The first significant day of the VCT Masters Shanghai Swiss Stage has ended. Gen.G and G2 Esports won their respective matches to book a spot in the top eight.
Gen.G 2-1 FunPlus Phoenix
The day started with an Asian derby between Gen.G and FunPlus Phoenix. Judging from the match against Leviatan, the South Korean roster did not look like they were in peak form, while the Chinese representatives had a relatively strong performance on the previous day.
Gen.G had the first map pick of the series, selecting Lotus as the battleground. The FunPlus Phoenix squad was clearly prepared and warmed up for the first map, as they were off to a dominant start, securing ten rounds in the first half. The Chinese roster quickly secured the second pistol round to go 11-2, and the map seemed over.
However, Gen.G could win a thrifty round to win eight consecutive rounds, putting the score at 11-10. Eventually, the map was forced into overtime, meaning both teams could only manage two rounds on defense. FunPlus Phoenix could let out a relieving sigh as they managed to close out the map in overtime, 16-14, after nearly throwing a nine-round lead.
Life on Raze was the most impactful player on Lotus, finishing the map 30/24/4 with 281 ACS and eight first bloods. T3xture matched his counterpart’s performance with seven first bloods, but his team could not help him win the map.
The second map was played on Sunset, which FunPlus Phoenix selected. Gen.G had a better beginning to the map, winning the pistol round and building a 5-2 lead on their offense. Still, FunPlus Phoenix managed to collect some rounds throughout the end of the half to find a 6-6 scoreline.
Unfortunately, FunPlus Phoenix could not find a successful offensive campaign, as Gen.G shut down FunPlus Phoenix in the second half to win the map 13-7. The Taiwanese in-game leader, BerLIN, ended the map 4/17/7 on Habor, having one of the roughest games in his career.
Valorant fans were treated to an intense decider on Ascent, where BerLIN picked up the slack using Omen, but his impeccable performance was matched by Meteor’s Killjoy.
FunPlus Phoenix continued to show struggles on the attacking side as Gen.G built an 8-4 lead at the end of the first half. However, BerLIN led by example, helping his team find a way back into the game.
Still, the Chinese fans were not happy to see what t3xture and Meteor were up to, as the South Korean duo proved to be too much to handle, and FunPlus Phoenix was forced to concede the series after a narrow 11-13 loss.
BerLIN went 28/17/9 to make up for his poor performance in the previous game, but Meteor outdid him, ending the map 31/15/3. T3xture went 23/19/2, which isn’t too insane, but seven of his kills were first bloods.
Even with the home crowd advantage, FunPlus Phoenix find themselves in an elimination match in the 1-1 pool. Meanwhile, Gen.G will join Paper Rex in the Playoffs stage.
G2 Esports 2-1 Team Heretics
The second qualification match of the day featured G2 Esports taking on Team Heretics. The North American squad barely won their series against T1 after a miraculous comeback on the third map. At the same time, Team Heretics looked relatively good against Dragon Ranger Gaming despite their stand-in situation.
The series started with Lotus, the map pick of Team Heretics. G2 won the pistol round and picked up a few more, but Team Heretics shut down the North American offense by winning four straight rounds at the end of the half, resulting in an 8-4 scoreline in favor of the Europeans.
Being such an offense-sided map, Team Heretics could use their four-round safety net to quickly end Lotus 13-9 in their favor. All five Heretics players contributed equally to winning the series. Trent had a concerning performance on his Fade, going 5/18/8.
Bind was the second map of the series, picked by G2, as it is known to be one of their best maps. Team Heretics had a good start to the map, winning the pistol round to build a quick 3-1 lead. However, once G2 got their weapons out, they won eight straight rounds on the offense to end the half 9-3.
The defensive side wasn’t much harder for G2, as they swiftly closed the map 13-6. W0ot had an exemplary performance the other day, having to adjust to the Duelist role. However, discomfort in the transition of roles showed in this map, as he couldn’t find much impact playing Raze.
The final map of the series, Split, followed a similar story to the second game. G2 started on the attacking side. The Americans won the pistol round and seven more to lead 8-0. Team Heretics picked up some scraps to at least end the half 9-3.
Still, G2 held a six-round lead at halftime, and the round difference was too substantial for Team Heretics to get a comeback going. The third map was completed with a score of 13-8 in favor of the EMEA representatives after JonahP had a great showing on Breach, going 22/14/7.
PLAYOFFS BABY
2-1 @TeamHeretics we just getting started 😉#G2WIN BABYYY pic.twitter.com/wFpTY0utid
— G2 valyn (@valynfps) May 25, 2024
Despite being considered one of the weaker teams in the tournament, G2 managed to secure a spot in the top eight. Still, they didn’t defeat the strongest teams: Dragon Ranger Gaming, regarded as the weakest team in the tournament, and Team Heretics, who are playing without their star player.
Header: G2 Esports
