The first two teams to qualify for VALORANT Masters Shanghai have been found as T1 and Paper Rex took down Gen.G and DRX, respectively, in the qualification matches.
SOUTH KOREA – T1 and Paper Rex have booked spots at VALORANT Masters Shanghai following victories over Gen.G and DRX, respectively, at the VCT Pacific Stage 1 Upper Semi-finals (Mid-Season Playoffs).
Gen.G and DRX are not out of contention just yet, however, as they will face off on Sunday for the final qualifying berth.
Besides their tournament lives, Gen.G will be fighting for their Shanghai qualification after an impressive run in Madrid just a month ago where they reached the grand finals against Sentinels, while DRX are at risk of missing out on another international event, having lost to Gen.G in the VALORANT Masters Madrid qualification game and now in danger of a second consecutive absence.
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T1 were the first team to qualify, with the Kevin “xccurate” Susanto-led side first dispatching Team Secret in the knockout round and then beating Gen.G on their way to securing their next international appearance. It is a big feat for T1 after they failed to qualify for VALORANT Masters Madrid earlier in the year and their narrow entry into the playoffs with a 2-4 record.
The second spot was claimed by the Southeast Asian powerhouse Paper Rex, who will be making their ninth international appearance in the past three years. Khalish “d4v41” Rusyaidee and co. looked prime to secure qualification as they took down DRX on their map pick of Lotus 13-6 to open the series, but then the Korean side bounced back on Ascent with a dominant performance from youngsters Kang “BeYN” Ha-bin and Jung “Foxy9” Jae-sung 13-10. The decider map on Bind began with an 8-4 attacking half lead for PRX before they closed it out with a 13-6 score to secure the victory.
To add to the excitement, the Susanto brothers, xccurate and Jason “f0rsakeN” Susanto, will be attending an international event together for the first time, despite being on different teams. However, before flying to Shanghai, the already-qualified T1 and Paper Rex are set to compete against each other in the upper final, scheduled for Sunday, May 5, at 4 PM SGT (UTC+8).
VALORANT Masters Shanghai will play out from May 23 to June 9, featuring twelve teams from the four major VCT regions. The event will be held at the Mercedes-Benz Arena Shanghai for the final three days, boasting a seating capacity of 18,000 according to the official website of the venue.
Below you can find the current team list for VALORANT Masters Shanghai:
| 🇸🇬 Paper Rex | 🇰🇷 T1 |
| Pacific #3 | Americas #1 |
| Americas #2 | Americas #3 |
| EMEA #1 | EMEA #2 |
| EMEA #3 | CN #1 |
| CN #2 | CN #3 |
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Cover photo courtesy of VCT Pacific
