot. Last time, DRX beat them easily 2-0. But the coaches feel confident about the rematch. “If we get there, I’m 100% sure we’re going to beat them,” said LohaN. “We have tons of ideas to beat their playstyle. NRG also beat them, so they’re not unbeatable.”
The team spent a week healing and talking about their problems. They know tomorrow could be their last game together, so they must give everything.”Tomorrow could be our last game as a team,” LohaN said. “We need to come together right now. There’s no other time.”
Team Liquid proved they could bounce back from disaster. Now they need to do it one more time to reach the Champions playoffs.
Andrew "SuZki" Scola is a dedicated Valorant player who has been in the game since the Valorant beta release, achieving a peak rank of Immortal 3. With over six years of experience writing gaming content, he brings deep game knowledge and strategic insight to every article. Based in Los Angeles, California, Andrew is an active member of the SoCal Valorant community and has competed at the semi-pro level in Valorant esports. As a proud Killjoy and Raze main, he’s known for his sharp utility usage and high-impact plays—especially on his favorite maps: Haven, Breeze, and Lotus.