A Shakedown: VCT Pacific League Week 6 Recap
The sixth week of VCT Pacific brought a wave of change to the leaderboard. GenG was poised to take the number two spot until the fifth week, but the week changed everything. We saw cracks in DRX when they took on RRQ and saw the potential of Global Esports. Let's recap the week.
VCT Pacific League Week 6 Recap:
T1 2-1 Detonation FocusMe:
DFM are arguably the weakest team at the VCT Pacific. Coming into the game, T1 was favoured. T1 started on offence on their map pick of Lotus and won five rounds in a row. DFM secured their first attacking round and turned it around to win five rounds. T1 maintained composure and readjusted to DFM to secure the half 7-5. Both teams tussled for control in the second half, but eventually, T1 came on top to secure their map pick 13-9.
Split saw DFM secure an early lead, leading 4-2 in the first six rounds. T1 answered back, securing three rounds in a row, but DFM finished the first half strong, winning the first half 7-5. The second half saw a battle for control, with T1 spilling the first blood by equalising. But DFM's defence came through as they secured the required six rounds to secure the map. The second map almost played similarly to the first, and with DFM winning, the series went to the third map.
The Fracture had DFM defence starting strong. The T1 attack stayed strong, and the half concluded in a tie. DFM attack once again started strong. The T1 defence limited and suppressed the DFM and secured the final map 13-10. With the loss, DFM has lost playoff hope. T1, on the other hand, has a shot at the second seed.
ZETA Division 2-1 Team Secret:
ZETA Division has upheld the Japanese Valorant throughout VCT Pacific, But a loss to Talon tarnished their record. Team Secret broke the losing streak last week and had the momentum in the week.
The battle between the two teams started on Split, chosen by ZETA. On defence, Team Secret struggled to hold off ZETA's coordinated attacks. The half ended 8-4 in favour of ZETA. In the second half, they extended this lead to 10. TS answered with five rounds, but ZETA's defence held strong as they closed the half 13-9.
Lotus saw Team Secret starting with a 5-0 lead. ZETA's offence pushed back and closed the half on a tie score. ZETA secured an early 2-round lead in the second half. But the TS attack was too much for them to take on. Secret secured the map 13-10 to force a third.
Fracture saw ZETA securing an early lead on the backs of their attack. Team Secret salvaged the half to close the first half 5-7. Despite a strong attempt from Team Secret, ZETA extended its lead to 9 and secured the final map 13-9.
The map result leads to TS and ZETA exchanging positions.
Global Esports 2-0 GenG:
Global Esports have been challengers struggling to close the games. GenG is the region's second-strongest team, and the clash was deemed an interesting watch. Starting on Pearl, GenG got an early lead of 6-3 and had momentum in their favour to conclude the half strong. Global Esports won two out of the last three rounds, salvaging the half for themselves. On attack, Global Esports was a different beast. GES started strong and dropped just one round before concluding the half 13-8.
Lotus saw GenG's defence struggling against SkRossi's Jett. But they somehow won the last two rounds to secure a 5-7 scoreline. But GES's defence quickly extended the lead to five rounds in the second half. GenG tried forcing their way back into the game, but GES's defence prevailed. With the win, GES won the series 2-0, upsetting the second-seed of Pacific. The win put GES on the leaderboard and in contention to secure a strong season. The tigers might be injured today, but they will pounce back stronger next week.
Rex Regum Qeon 1-2 DRX:
DRX were the clear favourites in the match. RRQ did show signs of brilliance but never enough. But the game was a different ball game altogether.
DRX's Haven was in a constant battle for control in the first half. RRQ did not let the kings of the Pacific have an easy battle and made them work for every round. The first half concluded with a tie, something which no one predicted. DRX secured the first two rounds in the second half, and it seemed it would be an easy ride. But RRQ's proactive defence completely shattered the DRX offence. RRQ, with their strong defence, went a map up, defeating DRX on Haven.
Split's first half again saw the teams tied in the first half. In the second half, the double-duelist composition of DRX came through, and they secured the second map 13-10.
Pearl wasn't close. DRX completely shattered RRQ's defence, winning the first half 10-2 and closing it out 13-2 in the second half. While DRX started weak, in the end, they dominated the enemy team to assert their dominance.
Talon Esports 1-2 Paper Rex:
Talon displayed that they could defeat ZETA last week and had the momentum working for them this week. Paper Rex themselves had an amazing win over Global Esports.
Talon picked the first map, and Paper Rex started the attack. The double-duelist composition of Paper Rex displayed its prowess, winning six rounds to start the map. Talon's defence answered back to make a case for themselves. The first half concluded with Paper Rex on a four-round lead. Talon's attack cut down Paper's (Rex) defence. Talon wins the first map and puts Paper Rex on the back foot.
Split started with Talon on the attack, but Paper Rex's defence this time wasn't as easy for Talon to take down. The solid Paper Rex defence helped them secure a strong 9-3 half which was converted into a 13-4 win.
The first half of Fracture was a brawl when the dust settled. Both teams secured six rounds a piece. In the second half, the Jingg-f0rsaken duo helped Paper Rex secure a strong five-round streak that converted into a map and series win. Paper Rex strengthens their position in the game and will be in a strong position to take a shot at the second spot when playing GenG. Talon still has hopes to make it to the playoffs but would need to win all three games to stand a chance.
With the Talon - Paper Rex game, the Week 6 action of VCT Pacific concludes. After the week, the team standings are as follows:
VCT Pacific Week 7 starts 6th May. Follow VCT Pacific's Twitter for all the updates regarding VCT Pacific.
Credits: Riot Games // VCT Pacific
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