Valorant Champions 2023 Regional Preview: Best and Worst from China

The Champions 2023 is featuring three teams from China, and here are our predictions on the favorites and underdogs of the region

Champions 2023 will be the third tournament of the series, and for the first time in the event’s history, we will see teams from China making their debut at the most important Valorant contest. While the expectations are the lowest in this region, we have to consider EDG’s incredible Masters Tokyo run that has made the roster one of the favorites to secure the Playoffs. Before the event kicks off, here are our regional previews and predictions on the three Chinese contenders, including our picks of the best players. 

Credit: Riot Games

All China Teams at Valorant Champions 2023

• EDward Gaming
• Bilibili Gaming
• FunPlus Phoenix

The three Chinese teams gained their Champions tickets via the China Qualifier event, but Masters competitor Attacking Soul Esports failed to make the top three. Fortunately, we will see EDG again, and based on their great record in Tokyo, they are one of the tournament’s favorites.

On the other hand, both BLG and FPX have not won a single game on a global stage yet. In fact, the Champions will be BLG’s debut at an international LAN.

EDward Gaming

• Guo “Haodong” Haodong (IGL)
• Wan “CHICHOO” Shunzhi 
• Wang “nobody” Senxu
• Zheng “ZmjjKK” Yongkang
• Zhang “Smoggy” Zhao
• Lo “AfteR” Wen-hsin (Head Coach)

Clearly, the finest Chinese team, EDG, created a name for themselves by pulling off tremendous shocks at Masters Tokyo, where their star player ZmjjKK, popularly known as KangKang, established himself as a new hero to root for. Based on their recent success, EDG are not only the strongest in their region but also one of the favorites on the world stage.

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Bilibili Gaming

• Lei “yosemite” Wang
• Zhong “Biank” Jian Fei 
• Li “rin” Lewei
• Wang “whz” Haozhe
• Liu “Knight” Yuxiang
• Wang “JeXeN” Linxiao (Head Coach)

This will be BLG’s first appearance on a worldwide stage since they did not appear at LOCK//IN or Masters. While the expectations for this newbie group are modest, we must brace ourselves for possible upsets. 

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FunPlus Phoenix

• Zhang “BerLIN” Bo-lin (IGL)
• Zhang “AAAAY” Yang 
• Tang “TZH” Zhehao
• He “WudiYuChEn” Cai
• Huang “Yuicaw” Yung-chieh 
• Deng “NaThanD” Senqiao (Head Coach)

As a Chinese team, FPX are yet to win a global match, and they have only played one international LAN game at LOCK//IN. While not the greatest team from China in this event, FPX have shown promise in regional games.

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Best China Players at Valorant Champions 2023

The following are the must-watch players from China at Valorant Champions 2023:

Zheng “ZmjjKK” Yongkang – EDward Gaming

• Role: Flex
• VLR Rating: 1.14
• Average Combat Score (ACS): 269.6
• Kill-Death Ratio: 1.28
• Kill/Assist/Survived/Traded: 71%
• Average Damage Per Round: 162.6
• Headshot Percentage: 20%

By topping Masters Tokyo with his impeccable mechanical talents, this young Chinese player solidified his country’s reputation in the Valorant competitive arena. Zmjjkk, also known as KangKang, is an absolute beast with the Operator, and his skills helped EDG to dominate some of the world’s finest at the Masters, like NAVI and LOUD.

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Along with his flamboyant moves, the 19-year-old’s stage charisma made him one of the most popular names at the Masters, and he was VLR’s fourth-best player of the tournament with a 1.15 rating and the highest ACS of any other player (273.8 ACS). 

Zhang “Smoggy” Zhao – EDward Gaming

• Role: Flex
• VLR Rating: 1.07
• Average Combat Score (ACS): 195.3
• Kill-Death Ratio: 1.13
• Kill/Assist/Survived/Traded: 77%
• Average Damage Per Round: 130.3
• Headshot Percentage: 32%

At Masters Tokyo, Smoggy established himself as EDG’s second-best player after KangKang, and the duo had a fierce performance at the event. Moreover, the 21-year-old shined at the recent China Qualifier, and such consistency in his form is likely to make his name memorable at the Champions. 

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Smoggy is a master of different roles, as he can play Duelist, Initiator and even Sentinel. He was the 12th-best player of Masters Tokyo with a VLR rating of 1.07, and there is a possibility that he will even surpass teammate KangKang’s stats at this event.

Valorant Champions 2023 – China Teams Predictions

Credit: Riot Games

This is the first time we are seeing Chinese teams in a Champions event, and therefore, it is the underdog region of the tournament. However, be prepared to be shocked as EDward Gaming is a solid contender from the region who have already shown their strong side at the Masters.

Front Runners

• EDward Gaming: Top 4

It’s no surprise that most Chinese Valorant fans will be rooting for EDward Gaming in their debut at Champions, as this team took only a short time to steal the hearts of many through their Masters run. Not only did they grab the first international match win for China, but they defeated some of the strongest names like LOUD, reaching the Playoffs as the first team from the region. Moreover, the great talents of the squad, including KangKang, have also secured fans all around the world, and being one of the admirers, we expect EDG to secure the semifinals of Champions 2023. 

Underdogs

• Bilibili Gaming: Top 16
• FunPlus Phoenix: Top 16

This will be FPX’s second attempt on a global stage after LOCK//IN, and based on their previous performance, our expectations are low from us. On the other hand, BLG are making their debut at an international LAN, and even though they showed an impressive look at the China Qualifier, we are uncertain of their performance around some of the best teams in the world.