Bilibili Gaming , JDG Esports rise ahead of Stage 2 playoffs
The VCT China 2024 regular season is over. The end of Stage 2 marks which teams can compete in the regional playoffs and fight for the three remaining China slots at Champions 2024. Six teams will start their playoff journey on July 16, including regional favorites EDward Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix alongside Bilibili Gaming , JDG Esports, Trace Esports , and All Gamers . Though they aren't in the playoffs, Dragon Ranger Gaming still have a chance to qualify via points if specific outcomes are met, mainly if Trace beats AG and if JDG ends in fourth place.
In Stage 2, EDG and FPX underperformed while Bilibili Gaming and JDG Esports rose to the top. Both EDG and FPX still qualified for playoffs due to their regular season, but none of the Chinese teams that returned from Masters Shanghai did well in Stage 2. Bilibili Gaming finished at the top of Group Alpha over EDG, while JDG Esports and Trace Esports finished ahead of FPX in Group Omega.
A Bilibili Gaming win over Nova Esports highlighted Stage 2
Across the games in Stage 2, the series between Nova Esports and Bilibili Gaming stood out as a close battle for two potential playoff teams.
Nova made it to the knockouts of the Stage 1 playoffs but lost in the knockout round to Dragon Ranger Gaming , who eventually placed third and qualified for Masters Shanghai. Bilibili Gaming , despite their upset wins over NRG at Champions in 2023, started slowly in 2024 and missed out on both Masters Madrid and Shanghai. Bilibili came out the gates hot in Stage 2 by sweeping Wolves Esports but then had to face a tougher opponent in Nova to solidify their playoff chances.
Bilibili were gaining new form thanks to some additions to the roster. Picking up both former BLEED player Marcus "nephh" Tan and former TYLOO player Lo "Flex1n" Rui (罗瑞) made Bilibili a more well-rounded squad. Nova were continuing to improve from Stage 1, with their players all stepping up statistically heading into this series.
Map one was a wildly entertaining nailbiter that went in favor of Nova, while maps two and three showed great resilience from a Bilibili team looking to redeem their season. This win was crucial for Bilibili to qualify for the Stage 2 playoffs, while Nova lost and missed out.
Outstanding players from VCT China 2024 Stage 2
Three players across Stage 2 had a significant impact on their team performance in the final stretch of the season. The first is one everyone is familiar with: Zheng "ZmjjKK" Yongkang (郑永康).
ZmjjKK posing after a victory in VCT China 2024 Stage 2. (Image via Riot Games)
After returning from Masters Shanghai, EDG stumbled with a 2-2 record but ZmjjKK retained his status as the most talented player in China. He led the league in ACS with 275.1, kills per round with 0.96, and average damage per round with 171.6. ZmjjKK started to play Neon due to the meta shift, and his stats showed no drop-off.
Another player who stood out was Park "stew" Young-chan (박영찬) from JDG Esports. Not only did his team go 4-1, but he ended Stage 2 with the highest K:D ratio at 1.48. He improved in every stat from Stage 1 to Stage 2 and proved himself as a duelist who could help his team beat many other squads eyeing their final chance at Champions.
Wang "whzy" Haozhe (王昊哲) has always been, statistically, the star player from the Bilibili Gaming core. He ended Stage 2 tied second at first kills per round with 0.22 while sticking around the top seven across other key stats without playing Neon like the other two standout players above. His stats remained consistently high from Stage 1 to Stage 2 as he helped lead Bilibili to their first playoff game in 2024.
VCT China 2024 Stage 2 and Regular Season results
Due to the circuit point system for Champions qualification, the cutoff for which teams made it to the Stage 2 playoffs was determined by their overall regular season results and international tournament wins, not just their Stage 2 results. The top-six teams from the regular season have one more chance to earn points and qualify for Champions 2024 by performing well in the Stage 2 playoffs.
Here is how each Chinese team performed in Stage 2:
Group Alpha:
- Bilibili Gaming (3-1, +20)
- EDward Gaming (2-2, +6)
- Nova Esports (2-2, -12)
- Wolves Esports (2-2, -3)
- Dragon Ranger Gaming (1-3, -11)
Group Omega:
- JDG Esports (4-1, +41)
- Trace Esports (4-1, +9)
- FunPlus Phoenix (2-3, -5)
- All Gamers (2-3, -12)
- TYLOO (2-3, -28)
- Titan Esports Club (1-4, -5)
Here are the overall regular season results for VCT China 2024:
- EDward Gaming (7-3, +56)
- FunPlus Phoenix (7-3, +50)
- Trace Esports (7-3, +26)
- JDG Esports (5-5, +36)
- Bilibili Gaming (5-5, -8)
- All Gamers (5-5, -15)
- Nova Esports (4-6, -26)
- Dragon Ranger Gaming (4-6, -18)
- TYLOO (4-6, -31)
- Wolves Esports (4-6, -31)
- Titan Esports Club (3-7, -39)
Due to the circuit point system, both how FunPlus Phoenix and how EDward Gaming perform in the Stage 2 playoffs will not matter for Champions qualification, but only for regional seeding.
Teams across all regions will send the top three teams from the Stage 2 playoffs as well as the best remaining regional team via regional points.
Playoff preview
The VCT China 2024 Stage 2 playoffs begin on July 16, with the only single elimination games in the knockout round. Those two matches are between the third to sixth seeds from the regular season, starting with:
- Trace Esports vs. All Gamers
- JDG Esports vs. Bilibili Gaming
The two winners in the knockout round will then face off against EDG and FPX in a four-team double-elimination format.
- (Winner of Game 1) vs. FunPlus Phoenix
- (Winner of Game 2) vs. EDward Gaming
When the Stage 2 playoffs end, the top three teams will book their tickets to Champions 2024 alongside EDG. If EDG do well in the tournament and take one of those top three slots, the next-best regional team via circuit points will make it to seoul .
