The upper bracket semifinals will feature a double-header of the Pacific v. Americas clash.
Evil Geniuses versus EDward Gaming proved to be the upper bracket quarterfinal series to watch after both teams went to all three games as EG came out on top in the end. That win sends EG to the upper bracket semifinals where they will face up against DRX, who won against Bilibili Gaming earlier today.
This now puts China in a dire situation after both teams lost as they will now have to face one another in a do-or-die series to determine who moves on at VCT Champions 2023. As for the upper bracket semifinals, it will feature a double-header of the 'Pacific v. Americas' clash with LOUD and Paper Rex in the other series.
And while EDG will now have to battle it out in the lower bracket, they definitely made EG work for that victory. It was also the only quarterfinal series that went to all three games as the others were 2-0 sweeps. The first map was on Split, which was EDG's choice and they proved just why with a seven-round win streak from the get-go.
EG would eventually get themselves on the board on the eighth round before EDG took one back in the ninth. The VCT Americas third-seed then managed to secure three rounds in a row to end the first half trailing 4-8. By the start of the second half, it was a different EG, who went on to turn the tables on EDG by winning the next eight out of 12 rounds.
This also included a clutch four-kill win in the 19th round thanks to Max "Demon1" Mazanov, which was closely followed by winning the next three rounds as well. With EG managing to come back to reach match point first, it was actually EDG who would take the last two rounds to force the first overtime in the playoffs. From there, the next two rounds seemed to be a cakewalk for EDG, who took it with ease to claim the first map.
With their backs against the wall, EG knew they had to win the next two maps in order to topple EDG. And with Ascent being their map of choice, EG would go on to descimate EDG in game two, despite having a solid start to the game once more after taking the pistol round. EDG would only win four of the 12 rounds in the first half with EG finding their momentum at the right time.
This included a seven-round win streak to end the first half, which was kickstarted by a thrifty in the sixth round. And in those seven rounds that EG won in a row, it also came through some nice plays from Demon1 as well as Ethan "Ethan" Arnod, who came through with a clean four-kill round. But it was what came after where EG showcased their full potential, which included an ace in the pistol round for Demon1.
From there, it looked very likely to be EG's game, who went on to win the next four out of five rounds to seal EDG's fates and send it to a third and final map. And with Pearl being the last map of the series, it was EG's game to take as they were 2-0 before the series while EDG was 0-1. And while it was EDG who would take the third pistol round to start the map, the scoreline would be an exact replica of what happened on Ascent.
EG won eight of the 12 rounds, which also included a five-round win streak while being on the defensive end of Pearl. While Yongkang "ZmjjKK" Zheng managed to help EDG to win the last two rounds of the first half with a four-kill play in the 12th round, it wasn't enough to bring his team over the line. EG went on to win the next five out of six rounds in the second half, going the exact same way it went on Ascent.
After that win, EG now has a date with DRX while fellow VCT Americas League LOUD will go up against the Pacific League champions, Paper Rex. A double showdown between Americas and Pacific should go down as one of the best semifinals to date in VCT history.
