There was no repeat of the Madrid nightmare. Zenji, which has grown at a frightening pace since the arrival of head coach Kang Geun-cheol in January, claimed the much-awaited title at Gearco Masters Shanghai. It was the first global victory for the Pacific region since the inception of the Valorant esports scene.
Genji defeated Heretics 3-2 (13-6, 9-13, 9-13, 13-4, 13-3) in the final match of the Valorant Masters Shanghai 2024 at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China on Monday afternoon.
Genji completed the feat of winning the first Masters since the inception of Team Valorant. Genji’s victory was the first global title for a Korean team in the history of the Valorant Champions Tour, and it was also the first VCT international title for the Pacific League, which had been a supporting player in the European and American events.
Zenji, who reached his second consecutive Masters final after Masters Madrid, opted for Bind, Breeze and Ascent. Heretics picked Icebox and Lotus after removing Sunset. With the remaining split going to a five-set battle, the final ban picks were Breeze-Icebox-Ascent-Lotus-Split.
On her chosen map, Breeze, Jenji started off with a bang and dominated her opponent. After picking up ‘Jor’, ‘Meteo’ took control of the game with a perfect carry that broke the opponent’s flow. This, coupled with Karon’s rear support and Rakia’s incredible firepower, made Breeze a battleground for Genji.
Going into the first half on defense, Genji successfully defended the first six rounds, including the pistol round, to take an early 6-0 lead. Heretics picked up rounds seven and eight, but the ninth round saw the Knock continue to add to the score, making it a one-sided 10-2 at halftime.
Switching to the offense, Genji capitalized on the momentum in the second half by picking up pistol rounds, and although Heretics managed to 토토 score in rounds 14, 15, 17, and 18, Genji was able to defend their large first-set lead and cruise to a comfortable first set victory.
However, Heretics began to fight back in the second set. In the second game ‘Icebox’, Genji got off to a good start, but after taking a 7-5 lead, he was hit with a series of late game kills to tie the game. Moreover, in the third set, Ascent, which was his most confident battleground, he lost 9-13 and was on the brink of a match point.
The fourth set of ‘Lotus’ had a shaky start. After dropping the first, second, and third rounds, it looked like it was going to be a drag. After a brilliant performance in the third set, where she prevented her opponent from setting up her spikes, Genji rattled off 실시간 바카라사이트 nine straight down the line to take a quick 9-3 lead.
Refocused, ZENZY won three more kills to extend the gap to 12-3. Heretics rallied back in game 16, but ZENZI annihilated his opponent in game 17 to win the fourth set and complete the upset.
With her game back on track, Genji remained focused until the very end in the fifth set ‘split’. After wrapping up the first half with a huge 9-3 lead, Genji fended off four consecutive attacks in the second half to take a thrilling 3-2 set victory.