DRX on the top: VCT Pacific League Week 5 recap
The VCT Pacific League Week 5 featured the battle for the first seed of the VCT Pacific. Additionally, We saw Talon finally winning the first game of VCT Pacific. The week saw the return of two strong teams in winning form and set the tone for the last three weeks of VCT Pacific.
VCT Pacific League Week 5 Recap:
Paper Rex 2-1 Global Esports:
Global Esports has been called the toughest challenger in VCT Pacific by many. The team has had some of the best matches but hasn’t been able to close out. On the other hand, Paper Rex is finally starting to get into the groove and re-discover itself as one of the best teams in the Pacific.
The game started with Icebox. Surprisingly the map was chosen by Paper Rex. Upon asking the reason for the map choice, f0rsaken suggested since it was the last week, it was an excellent opportunity to test the map. Paper Rex featured a composition with Cgrs on Gekko, with f0rsaken on Sova, Jingg on Sage, something on Jett, and Mindfreak on Viper.
The map started with both teams fighting for control, with the first half ending in a draw. The second half saw the GES attack get the better of the Paper Rex defence. The synergy of Global Esports helped them secure a strong 13-7 map win. GES did win the map, but it is to be noted that Paper Rex didn’t play Icebox, and it was the international debut of Cgrs.
Split saw d4v41 back in action, and Paper Rex’s attack took down GES’s defence on Split. Starting with a 4-0, PRX converted the strong start into a strong 9-3 half. The curse did not come into play despite GES’ attack starting strong, and PRX secured the second map 13-6 to force a third.
Once again on the attack, PRX rolled down the GES defence and secured a strong 6-1 start; GES adjusted to them and won back three rounds out of the last five. GES secured the pistol in the second half and had momentum in their favour. But Paper Rex’s aggressive defence pulled through, and they secured the game 2-1.
GenG 1-2 DRX:
GenG and DRX are the two strongest teams in VCT Pacific currently. The game was to set the first seed of VCT Pacific for the season. Starting on Haven, DRX surprised everyone by completely bullying GenG. GenG did not look to the point; they weren’t keeping up with DRX. DRX went on to win ten rounds in a row to close the half 11-1. GenG finally answered in the second half, but it was too late, as DRX won the first map 13-7.
On fracture, GenG looked much better. DRX, for the first time, ran a double-duelist composition. Both teams played the half properly to conclude the first half in a tie. In the second half, K1ng and eKo defended off the double-pronged attack of DRX. The defence helped them secure the map 13-10.
On the final map, DRX’s Pearl defence helped them secure a strong five rounds in a row. The defence secured nine rounds for DRX. On attack, DRX secured an Anti-eco and followed it up to win the series 2-1.
With the win, DRX established itself as the best team in the Pacific. But GenG displayed that they can go toe to toe with the best team in the league.
T1 2-0 RRQ:
T1 has been struggling in the last two games, and RRQ won the last two despite the odds, and they may upset yet another team. Starting on the RRQ’s Haven, T1 secured a strong four-round lead. RRQ salvaged the half before the end. T1 on defence extended the two-round lead in the first half to four. The lead helped T1 secure Haven 13-9.
On fracture, T1’s attack secured nine out of the ten rounds. The strong six-round lead was challenged immediately in the second half. But T1 quickly shut down the RRQ attack to secure the game 13-4. The map win helped T1 secure thier third series win. RRQ has some of the toughest games lining up for them.
Team Secret 2-0 Detonation Focus Me:
After winning their first two encounters, Team Secret has been struggling to secure their games. On the other hand, DFM is struggling to get their first win.
DFM started Ascent strong, but Team Secret quickly turned it around to ensure a tied first half. In the second half, the back and forth continued. Team Secret won the first map in the last round.
On Haven, Team Secret’s defence helped them keep DFM out of limits to secure nine rounds in the first half. Team Secret struggled to close in the second half but eventually won four required rounds to secure the second map.
With the win, Team Secret is back on the winning track. DFM is still struggling and will need the next four games to salvage the season.
ZETA DIVISION 0-2 Talon Esports:
ZETA Division has looked like the ultimate Japanese team in the last three games. Talon needs help role-wise and searching for their first win. Starting on Haven, Talon started strong as they closed the first half of Haven with an 8-4 lead. Talon extended the lead to five rounds, but ZETA won the anti-eco to mount a comeback. Talon quickly adjusted to secure the map 13-8.
On Ascent, ZETA and Talon fought for control and tied the first half. The back and forth continued, and despite ZETA securing an early map point, Talon won four rounds in a row to secure an OT. In the OT, Talon and ZETA exchanged rounds. But eventually, Talon and JitboyS came through and won their first game 2-0.
With the win, Talon finally won the first game, defeating one of the best teams in a 2-0 fashion. ZETA still are in a strong position and will be looking to close the games in the upcoming week.
Week 6 of VCT Pacific returns on 29th April. Follow VCT Pacific's Twitter for all the updates regarding VCT Pacific.