LOUD opened their VALORANT Champions 2026 campaign with a commanding 2–0 victory over EDward Gaming on September 26, winning Lotus 13–8 and Summit 13–5. The Group B result sent LOUD into a winners’ match against Team Vitality and left EDG facing elimination.
The headline belonged to tkzin. Playing his first international VCT series, the LOUD duelist recorded two aces on Lotus and another on Summit. According to Sheep Esports, his three aces established a record for a single series at an international VCT event.
Map | LOUD | EDward Gaming |
|---|---|---|
Lotus (EDG's pick) | 13 | 8 |
Summit (LOUD's pick) | 13 | 5 |
Map results: VLR.gg.
tkzin turns EDG’s Lotus pick against them
EDward Gaming took the opening two rounds on Lotus, but their early advantage quickly disappeared. LOUD won nine of the next ten rounds to reach halftime with a 9–3 lead, leaving the home side chasing the game on its own map pick.
tkzin was central to that turnaround. Playing Neon, he finished Lotus with 28 kills, 12 deaths and 336 ACS. His two aces gave LOUD’s opening map an individual highlight that would become the defining story of the series.
EDG found more resistance after the switch and eventually reduced the deficit to 12–8. LOUD nevertheless secured the next round, taking a 1–0 series lead without allowing the recovery to reach the closing stages of regulation.
LOUD pull away on Summit to complete the sweep
Summit initially offered a closer contest, but LOUD won the final four rounds of the first half to move ahead 8–4. They followed that with another four-round streak after the switch, reaching match point before EDG could establish a response.
The Chinese side managed just one round in the second half as LOUD completed a 13–5 win. DaviH contributed 17 kills, eight deaths and eight assists, while tkzin added 19 kills.
EDG had brought a different composition to the map, but LOUD coach Romanilly said the team stayed with its plan. In post-match comments published by Sheep Esports, he explained that their timeout focused on small changes to site play and rotations after they quickly understood EDG’s approach.
A record debut built on team support
Across both maps, tkzin finished with 47 kills, 24 deaths, seven assists and 321 ACS. DaviH added 24 assists across the series, while ZmjjKK led EDG with 28 kills.
Sheep Esports reported that tkzin surpassed the previous international VCT benchmark of two aces in one series, achieved by mada and keznit. Reaching three in a two-map debut made the performance an immediate talking point in Shanghai.
Speaking after the victory, tkzin credited his teammates’ backing: “They support me, and I kill everyone.” He also described the freedom LOUD gives him in-game and said the opposition crowd provided motivation.
Those comments point to a wider story behind the highlights: LOUD’s structure gave their duelist room to play confidently on an unfamiliar stage.
Vitality await LOUD as EDG face Global Esports
LOUD will face Team Vitality on September 30 for a place in the playoffs. EDward Gaming return against Global Esports on October 2, with the losing team eliminated.
For LOUD, the opener delivered both a convincing result and a breakout individual performance. For EDG, there is no remaining margin for another series defeat.