Vitality and EDG triumphed over DRX and G2 in three-map series to make playoffs at Masters Bangkok
Vitality edge win over DRX to be the first team to qualify for playoffs
The third day of Masters Bangkok saw the Swiss stage teams with a 1-0 record face off. The first series had DRX going up against Vitality. The former were coming in off of a huge win against Sentinels, while Vitality had defeated T1. Vitality picked the first map of play to be Bind, opting for a more traditional Brim-Viper-Raze comp, while DRX went with the Brim-Cypher-Yoru in contrast.
Starting on defense, Vitality showed off their comfort on the map with a clean 3-0 start. With Vitality’s retake capabilities causing immense pressure for DRX, the latter were only able to win four rounds in the half, which culminated at 8-4. After the side-swap, DRX looked like they might be able to mount a comeback with a three-round start to get close to tying things up 8-7. Vitality had their opponent’s measure though, winning the next four rounds to get to match point. DRX were only able to eke one more round win out before Vitality won Bind 13-8. Despite HYUNMIN having the highest ACS on the server on Yoru with 23 kills, the next closest DRX member having 13. In contrast, Derke and Trexx had 21 and 17 kills, respectively.
DRX’s map of choice was Abyss, which they had won both times they’d played during Kickoff. They won the pistol but lost the anti-eco, and this seesaw state of affairs continued throughout the first half, with the half culminating in a 6-6 standoff. Vitality found an early lead with three rounds in a row, including a bonus round win off of an ace from Derke. DRX were not without stars of their own, with MaKo in particular dropping 15 kills in the half. In the end, DRX found themselves at match point first and denied overtime, narrowly pushing the series to a decider map for the first time in the tournament.
Split would cement which team would make it to the playoffs, and it was DRX starting on the attack. Similar to map one, Vitality preferred to have Derke on Raze while HYUNMIN was on his usual Yoru pick. DRX got off to a fiery start with a 6-2 lead, but after a timeout, Vitality were back on track, winning out the next four rounds to tie things up 6-6. On attack, both Derke and Kicks had a new fire lit under them, enabling Vitality to win the next four rounds to get to 10-6. DRX were able to win two more rounds thanks to 3Ks from BeYn and HYUNMIN, but Vitality got themselves to match point first. DRX won three more to get themselves to 12-11, one round away from a chance at an OT win. Vitality powered through though, successfully denying overtime to take the map 13-11 and becoming the first team to qualify for playoffs at Masters Bangkok.
Derke was the undoubted MVP of the series, with 78 kills through the series, a +24 kill differential, and 19 first kills.
EDward Gaming triumph over G2 in a three-map thriller
The second team to qualify for the playoffs was EDG, taking down G2 Esports. The series saw G2 choose Pearl as their choice of map, with EDG selecting Bind next, and the decider being Fracture.
EDG opened on Pearl on attack, starting off strong with a 6-2 lead. G2 did recover a bit thanks to a round nine thrifty win, eventually tying up the half with four straight rounds in a row. EDG would win the second pistol on the map too, with both teams trading rounds until the scoreline hit 12-12. For EDG, it was CHICHOO, Smoggy, and ZmjjKK topping the scoreboard while G2 had trent, valyn, and jawgemo dropping 20-odd kills each. Neither team seemed able to find an advantage, adapting quickly to the other’s playstyle, until eventually, G2 found two consecutive rounds, finally winning the map 18-16, despite CHICHOO having the best individual stats on the server.
Despite losing map one, EDG looked in control heading into Bind. Opting for a Vyse over a Viper, they were starting on defense and were able to find a strong start, opening 4-1. G2 did counter with two rounds of their own, but EDG won the next four rounds, with 3Ks from Smoggy, nobody, and ZmjjKK to bring the score to 8-3.
G2 were able to win out the final round of the half despite having a lower buy to end 8-4 in EDG’s favor, but the Chinese top seed won the next pistol too. G2 stole away the following round and used that momentum to get the score within one round, with it being 9-8 in EDG’s favor. EDG were able to snowball some ults and showcase the incredible post-plant tools available with Tejo’s Salvo, Brim’s ult and incendiary, and Kayo’s Fragment, winning the next four rounds to take the map 13-8 and push the series to a map three.
Fracture saw EDG opt for a more old-school Neon/Cypher agent pick while G2 chose to run Raze and Vyse. EDG were fired up from the previous map win and got off to a flawless start on the defense side with a 6-0 start. G2 won their first round in the half with a huge 4K from valyn, but that was all they would be allowed in the half. EDG shut down every lane of attack G2 tried, and were able to close out the half 11-1, just two rounds away from qualifying for the playoffs. EDG were consistently able to rotate faster thanks to their Neon pick and had better info thanks to the Cypher.
EDG won the final pistol of the series, making their win rate for pistols 6/6 today and getting themselves to 12-1. G2 put up a last-ditch effort and won three more rounds before EDG cemented their date with destiny, winning the series with a 13-4 decider map. CHICHOO and ZmjjKK were the heroes for EDG, both having 63 kills apiece across the series, with ZmjjKK having 17 first kills and CHICHOO going +21 in kill differential.
G2 will now have one more chance to qualify for the playoffs, facing off against one of the winning teams in the 0-1 Swiss games happening tomorrow.
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Cover photo courtesy of Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
