The first round of the VCT China 2025 Stage 2 playoff lower bracket games has concluded, with two teams officially eliminated from the tournament. Both teams that started in the lower bracket fought hard, but lost close series to the teams that arrived from the upper bracket.

All Gamers defeats FPX for the second time in 10 days

Earlier in Stage 2, All Gamers All Gamers China Rank #16 Shr1mp Yang Yong (杨勇) deLb Delbert Tanoto Spitfires Xin Mingyan (辛明阳) HanChe Huang Jingxuan (黄敬轩) K1ra Huang Zhihao (黄志豪) swept FunPlus Phoenix FunPlus Phoenix China Rank #9 BerLIN Zhang Bolin (張柏霖) Autumn Kale Dunne Life Qu Donghao (瞿东豪) AAAAY Zhang Yang (张杨) yosemite Wang Lei (王磊) 2-0 to help get them into the Stage 2 playoffs and keep their Champions hopes alive after failing to get a VCT win in over a year. Now, nine days later, AG had to defeat FPX once again to keep their Champs run alive.

This series started on Sunset, with AG using a double Controller composition to pair with Neon and Deadlock, while FPX opted for a double Duelist alongside Cypher. It was a perfect start for AG on their map pick, as they won pistol and converted the bonus to go up 4-0, highlighted by a clean ace from Spitfires .

Spitfires was the spearhead on Neon, but Life from FPX fought hard to help bring the half back by helping win the next five rounds in a row. Even with that hot start from AG, FPX showed resilience to enter the half tied 6-6.

FPX won the second pistol on Sunset to retake the lead, but after failing to convert the bonus round, AG built momentum and started to win the gun rounds. Shr1mp was leading the charge on the defense side, as AG won five rounds in a row to take a commanding lead that they would convert, ending the map 13-10 and a 1-0 series lead.

While map one was ideal for AG, map two was a reminder of who they were facing. Haven was the map pick from FPX, and both teams ran a mirror composition with Neon, double Controller, and Killjoy. FPX won the pistol round, won the bonus, and built a ton of momentum from clinical post-plants. It took seven attempts for AG to get their first spike defuse win, and even then, FPX just started another round winning streak to end the half up 11-1. It was a playground for Life and Autumn as they both took space and held it near perfectly against AG.

The second half was only a formality, even as AG won the second pistol. FPX helped prevent that bonus round conversion, then won the next to win the map 13-3 and take the series to map three.

After such a one-sided loss, AG needed to keep Icebox within reach at the half, and it was yet another solo Duelist double Controller composition mirror match to decide it all. FPX won the first pistol, but AG were quick to bounce back and get ahead of the post-plant strategies that tangled them up on Haven. The defense from AG looked more sound, as K1ra stepped up on Viper to give AG a nice 8-4 lead at the half.

When AG won the second pistol, it was a dire situation for FPX. The team tried to build momentum after preventing a bonus round win, but it was for naught as AG got two rounds soon after and won the final map 13-6, securing the 2-1 series win and remaining in the competition.

Even with that tough map two, AG pulled through thanks to Shr1mp, who led his team to get another big win over FPX. In this series, he ended it with a 1.24 match rating, 49 kills, +14, and only died 35 times in three grueling maps.

With this win, AG will face the losing team from the Bilibili Gaming versus TYLOO game in the lower bracket. As for FPX, this ends their VCT 2025 year, as this confirms that they cannot qualify for Champions via points or Stage 2.

EDward Gaming bounces back against Trace Esports

This series was the first of many final changes for EDward Gaming EDward Gaming China Rank #2 ZmjjKK Zheng Yongkang (郑永康) nobody Wang Senxu (王森旭) CHICHOO Wan Shunzhi (万顺治) Smoggy Zhang Zhao (张钊) Jieni7 Zhang Juntai (张君泰) , now with their backs up against the wall to try and at least make it back to Champions after winning it all in 2024. As for Trace Esports Trace Esports China Rank #5 LuoK1ng Zhang Zhanpeng (张展鹏) Kai Lu Zhinan (卢智楠) MarT1n Zhuo Zhengjie (卓政杰) FengF Song Xuefeng (宋学锋) Biank Zhong Jianfei (钟剑飞) , after showing promise internationally, their only positives so far in 2025 were their group stages in both Stage 1 and Stage 2, but playoffs are a whole different beast now in VCT China.

Starting on Lotus, EDG stuck to their guns and ran the double Duelist with nobody on Yoru, while Trace ran double Controller. EDG won the first pistol, needing to start strong on the attack side with their composition. They hit a roadblock after failing to convert the bonus, as Trace built a 5-3 lead after some convincing round wins. However, EDG were able to regain some form as they won the final four rounds of the first half and ended up 7-5. Not the best half for their composition, but a lead nonetheless.

Trace started the second half by winning the pistol, converting the bonus, and staying perfect to win every round on their attack half to end the map 13-7. Both MarT1n and Biank stepped up on the attack side, while EDG struggled the same way they did against Dragon Ranger Gaming Dragon Ranger Gaming China Rank #3 Flex1n Lo Rui (罗瑞) vo0kashu Ilya Ushakov Akeman Zhang Haoran (张浩然) Nicc Shao Yi-qun (邵逸群) SpiritZ1 Lin Dingyu (林定宇) .

Sunset had to be the start of the comeback for EDG, and they started strong with their solo Neon double Initiator composition, winning pistol and converting the bonus round. Once again, the determination from Trace showed by erasing an early deficit and taking a lead of their own, but they were able to hold that lead to 7-5 at the half. However, Trace was running a double Sentinel composition with Deadlock and Cypher, meaning their attack half would likely be more of a challenge.

That came to fruition, as EDG won a pistol, lost their antieco, and still managed to quickly tie the game at 8-8. Even with only one Sentinel in their composition, CHICHOO was having a great time for EDG, stopping the pushes from Trace. Even as EDG went down 10-8, they won every round afterward to win Sunset 13-10 and bring the series to map three.

Ascent was the final map for one of these two teams, and the teams decided to run significantly different compositions. Trace stuck to double Sentinel with Yoru as their catalyst, while EDG ran double Initiator with Jieni7 on KAY/O. After winning the pistol, Trace held stout on their defense even after another small run from EDG. Kai was dominant on Yoru, with 18 kills on the defense side alone, putting EDG down 8-4 at the half.

EDG needed a strong second half, and that started with a pistol win to swing momentum in their favor. Even after failing to convert the bonus, it was still clear that EDG were in the zone, with one player in particular saving multiple rounds for them. That was nobody, who went from an underwhelming Yoru against DRG and on map one to his comfort pick on Sova, which paid dividends on this Ascent defense.

Even as the game was tied at 11-11, Smoggy stepped up to nearly ace the final round as EDward Gaming won the map 13-11 and the series 2-1.

The series MVP was CHICHOO, who was consistent across the maps and particularly outstanding on Sunset. He ended the series with a 1.19 match rating, 222 ACS, 53 kills, +13, and 135 ADR.

With this win, EDG stays alive and will face the loser of the Xi Lai Gaming versus Dragon Ranger Gaming matchup. As for Trace, their Stage 2 and Champions hopes end here.