The penultimate week of VCT Pacific Stage 1 has wrapped up, and has seen the region's eight-team playoff field decided. While the eight teams to enter the playoffs have been decided, a few crucial matches to determine seedings await in the final week of play.
Here is how last week's matches went:
- Rex Regum Qeon 2-1 FULL SENSE
- Paper Rex 2-0 Global Esports
- Kiwoom DRX 2-1 Gen.G
- DetonatioN FocusMe 2-1 VARREL
- T1 2-0 ZETA DIVISION
- Nongshim RedForce 2-1 Team Secret
Here are the current standings in each group and the playoff permutations for each team heading into the final week of the group stage.
Group Alpha
1.
Kiwoom DRX
Kiwoom DRX
Korea
Rank #3
Hermes
Ahn Byeong-wook (안병욱)
yong
Kim Ho-yong (김호용)
MaKo
Kim Myeong-gwan (김명관)
free1ng
No Ha-jun (노하준)
HYUNMIN
Song Hyun-min (송현민)
BeYN
Kang Ha-bin (강하빈)
(4-0)
Kiwoom DRX advanced to 4-0 last week with a 2-1 win over Gen.G, which was arguably the most entertaining match of the week. Both teams played to their strengths on their respective map picks, leading to a winner-takes-all Lotus. KRX took the early 9-3 advantage, but faltered on attack, leading to overtime. In overtime, KRX's experience shone, with resilience leading to a 19-17 win. KRX has long secured its spot in the playoffs, but can now secure Group Alpha's top seed with a win over PRX in the 'RX Derby'.
Playoff outlook: Playoffs secured. Secures first seed with win over PRX. Slips to second seed with loss.
2.
Paper Rex
Paper Rex
Asia-Pacific
Rank #1
invy
Adrian Jiggs Reyes
Jinggg
Wang Jing Jie
f0rsakeN
Jason Susanto
d4v41
Khalish Rusyaidee
something
Ilya Petrov
(3-1)
The dinosaurs of Pacific dominated their series against Global Esports, winning 2-0. PRX kicked off the series by robbing GE's map pick of Split 13-3, moving to its own pick of Pearl. GE's Pearl looked strong, as the multinational squad claimed an early 7-1 lead. PRX brought it back to 8-4 at halftime, then shut GE out once it got to its own defense side, winning 13-8. Similarly to KRX, PRX has a chance at claiming Group Alpha's top seed with a win, and will finish second with a loss in the match.
Playoff outlook: Playoffs secured. Secures first seed with win over KRX. Slips to second seed with loss.
3.
Nongshim RedForce
Nongshim RedForce
Korea
Rank #1
Xross
Jeonghwan (정환)
Rb
Goo Sang-min (구상민)
Francis
Kim Mu-bin (김무빈)
Dambi
Lee Hyuk-kyu (이혁규)
Ivy
Park Sung-hyeon (박성현)
(2-2)
After starting the group stage 0-2 against the eventual top-two finishers in PRX and KRX, Nongshim RedForce has bounced back effectively, evening out its record to 2-2 and now just a win away from securing a spot in the upper bracket of the playoffs. Last week against Team Secret, Nongshim continued with Francis on Neon and Masters Santiago MVP Dambi on the secondary Duelist role. Nongshim looked strong on Breeze and looked to continue its stellar form on Fracture, but failed to close out the series as Secret won its first map of the stage. On the decider map of Pearl, a former perma ban of Nongshim's, Dambi's Phoenix had a map-high 1.55 rating to close out the series 2-1. Nongshim could be at risk of starting from the lower bracket in the playoffs, but will have control over its own destiny against Global Esports.
Playoff outlook: Playoffs secured. Secures third seed with win over GE. Slips to fourth seed and starts in lower bracket with loss.
4.
Global Esports
Global Esports
Asia-Pacific
Rank #5
PatMen
Patrick Mendoza
UdoTan
Go Kyung-won (고경원)
Kr1stal
Savva Fedorov
xavi8k
Xavier Juan
Autumn
Kale Dunne
(2-2)
Global, after starting the stage 2-0 and shedding the old 'Red light, green light' curse, has slipped, losing two straight to KRX and PRX. With the team's unique comps not quite working the way that they were against TS and GEN, GE now enters its final group stage match with high stakes. While the team has already qualified for its first-ever playoff phase, that maiden campaign could kick off from the lower bracket with a loss to Nongshim. A win would help GE leapfrog the Santiago winners, but a loss would put FrosT 's squad one loss away from ending its Stage 1 campaign.
Playoff outlook: Playoffs secured. Secures third seed with win over NS. Slips to fourth seed and starts in lower bracket with loss.
5.
Gen.G
Gen.G
Korea
Rank #5
Lakia
Kim Jong-min (김종민)
ZynX
Kim Dong-ha (김동하)
Ash
Ha Hyun-cheol (하현철)
Karon
Kim Won-tae (김원태)
t3xture
Kim Na-ra (김나라)
(1-3)
Gen.G, needing a win against KRX last week for a chance at qualifying for the playoffs, lost in heartbreaking fashion, falling 19-17 in the decider map of a 2-1 series. First-year IGL Lakia showed cracks in the armor against a more experienced KRX squad while also competing with KiTae , who made his VCT debut following ZynX 's benching due to injury. Despite the result, Gen.G played arguably some of its best Valorant all stage in the loss to KRX. Karon and t3xture dropped a joint-series-high 58 kills across all three maps, handling the Sentinel and Duelist duties while Ash moved onto Neon duties. All that is left for Gen.G this week is a consolation match against Team Secret.
Playoff outlook: Eliminated from playoffs. Finishes fifth with win over TS and slips to sixth with loss.
6.
Team Secret
Team Secret
Asia-Pacific
Rank #141
kellyS
Kelly Sedillo
JessieVash
Jessie Cuyco
Zeus
Jhian Vega
Sylvan
Go Young-sup (고영섭)
BerserX
Rizkie Adla Kusuma
(0-4)
Team Secret won its first map of the stage against Nongshim RedForce, integrating new Duelist player Zeus into the side and defeating the Masters Santiago winners on Fracture. Team Secret has shown glimpses of brilliance throughout the group stage, with players like Sylvan , kellyS , and BerserX having their moments. TS's last match of the stage will be against Gen.G, who have also fallen out of playoff contention.
Playoff outlook: Eliminated from playoffs. Finishes fifth with win over GEN and slips to sixth with loss.
Group Omega
1.
T1
T1
Korea
Rank #2
stax
Kim Gu-taek (김구택)
Meteor
Kim Tae-oh (김태오)
BuZz
Yu Byeong-cheol (유병철)
iZu
Ham Woo-ju (함우주)
Munchkin
Byeon Sang-beom (변상범)
(4-0)
T1 has been nothing short of dominant in Stage 1. In the post-Yoru meta, T1 has opted against running double Duelist comps on most maps, instead opting for BuZz on Neon and iZu as a Sentinel. Having been placed in Group Omega, KDG 's squad has quietly had a dominant run. With four wins in the dust, T1 still has work to do to secure the top seed. A loss this week against FULL SENSE could result in a two or three-way tie for the top spot in the group.
Playoff outlook: Playoffs secured. Secures first seed with win over FS. Loss and RRQ win over DFM could force three-way tie. Loss and RRQ loss will secure second seed.
2.
Rex Regum Qeon
Rex Regum Qeon
Asia-Pacific
Rank #4
Monyet
Cahya Nugraha
xffero
David Monangin
Jemkin
Maksim Batorov
Kushy
Bryan Carlos Setiawan
crazyguy
Ngô Công Anh
(3-1)
RRQ has been decent in strides throughout the course of this stage. Head coach Jovi has done a good job of throwing different looks at opponents, including Jemkin as Killjoy on Haven while Monyet handles Neon duties. In last week's match against FULL SENSE, RRQ looked up to its full potential that it teased throughout all of last year. This coming week against DFM, it has the chance to have a say in its seeding for the playoffs.
Playoff outlook: Playoffs secured. Could enter three-way tie with T1 and FS. Could slip to fourth with loss to DFM.
3.
FULL SENSE
FULL SENSE
Asia-Pacific
Rank #3
Leviathan
Thanyathon Nakmee
Killua
Tanate Teerasawad
primmie
Papaphat Sriprapha
JitBoyS
Jittana Nokngam
Crws
Thanamethk Mahatthananuyut
(3-1)
FULL SENSE, after starting the campaign 3-0, suffered its first setback in a 2-1 loss to RRQ. While enjoying the good times, FS had no reason to change things about its approach to the game, but may be forced to do so now, faced with a big match against T1. While the the path to playoffs is secured, a loss against the group's current leaders may send FS into the playoffs as the third seed, while a win could get the team the top seed.
Playoff outlook: Playoffs secured. Could enter three-way tie with T1 and FS. Could slip to third with loss to T1.
4.
DetonatioN FocusMe
DetonatioN FocusMe
Japan
Rank #2
Meiy
Ibuki Seki
SSeeS
Tomonori Okimura
yatsuka
Kazuya Ikeda
Caedye
Amon Mateus Okakura
Akame
Yu Gwang-hui (유광희)
(2-2)
DetonatioN FocusMe's Stage 1 campaign has been middling thus far. With two wins against the bottom two and two losses to two of the top three, DFM has done just enough to qualify for playoffs. While entering the playoffs as the fourth seed could see the team qualify for its second-straight playoff berth, it would only get them as far as the lower bracket. A win against RRQ this week will give DFM a path to playing in the upper bracket, which would be the org's first time ever in the upper bracket.
Playoff outlook: Playoffs secured. Could rise to third with win over RRQ. Could slip to fourth with loss.
5.
ZETA DIVISION
ZETA DIVISION
Japan
Rank #15
Absol
Kazuki Fujinoki
SyouTa
Shota Aoki
SugarZ3ro
Shota Watanabe
eKo
Yeom Wang-ryong (염왕룡)
Xdll
Yuto Mizomori
(0-4)
ZETA DIVISION started its Stage 1 campaign on a hot streak, stealing a map from Rex Regum Qeon in its opening map and pushing the SEA powerhouses to a three-map finish that ended 13-11. Since then, ZETA has failed to live up to that same hype. In losses to FS, DFM, and T1, the Japanese org has picked up just one map win. While missing the playoffs is a foregone conclusion, grabbing a win and escaping the bottom spot in the group is on the line against VARREL.
Playoff outlook: Eliminated from playoffs. Finishes fifth with win over VL and slips to sixth with loss.
6.
VARREL
VARREL
Japan
Rank #4
Foxy9
Jung Jae-sung (정재성)
C1ndeR
Ko Jae-hyuk (고재혁)
Klaus
Kim Min-hyuk (김민혁)
XuNa
Kim Tae-geon (김태건)
oonzmlp
Shin Sang-beom (신상범)
Zexy
Jang Suk-hyun (장석현)
(0-4)
VARREL, similar to ZETA, started its Stage 1 campaign with some promise, pushing T1 to a 13-11 map on T1's pick of Haven. However, that match ended in a 2-0 for the Masters Bangkok winners, and VARREL has only claimed one map in four losses since then. The squad of Koreans competing under the Japanese org has one chance left to claim its first win since ascending to VCT as
SLT Seongnam
SLT Seongnam
Korea
Rank #4
, and it will come against one of Japanese Valorant's most iconic outfits.
Playoff outlook: Eliminated from playoffs. Finishes fifth with win over ZETA and slips to sixth with loss.
Up next
The Pacific Stage 1 group stage will wrap up with the following matches, with the playoffs set to begin next week:


