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Team Vitality and G2 Esports kicked off their VCT Masters Bangkok 2025 campaigns in dominant fashion, securing convincing 2-0 victories over T1 and Trace Esports, respectively.
With these wins, both teams move one step closer to the playoffs, while their opponents must now fight to stay in the VALORANT tournament.
EMEA's 1st seed take down T1 in 2-0 fashion.#VALORANTMasters pic.twitter.com/E8kVAZfLad
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) February 21, 2025
Vitality, the EMEA Kickoff champions, squared off against Pacific runner-up T1 in their opening match.
Though both teams had prior international experience, neither had found significant success on the global stage.
The series began on Fracture, picked by Vitality to steer clear of T1’s strategic strengths.
Vitality opened strong with a pistol round win, but T1 quickly adapted, exploiting their opponent’s lack of anti-flank and strong defensive reads to take a 7-5 lead into halftime.
After the side swap, however, Vitality’s defense proved impenetrable.
Led by Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev, who rebounded from a slow start to dominate with a 1.91 rating on defence, they conceded only three rounds in the half.
A crucial ace from Derke helped shift momentum, and Vitality locked in a 13-10 victory.
T1 selected Bind, a map they had mixed results on during the Kickoff event, but Vitality’s structured approach proved too strong.
Despite T1’s adjustments to their composition, Vitality’s aggressive start saw them winning five of the first six rounds.
T1 fought back to narrow the gap to 5-4, but Vitality closed the half ahead 7-5.
T1 tied things up at 7-7 with a pistol and anti-eco win, but once rifles were in play, Vitality’s defensive setup became impenetrable.
The EMEA squad won four consecutive rounds to reach match point at 12-8 and closed it out 13-9.
Felipe “Less” Basso stood out with a standout Brimstone performance, securing 23 kills and a +9 K/D.
“Having Sayf as IGL, an ex-duelist, gives me more freedom and lets me do my own thing, which makes my life easier,” said Derke post-match.
With the victory, Vitality will face DRX for a direct spot in the playoffs, while T1 will battle Trace Esports in an elimination match.
Americas secure their first win at #VALORANTMasters Bangkok! pic.twitter.com/Kdhrsaa2Tm
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) February 21, 2025
Americas Kickoff winner G2 Esports faced Chinese runner-up Trace Esports, delivering a clinical 2-0 sweep to solidify their status as one of the tournament’s favourites with esports betting sites.
Trace picked Lotus, a map they undefeated on this year, and started strong by securing the pistol and anti-eco rounds.
However, once G2 had rifles in hand, they exploited Trace’s weak C-site defence, spearheaded by Nathan “leaf” Orf’s lurks on Viper.
A back-and-forth first half ended 7-5 in G2’s favour.
The second half saw G2 extend their lead with a pistol win, but Trace responded with a heroic 4K from Song “FengF” Xuefeng to take the bonus round.
Despite trading rounds, G2 ultimately found their rhythm and closed out the map 13-8.
G2’s map pick, Abyss, showcased their dominance.
Though Trace briefly led 3-2 early on, a 4K from Alexander “jawgemo” Mor in round six set the tone for the rest of the match.
G2 locked down their defensive half, winning seven straight rounds to take a commanding 9-3 lead.
A swift pistol round win on attack sealed Trace’s fate, as G2 methodically dismantled their defence, ending the map 13-3—the most lopsided result of the tournament so far.
Trent “trent” Cairns, the Americas Kickoff MVP, delivered a stellar performance with a 1.52 rating and a tournament-leading 177 ADR across both maps.
With this victory, G2 moves on to face EDward Gaming in a match that will decide a direct playoff spot, while Trace Esports will face T1 in a high-stakes elimination game.
Saturdays VCT Masters Bangkok fixtures
- DRX (+110) vs Team Vitality (-151.52) @ 5pm ICT
- EDward Gaming (+125) vs G2 Esports (-175.44) @ 8pm ICT
