Karmine Corp began VALORANT Champions Shanghai with a 2-0 win over Xi Lai Gaming on September 25. The EMEA representative dominated Sunset 13-3 before taking XLG’s Abyss pick 13-6. Nathan “N4RRATE” Retter drove the sweep with 39 kills, 19 deaths, a 1.62 rating and 313 average combat score across the series.
Sunset immediately put Karmine Corp in control. KC built a 10-2 attacking half on its own map pick, leaving XLG with almost no room after the switch. Three defensive rounds completed the 13-3 result and established a large gap before the series moved to the Chinese team’s preferred map.
The opener was not only a case of favorable map selection. KC’s entries created advantages early in rounds, and the rest of the roster converted them without repeatedly offering XLG a route back. Avez contributed 19 kills on Fade during Sunset, while LewN added 15 on Neon. That spread meant XLG could not solve the map by containing one player.
Abyss was the more important test because XLG had chosen it. KC still reached an 8-4 halftime advantage and added five rounds on defense to close 13-6. Winning both teams’ selections turned a strong opening map into a complete series statement rather than a narrow victory built around the veto.
N4RRATE turned Abyss into the decisive map
N4RRATE’s series line was already exceptional, but his Abyss performance created the clearest separation. Playing Yoru, he recorded 25 kills against seven deaths, a 2.07 rating and 365 ACS. He also produced eight opening kills without giving up a first death, repeatedly starting rounds with a numerical advantage.
His 39 total kills were accompanied by a plus-20 differential across the match. Avez finished the series with 33 kills and a plus-16 differential, keeping KC’s pressure high when XLG tried to redirect attention. Four KC players ended the series with positive kill differentials.
The numbers should be read in the context of a short series. KC needed only 35 winning rounds and conceded nine, so there were fewer opportunities to accumulate totals than in a three-map match. N4RRATE’s efficiency, rather than the raw number alone, explains why his 313 ACS stands out.
The sweep sends Karmine Corp into the Group D winners match against NRG. Both teams arrive there at 1-0 after clean opening victories. The winner qualifies for the playoffs, while the loser receives another chance in the group decider.
XLG moves to an elimination match with Nongshim RedForce. The Chinese roster is not out of Champions, but it must win two consecutive group series to reach the playoffs. Its first task is finding more competitive opening halves after trailing 10-2 on Sunset and 8-4 on Abyss.
The two next matches also make the scale of KC’s win useful but not predictive. NRG’s structure differs from XLG’s, and Nongshim showed a closer second map against NRG. A dominant opener improves KC’s position; it does not award a playoff berth by itself.
Group D now has two clean winners
Karmine Corp and NRG both reached the upper match without dropping a map. KC produced the larger aggregate margin, conceding only nine rounds, while NRG had to finish a 13-10 Split. Those details describe different opening performances, not a guaranteed hierarchy for their direct meeting.
For KC, the encouraging feature is that its plan worked on both its own pick and the opponent’s. The roster combined fast individual impact with stable conversions, and N4RRATE changed from Chamber to Yoru while remaining the most productive player in the server.
For XLG, the elimination match demands a response in the earliest phases of each map. Recovering from a 2-10 or 4-8 halftime deficit is difficult against any Champions opponent. A better first half would give its own playmakers a chance to influence the series before the score becomes restrictive.
Karmine Corp’s 13-3 Sunset and 13-6 Abyss wins produced one of the clearest sweeps of the opening round. N4RRATE led with 39 kills and a 1.62 rating, including a dominant Yoru performance on Abyss. KC now plays NRG for qualification, while XLG meets Nongshim in an elimination series.
