Image: Riot Games
T1 outlasted G2 Esports to become the second Pacific team to win an international VCT title.
South Korea's 
T1 have been crowned champions of VALORANT Masters Bangkok after they came back from down 2-1 and outlasted American team 
G2 Esports in a five-game thriller in the tournament's grand finals on Sunday (2 March).
With their win, T1 will be taking home the grand prize of US$250,000 and 5 VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) points. Meanwhile, G2 bow out of the competition in second place, taking home US$100,000 in consolation and earning 3 VCT points.
Both of the Masters Bangkok grand finalists had more or less a similar start at the Swiss Stage, but went on completely different trajectories at the Playoffs.
G2 Esports had a dominant opening game at the Swiss Stage with 2-0 sweep in the first round but fell to reigning VALORANT world champions EDward Gaming (EDG) in the second round, 2-1. They then had to eliminate Europe's Team Liquid in the third round 2-0 to make it to the playoffs.
In the Playoffs, G2 delivered a dominant performance, scoring back-to-back upset sweeps — first against tournament favourites Team Vitality in the upper bracket semifinals, then avenging their earlier loss to EDG in the upper bracket finals.
Meanwhile, T1 had a more challenging path, surviving an elimination match in Round 2 of the Swiss Stage before securing a 2-0 revenge sweep against Pacific's top seed, DRX, to advance to the Playoffs.
In the upper bracket semifinals, T1 fell to the lower bracket after a 2-1 loss to EDG. Undeterred, they eliminated Vitality with a 2-1 victory to reach the lower bracket finals. There, they avenged their earlier defeat, pulling off a 2-1 upset against EDG to secure a spot in the grand finals.
T1 outlast G2 in multiple overtime thrillers to win Masters Bangkok
In the first game on Lotus, T1 started strong, securing the early rounds before G2 found their footing and overturned the small lead held by the South Korean team. By the end of the first half, G2 had pulled ahead with an 8-4 advantage. The North American squad carried that momentum into the second half, overwhelming T1 with a dominant 5-1 run to close out the game 13-5 in their favour.
In the second game on Haven, it initially seemed like G2 would steamroll their opponents. However, T1 fought back, recovering from an early deficit to force a 6-6 tie by halftime. The South Korean team then took control in the second half, outpacing G2 with a 7-3 run to secure a 13-9 victory and even the series.
The third game on Ascent looked disastrous for G2 at first, as T1 dominated the first half with aon 8-4 lead. However, G2 mounted an impressive comeback after the break, catching up to force an 11-11 tie. Despite their efforts, they couldn't close it out, as T1 managed to edge them out with a 9-3 second-half run, taking the map 13-11 and putting themselves at match point.
In the fourth game on Split, G2 came out swinging, dictating the pace while T1 struggled to find answers. The first half ended with G2 in firm control at 8-4. Unwilling to back down, T1 roared to life in the second half, stringing together five consecutive rounds to overtake G2. But G2 wanted to finish series and caught up to T1 once again forcing a 12-12 overtime. Fighting tooth and nail, both teams scored one round each, resetting the overtime 13-13. T1 held on for the next two rounds, winning the fourth game 15-13 to force a fifth-game decider.
The fifth game on Pearl started in T1's favour, as they secured four consecutive rounds before G2 responded with three of their own. Just as the North American team seemed to be closing the gap, T1 shut them down, maintaining control and stifling their momentum. T1 held a commanding 8-4 lead by the end of the first half. In the second half, G2 punished T1 for their impatience and eventually overtook T1. Unwilling to relent so easily, T1 forced a 12-12 overtime. Once again, both teams claimed two rounds each to keep a 14-14 tie and extend the map's overtime. However, it was T1 that finally pulled through, winning 16-14.
