Xi Lai Gaming Soars to New Heights: Breaking into the Top Six at Kickoff!

Xi Lai Gaming

Xi Lai Gaming

China
Rank #3

Viva
Lifan Ran (冉立凡)








Rarga
Arthur Churyumov








happywei
Deng Minwei (邓闵维)








coconut
Colin Patrick Chung (钟弘祖)








YOU
Yip Man Ho

has achieved sixth place at Kickoff China after a 2-1 victory against

JDG Esports

JDG Esports

China
Rank #11

stew
Park Young-chan (박영찬)








jkuro
Yong Haochong (杨浩聪)








MrCANI
Chen Tingxun (陈廷训)








Babyblue
Geng Haoran (耿浩然)








Z1yan
Liu Zihan (刘紫涵)

. They are scheduled to compete against the 2024 Champions

EDward Gaming

EDward Gaming

China
Rank #1

S1Mon
Hsien Meng-Hsun (谢孟勋)








ZmjjKK
Zheng Yongkang (郑永康)








nobody
Wang Senxu (王森旭)








CHICHOO
Wan Shunzhi (万顺治)








Smoggy
Zhang Zhao (张钊)

hoping to persist in their lower bracket journey. JDG has now been eliminated from the tournament, and must wait until Stage 1 to re-enter the competition.

Since XLG is a newcomer to VCT, the teams have only faced each other during the off-season. Even though they hail from tier 2, XLG has triumphed over JDG in all three encounters, twice with a score of 2-0. In the veto, JDG selected Pearl, Xi Lai’s customary second ban, while removing Lotus, their permanent ban for this event. In turn, XLG countered with their own permanent ban, Fracture, and chose Bind, a map on which JDG lost to Dragon Ranger Gaming. Haven remained as the deciding map, which JDG had previously favored and won in overtime against DRG in their opening match.

XLG commenced the series strongly with a pistol win on Pearl. Xi Lai quickly gained the upper hand, but a thrifty victory alongside

stew
‘s remarkable plays shifted the momentum back in JDG’s direction. It wasn’t until the last round of the half that XLG managed to respond, as JDG misjudged the site in a 2v2, allowing XLG to establish a Killjoy-Sova post-plant.

stew
excelled in the first half with 19 eliminations

JDG’s unconventional decisions allowed their opponents to seize the second pistol round, leveling the score at 7-7.

jkuro
and

Z1yan
stepped up to secure their team double digits, prompting XLG’s second timeout. XLG managed to close the gap with a couple of rounds, but JDG’s lead was too substantial to overcome. Ultimately, JDG claimed the map 13-9. stew concluded the series with 28 eliminations and 11 first kills, accounting for half of the server’s total.

Progressing to Bind, Z1yan provided his team a narrow pistol win with a clutch and 3K. Not wanting to be outdone,

Rarga
enabled his team to secure two rounds, and

YOU
matched his teammate by contributing to the victory in the next two rounds. stew re-entered the series with a 1v1, but XLG proved more competent for the remainder of the half. jkuro won a Brimstone 1v1, granting JDG the fourth point of the map, leading to a break at 8-4 with XLG in the advantage.

Rarga
and

YOU
dominated the offense on Bind

Z1yan attempted to replicate his initial pistol success in the second half, but XLG fought back to further extend the lead. Xi Lai continued to prevail in unfavorable rounds, taking the bonus with a 3v2 that XLG secured with two Classic kills against rifles. JDG Esports endeavored to prevent match point and extend the series, but they infrequently inflicted economic damage. Bind concluded 13-4 in favor of XLG, bringing the series to the deciding map.

A swift C push and stew’s 3K enabled JDG to win the opening pistol round on Haven.

Viva
countered with a Classic triple kill during the anti-eco, and a JDG post-plant error allowed XLG to take a 2-1 lead. XLG maintained composure in their defense, and Rarga collected multiple kills to assist his team in confirming rounds. Following an ace from Viva with the Operator, JDG exhibited a well-executed round, where Z1yan faked information enabling a cautious A take, concluding the first half at 9-3.

Viva
clinched an ace to maintain XLG’s lead

XLG reached 11 points thanks to a comfortable pistol and anti-eco, yet JDG reacted to stop their opponents from reaching match point. Xi Lai remained composed, enduring three rounds and a timeout while keeping their economy stable and accumulating an ultimate advantage. This allowed them to execute a set play on C, delaying just enough to render Z1yan’s triple kill ineffective. A tactical pause from JDG produced no results, as Xi Lai launched a pre-prepared rapid strike that swiftly reduced the final round to a 4v2. Xi Lai Gaming concluded Haven 13-6, surviving elimination with a 2-1 triumph.

This outcome means XLG will face off against EDward Gaming, the historic powerhouse of the region, to advance in their lower bracket journey and secure Championship points. Conversely, JDG Esports faces elimination from the event, as yet another international tournament slips away from the organization.