The second game day of the VALORANT Masters Santiago playoffs brought two resounding results — and both were not in favor of the regional leaders. BBL Esports from EMEA and Chinese All Gamers, who occupied the first lines at home, went to the bottom bracket. The winners, NRG and G2 Esports, will continue on their way to the top.
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NRG knocked out BBL Esports with a score of 2-1: Pearl and Split decided everything
The opening episode of the day pitted the reigning VALORANT champion, the NRG team, against the debutants of the international BBL Esports scene. The result is 2-1 in favor of a more experienced team from America, but it’s definitely not an easy ride.
The Turkish line-up failed at Pearl. EMEA teams still do not seem to have figured out this map at the international level — they dominate within the region, but they are crumbling on the global stage. NRG took both pistol rounds, squeezed the maximum out of the attacking side and closed the card with a score of 13-6. Individual performances and competent tactical pauses completed the rout.
But there was a surprise on the Abyss map, chosen by NRG itself. BBL Esports tore apart the opponent with their trademark dispersed attack and went to the break with a 9-3 advantage. They put the squeeze on confidently — 13-6. Yusuf “Lar0k” Kanber staged a real performance: KDA 27/9/5 on only one card. Impressive.
Everything was decided on Split. BBL Esports spent several rounds dealing with NRG’s straightforward point pushes, and pulled out the first half 7-5. The attack also started briskly, but the spikes of the Vyse and the pressure through Odin from NRG slowed down the Turkish roster. The card went into overtime, where BBL Esports finally broke – 15-17 in favor of the reigning champion.
G2 Esports defeated All Gamers 2-0 — China didn’t catch on
The second match of the day was much less dramatic. The three—time winner of VCT Americas 2025 — G2 Esports – left no chance for the first team of VCT China, All Gamers. The score was 2-0, and the game was even worse than the numbers.
At Split, the Chinese team was in a hole from the first rounds. G2 took the pistol, implemented the bonus, and then All Gamers scratched out only four rounds on defense. Roman “f4ngeer” Smirnov gave out vivid phrases, but his team critically lacked initiative in defense. G2, on the other hand, worked brilliantly through aggressive defense — 13-6.
Abyss promised more intrigue: both teams put the updated Harbor as a second smoke agent. All Gamers showed smart attacking strategies and good shooting, but G2 quickly seized control — impeccable retakes and point retention left no room for the opponent. After a 9-3 first half, the final score of 13-4 was just a formality.
The MVP of the series is Andrey “babybay” Francisti from G2 Esports. On Agent Waylay, he played both cards with a KDA of 34/17/9 and an average Combat rating (ACS) of 254. Pure dominance.
Schedule of the lower bracket and matches of the upper round of the VALORANT Masters Santiago
NRG and G2 Esports remain in the top bracket of the Masters Santiago playoffs. Serious rivals are waiting for them on March 9 — Paper Rex and Nongshim RedForce, respectively.
The losers will have to fight for survival on March 8th. At 17:00 British Summer Time, BBL Esports will take on FURIA, followed by All Gamers against Gentle Mates. We will find out who will fly out very soon. The broadcasts are available on the official channels of Masters Santiago on Twitch and YouTube.
