Day two of the VALORANT Champions 2025 Paris playoffs delivered fireworks as MIBR and NRG swept through their opponents in convincing fashion. Both Americas sides silenced their doubters with statement 2-0 victories, sending Team Heretics and GIANTX tumbling down to the lower bracket.
MIBR settles the score with Team Heretics
MIBR’s matchup against Team Heretics had been building all year, with plenty of words traded but no actual clash until now. On the Champions stage, the Brazilians showed no hesitation, powering to a 2-0 win.
The series kicked off on Corrode, a map MIBR had already dominated in groups. Exploiting gaps in Heretics’ defence, they quickly jumped out to a 5-1 lead. Heretics clawed their way back, even forcing overtime thanks to MiniBoo’s heroics, but MIBR stayed composed. Strong utility from artzin on KAY/O and crucial clutch plays carried them through to a 14-12 overtime win.
On Sunset, MIBR looked even sharper. aspas’ Operator was unstoppable, racking up 10 kills on defence, including three separate collateral shots. Heretics were constantly forced into man-down situations, ending the half 9-3 behind. Any hope of a comeback was short-lived as MIBR closed it out 13-6, with aspas and cortezia leading the way on the scoreboard.
Reflecting on the team’s rise, IGL Andrew “Verno” Maust said: “We just learned how to play each map in our style. We’re all comfortable with how we play together, so it just makes the game really simple.”
NRG crushes GIANTX in record-breaking fashion
If MIBR’s win was impressive, NRG’s performance against GIANTX was downright ruthless. The North American squad dismantled GX with a historic margin, dropping just seven rounds across both maps.
On Haven, GIANTX’s map pick, NRG stunned everyone with a 13-1 thrashing. Led by mada’s Neon and brawk’s Sova, they planted the spike in every single attacking round of the half, leaving GX with no answers. brawk ended the map with an astonishing 18/1 scoreline, his only death coming in the bonus round.
Lotus didn’t go much better for GX. While they managed to take the pistol and tie things up early, NRG’s map control and disciplined team play shut them down. brawk’s Odin locked off crucial angles, while mada and s0m piled on the kills. NRG rolled to a 13-6 win, sealing the 2-0 sweep.
The dominant showing also set a new record for the largest margin of victory in a Champions playoffs best-of-three, underlining just how dangerous NRG look heading into the next stage.
What’s next
The results set up a blockbuster upper bracket semifinal between MIBR and NRG, a clash that promises fireworks given both squads’ current form.
Meanwhile, Heretics and GIANTX now face do-or-die matches in the lower bracket. Heretics will take on GIANTX in an all-EMEA showdown, while DRX square off against G2 Esports. At least one European team will be eliminated from the tournament after tomorrow.
VALORANT Champions Paris continues with more high-stakes action, and fans can catch the matches live on the VCT’s official Twitch and YouTube channels.