Image credit: VALORANT Esports
The final two matches of the VCT Masters Shanghai Swiss Stage will take place tomorrow.
It was a day of decisive 2-0 victories as the likes of Leviatán and FUT Esports have managed to move on to the final day of the VCT Masters Shanghai Swiss Stage tomorrow. Leviatán was able to get back to winning ways after its opening-day loss to Gen.G Esports as they were able to eliminate its VCT Pacific counterpart, T1. As for FUT, they also got revenge for their loss against FunPlus Phoenix as they managed to defeat the other VCT China team, Dragon Ranger Gaming.
This now leaves both DRG and T1 as the first two teams to be eliminated from VCT Masters Shanghai. DRG was one of just two teams that qualified for the tournament after having spent last season in Ascension. While it will be a bitter blow to the VCT China faithful, there is still FPX and EDward Gaming left in the tournament. The Pacific will also be reeling as T1 was the first of three teams to be sent home, despite fighting tooth and nail to qualify for its first international tournament of the season.
The first match of the series took place on T1's pick of Breeze but it was Leviatán who had the perfect start as they went 6-0 in the first half. T1 would bounce back with three of their own but Leviatán would take the final three to lead the first map 9-3. T1 would fight back in the second half but the damage had already been done as Leviatán only needed four round wins to seal the deal. And of all players, it was Roberto “Mazino” Rivas who top fragged for the team with 24 kills, three of which were first kills for the round.
With a one-nil lead heading into their map pick of Sunset, the VCT Americas third seed put on another stellar first-half performance as they took a 10-2 lead heading into the break. While T1 would have a better second half for the second straight game, it still wasn't enough to pull them through as the lead Leviatán had built earlier in the match was too much for them to handle. And it was Ian “Tex” Botsch who would put T1 out of their misery as he had a solid series against the VCT Pacific squad.
Dragon Ranger GamingvsFUT Esports
Being one of three teams from VCT China to have qualified for the tournament, many in the arena were hoping for a DRG miracle against FUT Esports. And they would put up the fight of their lives in both matches against FUT, which started on the EMEA team's pick of Bind. However, it would be FUT who would get a strong start to the series by taking the first six rounds in a row. While DRG did manage to fight back with some crucial round wins, it wasn't enough to keep FUT back from taking the first map.
It all boiled down to the second map of Ascent, which truly saw just how well DRG can be when the odds are stacked against them. FUT would dominate the first-half proceedings with a slim 7-5 lead and DRG took over in the second as they reversed the score to take it to overtime. With its tournament hopes on the line, it would be FUT at the end who came out on top with some decisive plays to keep its tournament hopes alive.
VCT Masters Shanghai - Swiss Stage
The final round of the Swiss Stage at VCT Masters Shanghai will take place tomorrow to determine the final two teams that will be joining Gen.G Esports and G2 Esports in the playoffs.
- FunPlus PhoenixvsTeam Heretics - 4:00 p.m. GMT +8
- FUT EsportsvsLeviatán - 7:00 p.m. GMT +8