Get ready for the exciting battles in Week 2 Day 2 of VCT Pacific league featuring Team Secret, Paper Rex, Gen.G, and DetonatioN FocusMe.
SOUTH KOREA — The fifth day of the VCT Pacific league promises to be another exciting day, with four major teams set to go head-to-head in some thrilling matchups. Team Secret, fresh off an impressive win against Talon Esports in the previous week, will be looking to continue their strong form when they take on Paper Rex. Meanwhile, Gen.G will be going up against DetonatioN FocusMe in a battle that could prove to be crucial for both teams’ prospects in the tournament.
ALSO READ: VCT Pacific – Everything you need to know
Team Secret vs. Paper Rex
| Team Secret | Paper Rex |
| 🇸🇬 Benedict “Benkai” Tan 🇲🇾 Khalish “d4v41” Rusyaidee 🇮🇩 Jason “f0rsakeN” Susanto 🇮🇩 Aaron “mindfreak” Leonhart 🇸🇬 Wang “Jinggg” Jing Jie 🇷🇺 Ilya “something” Petrov 🇹🇭 Patiphan “CGRS” Posri 🇫🇷 Alexandre “alecks” Sallé (Head coach) | 🇵🇭 Jessie “JessieVash” Cristy Cuyco 🇵🇭 Jayvee “DubsteP” Paguirigan 🇵🇭 Jim “BORKUM” Timbreza 🇵🇭 Jeremy “Jremy” Cabrera 🇵🇭 Adrian “invy” Reyes 🇸🇬 Lionel “lenne” Lim 🇺🇸 Evan “Warbirds” Olzem (Coach) |
| Previous matchups: | Previous matchups: |
| vs. Talon Esports (WIN 2-1) | vs. DetonatioN FocusMe (WIN 2-0) |
| vs. Natus Vincere (LOST 0-2) | vs. Cloud9 (LOST 0-2) |
| vs. Team Liquid (WIN 2-0) | vs. DetonatioN FocusMe (WIN 1-0) |
| vs. Paper Rex (LOST 1-2) | vs. ZETA DIVISION (LOST 0-1) |
Team Secret will enter Week 2 of the VCT Pacific League with their morale high after an impressive performance in São Paulo, coupled with a crucial win against Talon Esports in the previous week. The Filipino side have been looking like a different team since the addition of Adrian “invy” Reyes, while the experience of the players, particularly that of Jessie “JessieVash” Cristy Cuyco and Jayvee “DubsteP” Paguirigan, is set to ensure that Team Secret’s LAN performance is nothing but stable. Jim “BORKUM” Timbreza, with his ‘clutch’ middle name, and the up-and-coming Jeremy “Jremy” Cabrera also offer a lot to the team.
Team Secret are looking in prime position to deliver a deep run, but they will be facing yet another powerhouse this week in the form of Paper Rex. After placing second at Masters Copenhagen last year, Paper Rex suffered a slump that saw them exit early in Istanbul and São Paulo, with the exception of the VALORANT India Invitational, where they emerged victorious against EMEA’s Team Heretics.
The Singaporean team looked towards former Sengoku Gaming star Ilia “something” Petrov to improve the results. It remains to be seen, however, whether the Russian duelist will be called up for their match against Team Secret. Besides him, Khalish “d4v41” Rusyaidee has been a synonym for consistency and quality, as ever, and his huge surge in form recently makes him one of the players to watch out for.
The upcoming match between Team Secret and Paper Rex is arguably the biggest story of the week, as the two teams were arch-rivals during the 2021 VCT season. These two specific core lineups have acquired a sort of history of meeting each other at the highest level two years ago. Their last encounter was at India during the OFF//SEASON period, in which Paper Rex took down Team Secret 2-1, both teams with the very same rosters. Considering the things Team Secret have done so far, however, it would be best for Alexandre “alecks” Sallé and his men to be wary and put in preparation against a dangerous opponent.
Gen.G vs. DetonatioN FocusMe
| Gen.G | DetonatioN FocusMe |
| 🇰🇷 Lee “k1Ng” Seung-won 🇰🇷 Yu “TS” Tae-seok 🇰🇷 Yeom “eKo” Wang-ryong 🇰🇷 Kim “Meteor” Tae-O 🇰🇷 Ko “Sylvan” Young-sub 🇰🇷 Kim “GodDead” Sung-sin 🇦🇺 Chris “Elmapuddy” Tebbit (Head coach) 🇰🇷 Lee “bail” Sung-jae (Coach) | 🇯🇵 Ryumon “Reita” Oshiro 🇯🇵 Tomoki “xnfri” Moriya 🇯🇵 Shogo “takej” Takemori 🇯🇵 Yoshitaka “Anthem” Enomoto 🇰🇷 Park “Seoldam” Sang-min 🇰🇷 Seo “Suggest” Jae-young 🇰🇷 Kim “HSK” Hae-seong (Head coach) 🇯🇵 Hirotaka “Melofovia” Okazaki (Coach) |
| Previous matchups: | Previous matchups: |
| vs. Rex Regum Qeon (WIN 2-0) | vs. Paper Rex (LOST 0-2) |
| vs. LOUD (LOST 0-2) | vs. Giants Gaming (LOST 0-2) |
| vs. ZETA DIVISION (LOST 0-2) | vs. FNATIC (LOST 0-1) |
| vs. DRX (LOST 1-2) | vs. DRX (LOST 0-1) |
Gen.G’s firepower has mainly come from Kim “Meteor” Tae-O and Lee “k1Ng” Seung-won, but the revamped version of this roster is something else. The acquisition of Kim “GodDead” Sung-sin has added a new dimension to their gameplay with his exceptional utility usage. In their first game against RRQ, GodDead’s impressive performance resulted in 37 assists in 41 rounds with KAY/0, demonstrating his immense impact on the team. In addition, Yu “TS” Tae-seok’s in-game leading and his high-fragging capability have made him a valuable asset to the team.
On the other hand, DetonatioN FocusMe has been struggling to find their footing since the announcement of their roster late last year. With no wins to their name so far, the team desperately needs a wake-up call to turn things around. Despite showing some promise by nearly defeating Paper Rex on their map pick of Lotus, they ultimately lost 11-13. Seo “Suggest” Jae-young was insane, by the way.
It’s an uphill battle for DFM, given the Korean team’s current form. However, a victory against Gen.G could signify a turning point for DFM and provide much-needed momentum for the team. In the long run, it still seems hard to picture DFM making it to Tokyo, but having a stronger and more competitive team is always welcome in the league. The upcoming match between DFM and Gen.G will give us a better and clearer picture of the respective teams’ firepower and capabilities.
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Cover photo courtesy of VCT Pacific
