VCT China Faces Major Setback as EDward Gaming and Xi Lai Gaming Exit VALORANT Masters Santiago

EDward Gaming and Xi Lai Gaming are out of VALORANT Masters Santiago. See how T1 and G2 Esports dominated the Chinese representatives in the 2026 Swiss Stage.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 4, 2026, 7:52 AM EST

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Esports Insider

EDward Gaming Fails to Replicate Champions Glory

In a surprising turn for the 2024 VALORANT Champions winners, EDward Gaming (EDG) has been knocked out of Masters Santiago. Facing Pacific's T1 in an elimination match, EDG struggled to find their rhythm. The series began on Bind, T1's map pick, which resulted in a near-total blackout for the Chinese squad. T1 executed a dominant 11-1 defensive half, effectively neutralizing Zheng ‘ZmjjKK’ Yongkang’s Chamber plays. The map ended in a swift 13-1 victory for T1.

The second map, Haven, saw EDG show signs of life by winning both pistol rounds. However, their attack half was characterized by disjointed decision-making, leading to a 4-8 deficit. Despite a brief stabilization in the second half, T1’s Yu ‘BuZz’ Byung-chul—playing the newly balanced Waylay and Neon—delivered a masterclass performance with a 288 ACS to close the map 13-10 and the series 2-0.

G2 Esports Dominates Xi Lai Gaming

The day’s second elimination saw VCT Americas’ G2 Esports face off against Xi Lai Gaming (XLG). The series opened on Abyss, where G2 debuted a double-controller Harbor composition. While XLG initially exploited G2’s lack of coordination on site executes to take a defensive lead, G2’s utility management in the second half proved superior. G2 secured a 13-8 win on XLG's own map pick, effectively breaking the underdog's momentum.

The momentum shift was absolute on the second map, Haven. G2’s Alexander ‘jawgemo’ Mor delivered one of the tournament’s most dominant individual performances to date on Phoenix. Jawgemo’s aggressive utility usage and precision fragging resulted in a staggering 23/9/1 KDA and a 394 ACS. XLG was unable to counter G2's proactive mid-round calling, falling 13-3 in a one-sided finale.