BLG vs NRG Champions LA 2023: Bilibili Gaming dumps NRG out of Champions despite a record-breaking performance from Victor

It's BLG vs NRG in the final match of the group stage here at Champions LA. BLG have already managed to beat NRG once in this tournament. But the will be able to do it again? We'll find out together as we will be bringing you all of the live scores and updates throughout the match.

Bilibili Gaming were the talk of the town after their surprise victory over NRG in their opening match of Group C. They later found themselves being made to witness a VALORANT masterclass at the hands of Fnatic. Though they were not able to make the same sort of impact with their whimsical plays and fearlessness in that match, they will no doubt still be feeling confident of getting their second win at an international event and progressing to the playoffs here at Champions. Especially if Zhong "Biank" Jian Fei and Wang "whz" Haozhe can reach the same heights that they did last time out against NRG. But if there is one thing we have learned over the years with this NRG core, it is that lightning rarely strikes twice against them.

NRG were the runaway victors in their match against Zeta Division the last time they took to the stage at Champions. Everyone on NRG was on top form in that match with their IGL Pujan "FNS" Mehta coming up with another shot-calling masterclass and everyone weighing in on the kill front. Especially their main duelist Ardiis, who took center stage for the North American side as he amassed a total of 46 kills and an ACS score of 378; the highest individual ACS score in a match from any player at Champions. NRG will be hoping that Ardiis can continue to have this sort of impact today, as they look to avoid another defeat at the hands of BLG.

NRG bring us over to their map pick of Bind to start this series. The American side go with the same double-controller team composition which they used in their previous match with Zeta, with Ardiis back on Chamber. And BLG opt to go with a similar sort of composition, with the key difference being Knight's Cypher pick.

BLG get the opening pistol round and manage to convert on their anti-eco to get things going on their defense. They also manage to take their bonus round after a rare post-plant fumble from NRG. The American side are able to tie things up at 3 - 3 thanks to a much needed thrifty and a couple of multi-kills from S0m and Crashies. They manage to take the lead soon after as their round streak stretches to five in a row. But BLG respond with two solid holds on their defense thanks to a shift in tempo on their part. Nevertheless it is NRG who manage to gain a foothold in this game with a 7 - 5 lead to end the first half.

NRG take the second pistol round and lockup their anti-eco to extend their lead to 9 - 5. Whzy comes up with a 4k to take a much needed anti-bonus to give themselves a path back into the game. And the Chinese side take full advantage of the sudden change in momentum as they break the double-digit mark and put NRG's economy in a real bind. NRG also get to ten points on the map and look like the might be able to tie things up again. But Yosemite comes up with two huge plays for BLG which enables the Chinese side to snatch Bind away from NRG 13 - 10 and give themselves a 1 - 0 lead in the series.

After BLG's impressive performance on Bind they bring us over to Ascent for the second map of this series. There are no shenanigans in the team compositions as we are treated to a double-initiator mirror match.

Knight comes up with a 4k to give BLG the first pistol round of the map. The Chinese side are also able to grab their anti-eco before a 3k from Victor nets NRG an anti-bonus. But BLG are able to keep their foe at arms length as their lead grows to 4 - 2. Victor comes up with the goods again to keep things close while also setting the record for most kills at international VALORANT events. But BLG do not buckle in the slightest as they stretch their lead to 6 - 3. And they continue to shine with their post-plant attack setups. Which garners them an 8 - 4 half at the end of the first half. Further compounding NRG's misery in this series.

Knight and Whzy snatch the second pistol round away from NRG. Which is followed up by another a clutch from Biank and Rin in their anti-eco as BLG hit the ten point mark on Ascent. NRG come up with a flawless to take the bonus away from their opponent, but Knight comes up with a 3k to put BLG closer to the checkered flag. Whzy and Yosemite stand strong on the B-site to put their side on match point and leave NRG with a fractured economy. And with one last impressive stand on their defense, Bilibili Gaming manage to close out Ascent with a 13 - 5 scoreline. Giving the Chinese side a 2 - 0 series win to book their place in the playoffs and send NRG packing from Champions LA.

We are at the business end of the 2023 VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) season. Sixteen of the best VALORANT teams from around the world have come together in the city of Los Angeles as they fight for the right to be called Champions. Fans who wish to watch the BLG vs NRG match may do so by heading to the VALORANT Twitch and YouTube channels.

You can also tune in via the embedded stream link down below if you don't wish to click off of this page.

Head on over to our VCT 2023 hub for all of the latest news from across the tournament.