XLG suffered another sweep at the hands of NRG! Their three-sentinel system was broken, and they couldn't withstand any pressure!

In the first round of the Swiss stage at the Valorant 2026 London Masters, CN region's XLG faced Americas region's NRG. Meeting their old rival NRG once again, the final result was 2-0. They were swept by their opponent in London just as they were at the Santiago Masters! Looking at the performance across both maps, it was clear there was a significant gap in strength between the two teams. On one side, the seasoned powerhouse was rock-solid; on the other, XLG seemed hesitant, unable to handle the pressure, and looked like a scattered mess. Perhaps it was due to the opponent's strength, or maybe XLG hadn't found their rhythm yet. They will now drop to the losers' bracket in the Swiss stage, and one more loss will eliminate them from this Masters tournament!

Returning to this BO3 match, the hope was that XLG would quickly get into form in the international tournament, but they were too slow to find their touch. On map one, Icebox, the team made too many uncharacteristic mistakes: failing to double-peek in a 2v1, losing 1v1 duels, rushing a backstab and getting reversed, planting the spike at the wrong timing, and being unable to defend or hold down the site after entry. It felt like a heap of issues, though Noman did show some individual brilliance in the first half.

But even that couldn't compensate for the team's errors, especially their inability to handle the opponent's tactics. Facing the super-brained Ethan's leadership, XLG dared not push forward, couldn't hold positions, lost gunfights in default setups, and froze while holding angles—truly helpless. There was also Keiko, playing on home turf, whose aim was incredibly fierce (he went off). Their double-initiator composition put heavy pressure on XLG, both on attack and defense, ultimately securing the first map 13-6.

On map two, Lotus, XLG's signature map—home to their unique three-sentinel lineup! Earlier, NRG's commander Ethan had commented on XLG's three-sentinel system, saying they had studied it and, since LEV had also used it against them, they were confident in handling it. XLG started with a 6-0 run, completely stunning NRG, but after a brief adjustment, NRG demonstrated their strength and adaptability, chaining rounds together. With the score at 11-5, NRG shut down XLG's scoring and eventually won the map!

At the start of map two, XLG's three-sentinel system gave CN fans a brief moment of excitement—it seemed like they had something going. However, against an absolute powerhouse, there was still a gap. The team couldn't withstand the pressure and kept letting NRG string rounds together. Particularly Keiko's individual showcase: constantly switching positions, making him impossible to pin down or break through. Hopefully, XLG can make adjustments and secure their first win next time!