100 Thieves survive Nongshim RedForce in Shanghai lower-bracket clash

100 Thieves defeated Nongshim RedForce 2-1 in a lower-bracket elimination match between two international champions at Champions Shanghai. The result sent the Korean team out of the tournament, while 100 Thieves remained in contention. The series brought together North America’s top-ranked 100 Thieves and Korea’s top-ranked Nongshim RedForce.

The opening map was Summit, selected by 100 Thieves and already heavily played during the event. Both teams used a mirrored setup built around Sage and Chamber. 100 Thieves made the faster start: bang claimed three kills in the pistol round, putting his team 2-0 ahead before the Thieves also took Nongshim’s bonus round.

Nongshim RedForce responded in the fourth round with its first point, and the remainder of the half became increasingly unpredictable. Timotino produced a major clutch in round six, after which Nongshim answered with a chaotic retake of the A site. Despite that resistance, 100 Thieves completed the series victory and kept their Shanghai campaign alive.

ColdMath take

100 Thieves stay alive in the lower bracket after the 2-1 win. Nongshim RedForce are eliminated, while 100 Thieves move on to another decisive match in Shanghai.

The early momentum came from bang’s pistol-round triple kill, but the series also showed Nongshim’s ability to respond under pressure.