Edward Gaming is the best Valorant team in the world.
The Chinese squad secured the Valorant Champions 2024 trophy in Seoul, South Korea, with an epic 3-2 victory over EMEA squad Team Heretics.
EDG’s win isn’t just a milestone moment for the team, but also the Chinese region and its players.
It is the first LAN international win for China. Zheng “ZmjjKK” Yongkang was awarded the first-ever MVP trophy for Valorant Champions 2024.
It is a fitting reward for the EDG star who broke the total kill score record in a five-game series with 111 total kills in the grand final match against Team Heretics.
EDG’s Hsieh “S1Mon” Meng-hsun became the latest royal roader, winning Valorant Champions 2024 in his rookie year. It’s an impressive feat, considering S1Mon played in the Challengers League just three months before lifting the trophy.
Heretics took a 1-0 lead, winning Haven 13-6
The first map of the grand final began with an agent comp mirror match, with Heretics swapping their duelist agent with Neon instead of the usual Jett for Dominykas “MiniBoo” Lukasevicius.
While EDG took a narrow 2-0 lead, the map quickly shifted, with Heretics winning nine straight rounds. Heretics picked EGD apart, mainly when EDG was about to execute their site pushes. When both teams clashed, Heretics consistently came out on top with a 13-6 final score.
Former Fortnite pro Benjy “benjyfishy” Fish on Cypher denied EDG their explosive executes on the B and C site and spotted lurkers in the mid-to-late-round scenarios.
Benjyfishy finished as the map MVP with a 17/14/5 KDA and 270 ACS.
Edward Gaming evened the series 1-1 with a 13-4 victory on Sunset
EDG came out with a vengeance on the second map, with the Chinese team taking a dominant 9-0 start. The half ended with a commanding 11-1 half for the Chinese squad.
Heretics is a team known for their strong mid-game adjustments and counterplays, but in the second game, EGD’s explosive executes left them with no time to make any adjustments.
Heretics tried to claw their way back into the map, winning three straight rounds after halftime. But EDG’s aggressive playstyle proved too much for the EMEA representatives, tying the grand final 1-1 with a 13-4 victory on Sunset.
EDG’s Zheng “ZmjjKK” Yongkang dominated on Sunset, racking up seven first kills and finishing with an impressive 22/9/7 KDA and 378 ACS.
EDG took a 2-1 lead with a close 13-9 win on Lotus
The third map, Lotus, was fiercely competitive, with both teams trading hard-fought rounds, securing thrifty wins, and showcasing key player heroics.
The map was tied 6-6 at halftime, with both teams battling for a slight edge over the other.
The map was a constant back-and-forth battle, but EDG pulled ahead in the end, winning the final four rounds to close out Lotus 13-9 to take a 2-1 lead.
Heretics live to fight for another map with a nail-bitter 13-11 win on Bind
EDG and Heretics carried their intense fight from Lotus into the fourth map Bind, contesting every bit of the map to gain a narrow lead. Thanks to Miniboo regaining his form, Heretics managed to tie the score 6-6 by halftime.
The EMEA squad’s start duelist continued to take over after halftime, picking up pivotal kills that gave Heretics the momentum they needed to pull away from EGD and take a 12-8 lead.
With EGD clawing their way back into the game and on the verge of overtime, Heretics was able to win the final round of Bind with the narrowest margin. Heretics denied EDG the defuse with a Brimstone molly lineup, despite an impressive ace from Kangkang.
Miniboo finished Bind with a 23/16/3 KDA and 261 ACS.
EDG closed it out with a 13-9 victory on Abyss
With the Valorant Championship on the line, EDG surged forward, taking an 8-4 lead at halftime. Throughout the first half, EDG gained the upper hand by purely out-aiming their opponents.
EDG extended their lead to 11-4 after halftime, but Heretics won a thrifty round that sparked the EMEA squad’s brief comeback.
Heretics picked up momentum, winning five straight rounds that narrowed EDG’s lead to 11-9. However, a heroic round from Kangkang removed the wind from Heretic’s sails.
EDG went on to win the championship with a 13-9 final score.
Edward Gaming’s Valorant Champions 2024 winning squad
- Zheng “ZmjjKK” Yongkang
- Zhang “Smoggy” Zhao
- Hsieh “S1Mon” Meng-hsun
- Wan “CHICHOO” Shunzhi
- Wang “nobody” Senxu (In-game leader)
- Tang “Muggle” Shijun (Head coach)
- Guo “Haodong” Haodong (Substitute)
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