Team Heretics have defeated DRX in today's final Valorant Champions Seoul Lower Bracket Quarterfinals clash. Los Niños had to complete a comeback against the South Koreans after a 5-13 defeat on Abyss. The Europeans' victories on Sunset (13-5) and Icebox (13-10) saw Team Heretics knocking out the home side.
DRX began the series on the right foot with a victory on Abyss where eight of the eighteen rounds played ended in Spike defuses. A flawless defensive half followed the South Koreans' initial 7-5.
Fortunately for the EMEA region, who saw Fnatic losing to Sentinels earlier today, Los Niños woke up just in time and answered DRX's one-sided performance on Abyss with a 13-5 win on Sunset.
After DRX and Team Heretics swapped sides on Icebox with a 7-5 lead for the South Koreans, which was extended up to 5-9, Los Niños completed the comeback after winning eight of the final nine rounds of the game.
With this result, the Pacific region has become the first to be fully eliminated from the Valorant Champions Seoul. It also means that the home region won't win the trophy in front of their fans, something that has only happened once since 2021: when Brazil's roster LOUD won in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2022.
Meanwhile, Team Heretics is EMEA's only hope to win this year's Valorant Champions. The region's last Valorant Champions crown in 2021 when Acend defeated Gambit Esports.