VCT PACIFIC PLAYOFFS DAY 5: Recap

DRX secured another Grand Finals following their recent win against T1.

Here's how they did it.

DRX 3-2 T1

In the lower finals of the region, DRX faced off against T1. DRX took on T1 before in the regular season, and it ended in DRX's favour. This game was T1's chance to recover and prove themselves, however, DRX wasn't having that, winning the game and securing another Grand Finals.

In the maps' selection process, DRX banned Lotus, picked both Ascent and haven, while T1 banned Split and picked both Fracture and Bind, with Pearl remaining as the decider.

The first map was Ascent, DRX's map pick. DRX started the first half on the attack side, where the team managed to demonstrate another level of VALORANT, gaining a six rounds lead over T1, as T1 looked lost most of the time. However, that would be short-lived, because with the start of the second half, T1 put it all and started clapping back. And although it seemed that T1 got a hang of the game, and that they were going to finish DRX's own map pick in their favour, DRX won an eco round, and it managed to give them a little bit of edge, but it wasn't enough for DRX, as T1 ended the series before DRX could mount a comeback. The final score was 13-11.

The second map was Fracture, T1's map pick. It seems that T1 might've lost the veto process, as DRX was the first team to define the Fracture meta, this map remains their playground and this game was no different despite T1's best efforts. T1 started the first half on the defence side, and managed to secure a four rounds lead over DRX. But the second half was all DRX, securing most of the rounds and winning the second half, becoming one map away from going to the Grand Finals against Paper Rex. The final score was 13-11.

The third map was Haven, DRX's map pick. DRX emerged as the victorious team on here. The match was a showcase of strategic brilliance, with DRX improving upon the Haven meta even further. From the beginning, DRX exhibited a commanding presence, securing a six rounds lead heading into the second half. Despite T1's valiant efforts to turn the tide against DRX, DRX was just on another level which propelled them to secure this map. The final score was 13-11.

The fourth map was Bind, T1's map pick. T1 showcased their dominance on here against DRX. Their team didn't allow DRX to excel, shutting down their best efforts and securing a hold on the map. Unlike previous maps, this map was a short one, the underdogs outmanoeuvred DRX and bested them on all fronts. In addition, DRX lost crucial rounds, which didn't help the winner of the previous map close this series. With their remarkable individual performances, T1 secured this map and pushed for a fifth map against DRX. The final score was 13-6.

The last map was Pearl, the decider. It is a well known fact that DRX's performance on Pearl is impeccable, this team has been abusing the B Site meta on this map for so long. DRX started the first half on the attack side, and the Korean team secured a four rounds lead over the opponent. DRX continued their dominant show on the second half as well, and although the enemies managed to secure a few rounds, that was just save-face as DRX closed the show and punched their ticket to the Grand Finals against Paper Rex. The final score was 13-9.

Leading DRX was Buzz, who had a KDA of 95-82-27 through all five maps, as well as an ACS of 247. Leading T1 was Xeta, who had a KDA of 84-69-35 through all five maps, and an ACS of 205.

With the win, DRX now advance further to the Grand Finals, where they will face off against Paper Rex on May 28th.

With the loss, T1 is eliminated from the competition.