The Valorant Champions 2023: Bilibili Gaming Shocks NRG with Judge Plays
In a stunning turn of events during day three of the Valorant Champions 2023 group stage, Bilibili Gaming (BLG) swept NRG 2-0, leaving one NA team on the brink of elimination. The surprise came from BLG’s players using the Judge, one of the lowest-skill guns in the game, to its full potential.
On the second map of Split, BLG’s duelist player Wang “whz” Haozhe consistently utilized the Judge, both defensively and aggressively against NRG’s experienced core. Employing a combination of strategic positions and satchel jumps to one-shot enemies, BLG’s NA opponents were left bewildered by the effectiveness of this seemingly unconventional weapon.
It wasn’t just the Judge that shocked NRG, though. On the first map, Lotus, BLG secured a victory in overtime with the help of Zhong “Biank” Jian Fei and his Fade ability. As the chaos unfolded in Split, BLG felt confident in their ability to catch flankers or lurkers off guard, thus opting for the Judge.
Unlike most players who typically pick up the Judge during save or force rounds, whz purchased the shotgun during full-buy rounds where rifles are the norm. Despite the risk associated with using the Judge on defense, whz proved its value in round four of Split.
In that pivotal round, NRG executed a play on the A site and despite two kills from Liu “Knight” Yuxiang, NRG managed to plant the spike in a two-vs-two scenario. With only the Judge in hand, whz’s teammate dropped a smoke directly on the spike, blinding it with Paranoia. Whz then utilized double satchels to fly through the air into the smoke, leaving Pujan “FNS” Mehta defenseless as he watched whz eliminate Sam “s0m” Oh, ultimately leading to the round win for BLG.
The surprises continued as the match progressed. BLG maintained their lead with whz choosing the Judge over a rifle in round 10, resulting in a crucial kill on an unsuspecting opponent. Round 14 was no different, with whz once again opting for the Judge during their first buy round. With a swift aerial kill and a well-coordinated push, BLG secured another victory.
These unconventional Judge plays by whz left NRG fans devastated. After a win, Liu “Knight” Yuxiang taunted FNS across the stage, aiming to mentally destabilize their frustrated opponents.
What sets whz’s Judge plays apart from the norm in Valorant is the versatility in their execution. Aggressive satchel plays and lurks in smokes catch opponents off guard, while defensive holds of popular choke points or corner clears keep the enemy guessing. Similar to the fear an Operator can instill by being moved strategically around the map, the Judge forces players to diligently check every corner, or else they will fall victim to its devastating shotgun blasts.
With BLG’s impressive win, their next challenge awaits in the form of Fnatic on August 9th. A win against Fnatic would be an even greater upset. However, if BLG loses, they will have an opportunity to face NRG once again on August 13th, this time for the final playoff spot from Group C. Regardless, all the teams in the Valorant Champions must now prepare for the fear and shock that BLG’s Judge gameplay has sent down NRG’s spines.