Xipto Esports huddle back stage at the 2024 VALORANT Game Changers Championship Knockouts stage in Berlin, Germany on November 13, 2024. Jian Chen, Riot GamesMANILA -- Southeast Asian squad Xipto Esports absorbed their first series loss at the 2024 Valorant Game Changers Championship in Berlin, Germany, at the hands of the reigning queens, Shopify Rebellion, 2-0.

The Filipino-Indonesian team's loss comes after winning a full series that concluded in double overtime over SR's fellow North American contender, FlyQuest Red. 

READ: Xipto Esports opens 2024 Game Changers Championship with a full series overtime win

In Xipto's map pick, Pearl, it was initially a tie game in the first half, equally taking rounds off one another. 

Even though the Pacific squad took both pistol and eco rounds in the map, it took a thrifty in the second half bonus round behind Ava "florescent" Eugene on Jett for SR to start a seven round streak and take a series point.

On Sunset, SR's map pick, Xipto took the lead at the half, 7-5, behind clutch rounds from Alexy "Alexy" Francisco and in-game leader Ryona "Tara" Shannen Tan.

But the lead was short-lived as SR won four straight rounds in the second half after taking the eco round from Xipto.

The ex-Team SMG managed to tie the game with the champs at 11 rounds each, but eventually SR pulled away with two more rounds to reach the finish. 

florescent led the way for the reigning champions with 48 kills, 28 deaths, and 12 assists, while Alexy headlined for Xipto at 33 kills, 30 deaths, and 8 assists. 

This win for SR puts them in the upper bracket finals, mirroring Game Changers Championship 2023 in a faceoff with EMEA Region's G2 Gozen.

Xipto meanwhile will continue their campaign for the crown in the lower bracket against Latin American squad KRÜ Blaze where both team's tournament lives are on the line.