The upper bracket of the Pacific Stage 2 Play-Ins has concluded, with three Korean teams in action to claim two spots in the upper bracket of the playoffs.

KIWOOM DRX KIWOOM DRX Korea Rank #5 MaKo Kim Myeong-gwan (김명관) free1ng No Ha-jun (노하준) HYUNMIN Song Hyun-min (송현민) Flicker Kim Tae-hee (김태희) BeYN Kang Ha-bin (강하빈) downed Thai squad Sharper Esports Sharper Esports Asia-Pacific Rank #2 Kadoom Kantapong Kingthong Apinya Apinya Laotaew Laz Kittikawin Jirawatkakan PTC Kititkawin Rattanasukol NIZ in three maps to win, while Nongshim RedForce Nongshim RedForce Korea Rank #1 WoohyuN Moon Woo-hyun (문우현) Xross Jeonghwan (정환) Rb Goo Sang-min (구상민) Francis Kim Mu-bin (김무빈) Dambi Lee Hyuk-kyu (이혁규) Ivy Park Sung-hyeon (박성현) swept T1 T1 Korea Rank #4 stax Kim Gu-taek (김구택) Meteor Kim Tae-oh (김태오) BuZz Yu Byeong-cheol (유병철) DH Kang Dong-ho (강동호) iZu Ham Woo-ju (함우주) Munchkin Byeon Sang-beom (변상범) to secure top-eight finishes. Here's a look at how both matches played out:

KIWOOM DRX downs Sharper Esports to win three straight

After finishing at the bottom of Group Omega with a 1-4 record, KRX entered the Play-Ins carrying a four-match losing streak. The dip in form resulted in Flicker being dropped for substitute yong towards the end of the group stage, and the change has paid dividends since. yong has had the highest rating for KRX in two of three matches now, with his latest performance against Sharper arguably his most impressive.

yong's wrap sets him up for the 1v3 clutch to close Haven.

The series began with KRX running a Neon-Yoru comp on Haven and wiping the floor with Sharper in a 13-2 beatdown. With all of the wind in its sails, KRX looked to close out the series then and there, seizing a 10-2 lead on Sharper's pick of Ascent, but the Thai squad did not go down without a fight. A double-Sentinel comp with Cypher and Sage proved to be frustrating even for KRX's Phoenix-Jett comp. A run of 10 wins over the next 11 rounds nearly saw Sharper pull off the comeback then and there, but a last-gasp effort from KRX forced overtime. After having so much success on defense in regulation, both teams thrived on attack, trading two exchanges of OT before Sharper finally found the defense round in the end.

The series was set to be decided on Sunset, where KRX stole the limelight from Sharper early. KRX executed a five-pistol thrifty after SP's pistol round win to turn the half on its head, resulting in a 6-6 half. Six was just enough for KRX, as it used its Sage-Cypher comp to its best ability. After losing the pistol and anti-eco, KRX dropped just one round en route to a 13-9 win.

Nongshim wins crucial matchup to send T1 to the lower bracket

Just one point separates Nongshim and T1 in Pacific's Championship Points standings, making this matchup a crucial one in the road to Champions Shanghai.

While Nongshim has been an inventive team on Ascent in the past, notably using Viper during Stage 2 last year, it went back to its against T1. With Dambi on Neon and Francis on Yoru, Nongshim showed flashes of the play that lifted Masters Santiago, succeeding in its retakes to claim a 9-3 lead on defense and then pulling off an eco round win to hijack Tq's own defense. In the end, it was a clean 13-5 win.

After going down on NS's pick, T1 looked to dominate on its pick of Haven. A 4-0 start seemed to guarantee what would have been a dominant map, but Nongshim had other plans. A run of five straight rounds, followed by three from T1, gave Nongshim a base to build off of, entering halftime facing just a two-round deficit.

On attack, Nongshim won six straight rounds, seizing an 11-7 lead. Francis was hard to stop, leading the way on attack with 16 kills on that side alone while going 4-1 in first engagements. While T1 did disrupt Nongshim's run late, it was ultimately not enough, as the Santiago winners continued their path to Champions with a 13-10 win.

Up next

KRX and Nongshim will enter the playoffs in the upper bracket, while Sharper and T1 are now down to one life in the lower bracket of the Play-Ins. While T1 still holds third place in the Championship Points standings, it may need results elsewhere if it wishes to reach Shanghai.

The VCT Pacific Stage 2 Play-Ins will continue with the following matches: