DRX and Talon secure wins at VCT LOCK//IN to set up Alpha bracket semi-final match
Talon Esports have been dealt the toughest draw on paper, as they are set to face off against Pacific rivals DRX.
BRAZIL – DRX and Talon Esports will square off in the Alpha Bracket’s semi-finals at VCT LOCK//IN following victories over Cloud9 and Evil Geniuses, respectively. Kim "stax" Gu-taek’s troops edged past their North American opponents after one-sided 2-1 series (Pearl 3-13, Haven 13-7, Icebox 13-2), while Thanamethk "Crws" Mahatthananuyut required only two maps to fend off their opponents (Haven 13-11, Split 13-10).
Following the win, the head coach of DRX, Seon-ho "termi" Pyeon, revealed a surprising fact during the post-match press conference, wherein he mentioned that “the weather in São Paulo was raining cats and dogs," which made the mousepads and other equipment of the team a little damp, thereby creating a “huge obstacle” for them, particularly during the first map. “Our aims are a little bit off, and that was a huge obstacle for us, and I think that was one of the biggest reasons why we dropped the first map, but after the second map, I guess the players kinda got used to it, and we were able to push it through from there.“
To make matters worse, three of his players, stax, Byung-chul "BuZz" Yu, and Kim "Zest" Gi-seok, were feeling under the weather. Despite these challenges, the coach expressed his appreciation for the team's victory and stated that he previously thought it was impossible without a miracle. “I am grateful that they were able to push it through and pull it through,” he added before further emphasizing that the illness was indeed a hindrance to their performance, which could have an impact on their upcoming game, albeit not significantly. “I think it is not going to be a huge problem for us tomorrow, but it will definitely affect how we perform tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, in the next round of post-match press conferences, Crws of Talon Esports also commented on the upcoming semi-final matchup, stating that it would be a challenging game. He pointed out that his team had played against DRX several times before, and the latter had performed better. “We have played against them a couple of times, and they have done better than us, so we just gotta use the experience we have had [when] we played and scrimmed against them. Try to use it to our advantage and try to win.”
The match will take place on Monday at 4 AM SGT in what will be a spicy battle between the two remaining Pacific teams in the Alpha Bracket of VCT LOCK//IN in a bid to secure a top-four finish.
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Cover photo courtesy of Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games