100 Thieves knocked out NRG 2-0 in a do-or-die lower-bracket match at Champions Shanghai on October 11, ending the reigning Champions Paris winners’ hopes of going back-to-back and making them the first Americas team eliminated from the event. Sunset needed overtime before 100 Thieves pulled away, and Haven turned into a one-sided finish that sent the North American squad into the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
The series opened on 100 Thieves’ map pick of Sunset, where both teams leaned on Omen, Fade and Neon. 100 Thieves paired Asuna’s Phoenix with the team’s double-Duelist look, while NRG put Ethan on KAY/O. The Sentinel roles also differed: keiko’s Chamber had been one of the tournament’s most reliable picks, and Cryocells’ Cypher helped hold sites across the map pool.
NRG came out faster. After winning the pistol round, the champions took the first three rounds before 100 Thieves answered with a thrifty round behind Sheriffs in round four. That stop gave the Thieves a foothold, and the next stretch became a back-and-forth fight over mid control and B-site pressure. NRG’s fast B-site hit briefly threatened to run away with the half, but Ethan’s KAY/O ultimate sparked a B-site split through mid for a 4-2 lead.
From there, 100 Thieves steadied the game. NRG won only two rounds on attack, while B-site Cypher utility, Timotino’s multikills and strong calling from IGL vora helped 100 Thieves secure a 7-5 halftime lead. The round-by-round pattern showed how narrow the map was: NRG could break through, but 100 Thieves kept trading back with utility and late-round discipline.
The second half followed the same script at first. NRG converted the pistol round, the bonus and the eco to jump ahead 8-7, and the defending champions looked ready to take control. 100 Thieves answered with four of the next five rounds to reclaim an 11-9 lead. At match point in round 22, NRG kept Sunset alive with a textbook 2v1 and a B-site hold, forcing the map into rare Shanghai overtime.
Overtime ended quickly. 100 Thieves opened the extra rounds with two nearly flawless wins and closed Sunset 14-12. Vora and keiko were the highest-rated players on the map, each finishing with a 1.28 rating. The finish mattered because Sunset had been close throughout, and one late defensive stop would have flipped the result. Instead, 100 Thieves won the key gunfights when the map was decided.
Haven was a different story. NRG chose the map and again used a Phoenix and Neon double-Duelist setup, with the only major composition difference being keiko’s Chamber and Cryocells’ Cypher. This time NRG started strongly, taking the first two rounds behind keiko’s five kills in the opening two rounds. After that, the map collapsed for the defending champions. NRG managed only two more rounds for the rest of the map, and 100 Thieves’ defense shut down nearly every site hit.
bang, Asuna and Timotino combined for 33 kills in the half as 100 Thieves built an 8-4 lead. The round structure was cleaner than Sunset: the Thieves did not need overtime or a comeback from the edge because they controlled the map from the first defensive sequence onward. NRG’s entries were stalled early, and the North American challengers repeatedly held space before converting retakes.
The second half was even more lopsided. 100 Thieves won the pistol round, then stacked four straight rounds to finish the series 13-4 and eliminate NRG. Timotino and Asuna repeatedly took space into whichever site they wanted, and the pistol win set up the closing run. Asuna topped the server on Haven with a 1.35 rating, and his Phoenix was central to how quickly 100 Thieves could break through NRG’s setups.
100 Thieves now continue their lower-bracket run and have booked a spot in the Mercedes-Benz Arena. They will face the winner of G2 Esports and T1 in Lower Round 3. Earlier in the event, G2 swept 100 Thieves to reach the upper semifinals, while NRG had beaten other opponents on the way to this elimination match.
After the series, NRG’s bonkar said the defeat came down to being outplayed: “They are a very good team and they played better than us.” He added, “today they were just the better team in the server, simple.” Vora, meanwhile, said the arena setting would not change his approach at the next stage, noting that he has some big-stage experience and tends to block out the noise while playing.
Champions Shanghai resumes after a four-day break with 100 Thieves against the winner of T1 and G2 in Lower Round 3, and Team Vitality facing LOUD in the upper final. The playoff bracket now moves on without the reigning champions, and 100 Thieves are still alive after a series that demanded a full map and a sharp response on the next one.
For more on 100 Thieves’ earlier loss to G2, see GAMER2GO’s coverage of that upper-bracket match. For the tournament’s other recent results, GAMER2GO also reported on Vitality’s win over G2 and LOUD’s victory over NRG.
Sunset overtime after NRG won pistol is wild
not really wild, Sunset always does this when both teams can brawl on mid and B
we threw Sunset after pistol too lol
that one hurts because it always feels free after the pistol and bonus. one bad mid call and suddenly the whole half is scrambled, and Sunset turns into a coinflip if nobody keeps the pace.
same here, we got 8-7 and then lost every retake. one pistol swing and the half goes to chaos fast.
pistol doesnt matter if you drop the bonus though
yeah but we did lose it after that too 🙁
keiko Chamber getting another mention is interesting, that pick still looks alive
Chamber on keiko and Cypher on Cryocells feels like the kind of split that only works when the aim is awake. if the duelists are taking space cleanly, the sentinel gap never gets exposed, but the moment the entries stall it just becomes a very expensive sightseeing tour for the attackers.
my stack lost from 8-4 once
classic comeback script
painful man
NRG only got two more rounds after Haven started, that is brutal