Top 5 standout players absent from Champions Paris Playoffs

Half of VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Valorant Champions is now complete, as the group stage has wrapped and the top eight teams have locked in their spots for the playoffs. The group stage delivered intense matches and a fair share of upsets, with some of the crowd favorites knocked out early. A few players gave it their all to stay in Paris—but ultimately fell short. Here are the top five standout performers from the group stage who, despite their efforts, won’t be continuing into the playoffs.

ZmjjKK

The first team to leave Paris was none other than the reigning champions, EDward Gaming. One year ago, EDG lifted the trophy at VCT 2024 - Champions 2024, and their star Duelist, Zheng "ZmjjKK" Yongkang, was crowned MVP. Fast forward a year, and the dream of back-to-back titles came crashing down. Despite the early exit, ZmjjKK still ranked among the top ten performers in the group stage with an ACS of 237.4. He did everything he could to push EDG into playoffs.

During the group stage, he played Yoru and Neon—finding more success on Neon. In a previous interview with THESPIKE.GG, ZmjjKK admitted he didn’t show up the way he wanted to and needed to put in more work on Yoru. In the end, his efforts weren’t enough, and the Chinese fan favorites will miss out on another trophy.

SpiritZ1

Another top-ten performer left behind is Dragon Ranger Gaming’s Lin "SpiritZ1" Ding-yu. He closed out his Champions debut with an impressive 237 ACS, far outpacing his teammates. A primary Yoru player, SpiritZ1 is new to the VCT scene, having joined DRG in the 2024 offseason. At just 19 years old, he performed beyond expectations in his debut VCT season.

Unfortunately, his time at Champions was short-lived as DRG failed to win a single map, and their VCT run came to an end as XLG Esports sent them back to the Ascension league. If DRG can win Ascension again, we could see SpiritZ1 return to VCT China in 2026.

zekken

Fan favorite Zachary "zekken" Patrone is another name leaving Paris earlier than expected. As Sentinels’ Duelist, the pressure was high—and even in defeat, he held strong with a 229.3 ACS. He primarily played Neon, along with Jett and Raze, making him one of the few Duelists at Champs not running Yoru on any map.

Sentinels were the only Americas team eliminated before playoffs. Many had high hopes for them in Paris, but they fell to the rookie squads of GIANTX and XLG. zekken has the longest tenure on Sentinels’ current roster, having been with the org for three years.

NoMan

James "NoMan" Man of XLG stands out as the top flex player among those exiting Champs. Playing a variety of Initiators, Duelists, and Sentinels, he delivered a 221.4 ACS during the group stage. NoMan, another rising talent from China, made his international debut this year. He previously played with Rare Atom—the same team XLG defeated in the Ascension final.

In June, NoMan signed with XLG and made his VCT debut. XLG was the Chinese team that made it the furthest at Champs, knocking out Sentinels but falling short in the decider match against GIANTX. Their win against Sentinels earned them a continued spot in VCT 2026, but their loss means no Chinese team will be a part of the playoffs.

Meteor

T1’s top performer, Kim "Meteor" Tae-O, wrapped the group stage with a 219 ACS. A dedicated Sentinel main, he stuck to his signature agents—Cypher and Vyse—throughout the event. In each of T1’s matches, Meteor consistently placed second on the scoreboard, just behind Duelist Ham "iZu" Woo-joo and Kang "DH" Dong-ho, whose flashy plays was backed by Meteor’s reliability.

T1 narrowly missed playoffs after losing to G2 Esports, who were seeking revenge following their defeat in the VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Masters Bangkok 2025 final. This was Meteor’s second Champions appearance. His first was with Gen.G Esports in 2024, and once again, he was eliminated in the group stage decider match.

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Featured image source: Riot Games. Altered by THESPIKE.