VCT Champions China Qualifier: Everything you should know about the event

It may come as a surprise that VCT 2023 - China Qualifier will be the first official VALORANT event in China. Although there are FGC and other third-party tournaments, the China Qualifier will be the first ever Riot-hosted VALORANT event. The tournament is presented and organized by TJ Sports.

Moreover, this will be the first ever VALORANT LAN event in China. Although there will only be four days of doors open to the public, the Chinese VALORANT fans have been waiting for such an experience for a long time. A packed arena is expected at the tourney.

From the official launch date, July 12, to the first ever official LAN event, Chinese VALORANT and its esports is making its first steps. And the close relationship between the game itself and esports should remind everyone of how League of Legends and LPL become the top of the industry. It is worth mentioning that the venue is the same as the press conference that happened on 28, during which VALORANT was officially announced to launch on July 12 in China.

The press conference also announced returning skins and an exclusive skin for the Chinese VALORANT playerbase.

China Qualifier: Everything on the line

Different from any other region, every Chinese team needs to participate in the China Qualifier to qualify for Champions 2023 in Los Angeles. Which means even teams like EDward Gaming and Attacking Soul Esports who participated in VALORANT Masters Tokyo also need to compete.

At the same time, the format has been tweaked slightly from other Riot events. The CQ starts from a single elimination round, where eight teams from the preliminary stage will face each other. Four winners will join FunPlus Phoenix, Bilibili Gaming, Attacking Soul Esports, and EDward Gaming, who showed better results in events before, into a double elimination format.

The biggest surprise is there will be six best-of-5 matches, instead of the norm of two. The major reason is that the top three in the tournament will qualify for Champions and this is the one and only chance for every team. Therefore, the winner semifinals and loser semifinal will be the additional three bo5s, deciding the teams that qualify for VALORANT Champions.

EDward Gaming: Coming home with pride and glory

Finishing with in the top 6 after a spectacular run at Masters Tokyo, EDG certainly has earned respect from everyone around the globe. Back from Masters Tokyo, EDG did not have any time to rest. Their first match in CQ will be on July 6, facing the winner of Weibo Gaming and Dragon Ranger Gaming. Setting the best record of Chinese teams on the international stage, EDG looks formidable in comparison to other Chinese teams and they are favored to win this event.

Under pressure

Apart from EDG, Bilibili Gaming, FunPlus Phoenix, and ASE also wait in the second round. But unlike EDG who showed a strong performance just a couple of days prior, people have doubts about the remaining trio. ASE, who departed early in Masters Tokyo, still heavily relied on their tip of the spear, Life. BLG finished as the runner-up in FGC 2023 Act2, losing only two maps in four best-of-3s. Strong performances aside, BLG got a 0-3 sweep from EDG in the grand final. Whyz showed even more fire power with the help of new faces from former KONE, Yosemite, and Knight. FPX needs a fresh start to bring back the best of them. From ZQ to FPX, they won over EDG in FGC 2022 Epilogue but lost twice in FGC 2023 Act1 and Act2, and the latter loss caused them to finish in 4th. Even though they only need to win two matches in a row to secure top 3 and get a ticket to Los Angeles, they could face serious challenges from other teams given their form.

Challenger and avenger

Unlike the four teams waiting in round 2, the other eight teams will be mixed with old and new faces. Teams like Four Angry Men, Dragon Ranger Gaming, Royal Never Give Up, and Team Weibo may be seen as underdogs but are far from that. Others, like Trace Esports,(the former TTG roster), NTER, Monarch Effect, and TYLOO will try their best to prove they belong in the conversation of being some of the finest Chinese teams as well.

Check out the full schedule of the China Qualifier for Champions and make sure to check out our stats for the event and more!