VCTCN: After ten intense maps, XLG defeats BLG 3-2 to advance to the Masters!

In the 2026 VCTCN Challenger Finals, XLG beat BLG 3-2, earning the second VCTCN slot for the Santiago Masters.

Prior to the match, BLG officially stated that Knight was unable to play due to injury, with Biank urgently replacing him.

Map One: Abyssal Cavern

Defenders BLG: Xinglu, Titanium Fox, Phantom Shadow, Mirage, Iron Arm

Attackers XLG: Night Dew, Mirage, Hunter Owl, Phantom Shadow, Xinglu

In the first half, XLG started strong with three points, prompting BLG to call their first timeout. In round 4, BLG saved economy and successfully defended point B.

BLG launched a comeback streak, scoring three consecutive points. In round 10, Rarga broke through mid and, with teammate support, secured point B.

In round 11, BLG relied on reading the play and trust to delay XLG’s attack at point B, turning the economy around in their favor.

Round 12 saw BLG controlling mid and point B, allowing XLG to attack point A but eventually lose the retake.

In the first half, BLG’s defense suffered losses during rotations, often being outnumbered, limiting synergy between their dual initiators. Fortunately, their gamble plays and aggressive pushes in later rounds helped reduce the deficit to two points despite trailing.

In the second half, XLG won the pistol round, and bud dominated the bonus round at point B with a four-kill spree, leading the team to win the bonus round.

In round 16, Lysoar and NoMan held point A against BLG’s attack.

In round 18, BLG rushed point A, Lysoar defended with a four-kill, but in the final 1v1, bud calmly eliminated Lysoar.

Round 19 was XLG’s eco round, controlling mid to stop BLG’s push. XLG then reversed momentum, but BLG responded next round with a triple kill from Fengci to claim a comeback point.

BLG closed the gap by two points, but in round 22, a fast A-site rush allowed BLG to hold the site. XLG’s retake was a five-on-five, but BLG’s dual initiators coordinated well to catch XLG off guard.

Showing great resilience, BLG scored five straight points to push the match into overtime.

By the third round of overtime, BLG’s nephh aggressively pushed mid on defense to control the map and secure point B. After switching sides, whzy dominated mid with a triple kill, cutting off XLG’s retake and leading BLG to a successful pincer attack on point A, winning 16-14 on Abyssal Cavern.

Map Two: Source Fortress

Defenders BLG: Viper, Black Dream, Raz, K/O, Inferno

Attackers XLG: Viper, Inferno, Black Dream, Mirage, Night Dew

In the first half, XLG’s dual duelists attacked relentlessly, with Rarga playing exceptionally well, breaking through BLG’s defense.

XLG started with an eight-win streak. By round 8, it turned into a chase game.

In round 9, BLG used their second timeout to adjust, successfully controlling the bathroom area and breaking XLG’s attack, followed by a perfect team wipe.

In round 11, WsLeo quickly traded in the bathroom to gain a numbers advantage, dismantling BLG’s defense at point A.

BLG used both timeouts in the first half to hold their three points, while XLG maintained full momentum with Rarga leading an eight-win streak, finishing the half with nine points.

In the second half, XLG scored three consecutive points. In round 16, BLG won the bonus round at point A. Round 17 saw Lysoar defend point A and win the final clutch, with XLG taking Source Fortress 13-4.

Map Three: Breeze Isle

Defenders BLG: Viper, Hunter Owl, Xinglu, Neon, Gecko

Attackers XLG: Night Dew, Swift Wind, Hunter Owl, Phantom Shadow, Viper

In the first half’s opening four rounds, BLG took three points. In round 5, Lysoar and happywei combined to eliminate BLG’s defense at the site.

In round 6, BLG aggressively contested the point. Biank tried to control A long but was taken down by multiple XLG players, and whzy, flanking, was also eliminated. BLG wisely saved three rifles.

Rounds 7 and 8 featured defensive variations from BLG. In round 8, BLG pushed mid for info, while XLG counter-cleared mid and flanked point A. NoMan’s triple kill led XLG to victory.

In round 10, BLG saved economy and turned defense into offense, flanking XLG, but happywei denied any surprises with a four-kill retake, ending the half tied at 6-6.

In the second half, BLG won the pistol round, but XLG dominated the bonus round, predicting BLG’s attacks and scoring four straight points.

In round 19, BLG caught XLG’s weak side defense and rushed A, but Lysoar and WsLeo rotated back to win the fight.

In round 20, BLG exploited XLG’s aggressive mid push; whzy’s attack tore apart XLG’s defense.

In round 21, whzy’s attack was stopped, and rushia’s flank was eliminated by WsLeo, allowing XLG to hold the defense.

BLG showed great tenacity, scoring three consecutive points to push the game into overtime. In overtime, BLG won two more rounds, completing a five-win streak to take Breeze Isle.

Map Four: Deep Sea Pearl

Defenders XLG: Xinglu, Qile, Black Dream, Mirage, Night Dew

Attackers BLG: Xinglu, Black Dream, Titanium Fox, Night Dew, Qile

In the first half, BLG won the pistol round. In round 3, whzy got a triple kill defending the site, leading the team to win the bonus round.

Although BLG took the bonus round, they lost four rifles to XLG. In round 4, BLG pushed aggressively but rushia failed to secure the final kill on happywei, losing the round.

XLG then won five straight rounds. In round 9, BLG held point A against XLG’s retake, using utility to stall and win the round.

BLG used two timeouts in the first half but only earned three points, while XLG’s happywei kept up the pressure, leading the team to nine points.

In the second half, BLG won the pistol round. In round 15, XLG brought rifles and won a head-to-head fight at long B with five players, securing the round.

BLG kept closing the gap in the second half. In round 19, whzy was first killed, BLG lost mid control, and although XLG entered from A short, they failed to win the round.

BLG kept pushing the score to 10-10. In round 21, Rarga made a 180-degree flick shot, breaking BLG’s defense at point B.

In round 23, BLG heavily defended point A but failed to stop XLG’s accelerated attack, allowing XLG to reach match point first.

In round 24, BLG again heavily defended point A but still couldn’t hold off XLG’s offense, with XLG winning Deep Sea Pearl 13-11.

Map Five: Neon Town

Defenders XLG: Night Dew, Mirage, Black Dream, Phantom Shadow, Viper

Attackers BLG: Viper, Black Dream, Phantom Shadow, Mirage, Iron Arm

In the first half, XLG won the pistol round, but BLG quickly mounted a comeback.

In round 4, XLG eliminated rushia mid and whzy on rush B. NoMan secured a triple kill from A second floor to stop BLG’s rotation. BLG’s attack was fully revealed by WsLeo’s Black Dream’s reconnaissance, and XLG countered with a smoke push to break BLG’s momentum.

In round 6, Rarga defended solo against three attackers, igniting XLG’s momentum as they scored eight consecutive points, while BLG managed only three in the half.

In the second half, happywei and Rarga pushed aggressively in the pistol round. In round 15, BLG held point B and won the bonus round.

In round 16, NoMan broke through point A and, together with Lysoar, resisted BLG’s retake, giving XLG match point.

In round 17, BLG was at a disadvantage with only two Vandals and one Judge. XLG attacked point A and clinched the round, winning Neon Town 13-4 and securing their spot at the Santiago Masters.