- TL beat EDG 2-0 in an elimination match
- TL’s players praised EDG’s novice roster for their performance
- The team’s next match will be against Paper Rex
VCT Champions is in full swing, but EDward Gaming can no longer participate because they were knocked out of the competition by Team Liquid during an elimination match.
Team Liquid Eliminates EDward Gaming
EDward Gaming becomes the second team to be knocked out of the biggest VALORANT tournament of the year. The debuting team, which has never played at a Masters or Champions event before Istanbul, got eliminated by the much more experienced Team Liquid.
Despite the loss, EDG player Yongkang “ZmjjKK” Zheng was in good spirits and joked about the match. “If anybody wants to flame someone from our team, please just flame me instead of my teammates,” he said. “Thanks for all your support. We will come back stronger next time.”
How Was the Match?
Team Liquid had been put on the ropes early on in the VCT Champions because they lost their first match of the event against Leviatán. Despite the defeat, TL did not lose hope of going up against EDG. The team played with confidence taking Bind convincingly. Breeze was closer, but Liquid secured it in overtime.
Liquid’s coach Emil “eMIL” Sandgren explained that the difference between this game and the match against Leviatán was in the energy. “This game we really came in with 110 percent of maximum shouting, giving it our all,” he said.
Adil “ScreaM” Benrlitom from TL had another fantastic series. He even brought out a Phoenix pick on Breeze. According to the player, the recent buffs the agent received have made him viable in professional play.
The 28-year-old player, who recently gave his opinion on different regions’ teams’ chances for the VCT Champions, praised EDG for the skills shown. “I believe they’re a really good team,” ScreaM said. “They’re very young though, and they still have to learn a lot … We didn’t underestimate them. We take them very seriously.”
What’s Next For TL?
Now that Team Liquid avoided elimination by kicking EDG off Champions. The team now has to prepare for its next challenge against Paper Rex. The team was a grand finalist from Masters Copenhagen, so many will see Paper Rex as favorites to advance to the playoffs.
Elias “Jamppi” Olkkonen said he expects it to be an exciting match. “They have a really fun play style. You know how to counter their aggression; I just stay in one corner with the AWP— with Operator” Jamppi explained. “Excuse me, guys. Just kill one and TP back … I hope they play Yoru, my idol. It’s a very nice agent and I have huge respect for them for playing it. I wish I became a Yoru main at one point.”
The two teams will go head-to-head on Wednesday, September 7.
