Trace Esports have clinched Group C's first seed after an unexpected victory against the VCT Americas 2024 champions Leviatán. The Chinese's win on Bind (13-10) was followed by Leviatán's win on Sunset (13-9). The series concluded with a one-sided Trace Esports win on Sunset (13-5).
Lu "Kai" Zhinan and Song "FengF" Xuefeng were the only players in Trace Esports to secure 50 or more kills, with Erick "aspas" Santos being the only player to do so for Leviatán. While the Brazilian was the best player on Lotus, his performance on Ascent is key to understanding the team's weak performance on Sunset, especially while defending.
Despite this not being only their Valorant Champions debut but also their first international performance together, Trace Esports have become the first Chinese side to clinch a playoff spot in this year's edition. Furthermore, this is China's first victory over an Americas team since Bilibili Gaming's 2-0 win over NRG in August 2023.
The Chinese side have joined DRX and Team Heretics in the Valorant Champions 2024 playoffs, where they will play against one of the second-seeded teams. With a positive round difference of +9, Trace Esports' players find themselves between DRX (+12) and Team Heretics (+3). Later today, the winner of the game between G2 Esports and EDward Gaming will join them as Group D's first seed.