In a climactic end to the 2024 VALORANT Champions Tour season, EDward Gaming emerged victorious after a nail-biting 3-2 win against Team Heretics. The Chinese champions of VCT China 2024, who only lost once in South Korea, overcame formidable opponents to claim the coveted title.

The Journey to Victory

EDward Gaming’s path to the grand final was nothing short of spectacular. Despite an initial setback against G2 Esports in the Group D Winners Match, they bounced back, defeating top teams like Paper Rex, Trace Esports, Sentinels, and Leviatán.

Team Heretics, on the other hand, had an equally impressive run. After securing the top seed in Group B with victories over FunPlus Phoenix and Gen.G Esports, they faced a tough defeat against Leviatán, sending them to the Lower Bracket. However, they clawed their way back with wins over DRX and Sentinels, culminating in a 3-1 triumph against their final opponents.

The Grand Final

The final series began with EDward Gaming leveraging their two-ban advantage to remove Icebox and Ascent from the map pool. Team Heretics struck first with a commanding 13-6 victory on Haven, dominating nine of the first twelve rounds. However, EDward Gaming swiftly retaliated with a crushing 13-4 win on Sunset, followed by a 13-9 victory on Lotus.

As the series heated up, Team Heretics forced a decisive fifth map after a tense finish on Bind. In a dramatic final round, Brimstone’s fire prevented EDward Gaming from defusing the Spike, ensuring a 13-11 victory for Team Heretics and setting the stage for a thrilling conclusion.

The final map, Abyss, saw EDward Gaming reclaim their dominance with a 13-9 victory. Despite Team Heretics’ valiant efforts to stage a comeback, EDward Gaming held firm, securing their place in VALORANT history.

Zheng “ZmjjKK” Yongkang was the undisputed star of the grand final, becoming the first player in VALORANT’s competitive history to record 111 kills in a best-of-five series. His performance was instrumental in EDward Gaming’s success.

Looking Ahead

With EDward Gaming’s victory, China now joins the elite group of regions that have claimed a VALORANT Champions title. The spotlight now shifts to the Pacific region, the only one yet to secure the crown, leaving everyone wondering if they will finally rise to the challenge next year.

Looking ahead, the esports world is bracing for what is known as ‘Rostermania,’ where teams across the globe will be shaking up their rosters in preparation for the 2025 season. With the new format already announced, Global Esports of the Pacific League has taken a bold step by benching their entire roster to strategize for the upcoming year. Similarly, Bleed Esports has made waves by announcing that most of their roster—Derrick “Deryeon” Yee, Jorell “Retla” Teo, Kim “Zest” Gi-seok, and Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker—are now restricted free agents, meaning they can explore new opportunities but will require a buyout to leave their current contracts.

One player who could make a significant impact next year is Moses “Splash” Christophe from the Malaysian team NEXGA. Having dominated the Competitive Leaderboard over the past year, he could be the next breakout star, much like Kim “Karon” Won-tae from Gen.G or Papaphat “Primmie” Sriprapha of Talon Esports—rookies who were picked straight from the leaderboard with little experience at the highest level. Splash’s potential to shine on the big stage makes him a promising talent to watch.