EG, DRX, T1 find success on opening day of Masters Tokyo, DRX stax: "My goal is to obviously win Champions, win the whole thing."

Written By Naim Rosinski Content Manager & Editor
Last UpdatedJune 11, 2023 at 03:42PM
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VCT Masters Tokyo has finally began with the first three opening matches of the event in Japan over and done. The first day of the event saw the following matches take place:

The first day of competition saw the event get off to a hot start as we witnessed two maps go to overtime, blowout map wins, and high octane VALORANT action. Here is how day 1 went and what some of the players said at the post-match press conferences at Masters Tokyo.

EG brush FUT aside

In a battle of the third-best teams following their regional VCT events, Evil Geniuses swiftly dealt with their first opponent at the event.

A dominant Split with a 13-5 scoreline saw Corbin "C0M" Lee top the leaderboard on Viper as EG ran a double Controller comp with Kelden "Boostio" Pupello on Astra. A close half at 7-5 saw EG dominate on their defense side, where they went on a flawless run, denying FUT of even a round on the attack side.

The second map saw us travel to Lotus, pick of the Turkish side. There, we finally saw the FUT that we were anticipating. Ata "AtaKaptan" Tan and Doğukan "qRaxs" Balaban paved way for FUT to reach success in the score chart albeit a close affair throughout the match. The battle on Lotus even reached overtime as EG made up ground on attack by grabbing 3 straight rounds. They then proceeded to extend their streak by stealing the two rounds in overtime to send FUT Esports to the lower bracket and ending the match in a 2:0 sweep.

"We're feeling good, feeling really good. Second map got a bit shakey, but we're shaking that off completely. It's not really how we started, we're just proud of how we ended it. Definitely feeling confident that we closed out that second map," - said Christine "Potter" Chi.

VCT 2023 - Masters Tokyo VCT 2023 - Masters Tokyo
FUT Esports
FUT Esports
0
X
2
Evil Geniuses
Evil Geniuses
Group B - Opening Match, Best of 3 - June 11, 2023 - 3:00AM
FUT Esports5
Split
Evil Geniuses13
FUT Esports12
Lotus
Evil Geniuses14
FUT EsportsFUT Esports
player
Rating
ACS
K/D/A
+/-
K/D
KAST
ADR
HS%
FBSR
FB
FD
KAY/O
1.00
212
28/39/21
-11
0.72
68.8%
143.0
33%
100%
5
0
AstraViper
1.00
202
30/31/17
-1
0.97
66.2%
138.3
30%
57%
4
3
SkyeOmen
0.96
180
29/31/12
-2
0.94
61.5%
119.5
29%
75%
6
2
CypherKilljoy
0.77
159
25/31/7
-6
0.81
65.2%
104.9
21%
25%
1
3
JettNeon
0.68
164
26/35/4
-9
0.74
64.1%
104.2
24%
40%
8
12
Evil GeniusesEvil Geniuses
player
Rating
ACS
K/D/A
+/-
K/D
KAST
ADR
HS%
FBSR
FB
FD
AstraKilljoy
1.28
271
46/30/8
+16
1.53
76.5%
199.1
26%
56%
5
4
Skye
1.25
222
34/24/24
+10
1.42
79.3%
136.9
18%
25%
1
3
ViperBreach
1.01
191
29/26/16
+3
1.12
80.1%
110.3
16%
50%
3
3
Jett
0.93
193
30/29/6
+1
1.03
68.0%
134.1
33%
44%
7
9
RazeOmen
0.88
196
28/29/8
-1
0.97
71.6%
132.4
15%
44%
4
5
Evil Geniuses win on opening day of Masters Tokyo. Photo credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
Evil Geniuses win on opening day of Masters Tokyo. Photo credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games

DRX overcome Attacking Soul Esports

Attacking Soul Esports have made their debut on the international VALORANT stage. Unfortunately for the Chinese team, they were thrown in at the deep end as they had to face one of the most consistent and best teams of VALORANT, DRX VS. Still, ASE gave it a solid shot and it was by no means a one-sided blowout overall.

The opening map, Fracture (pick of ASE) saw Dong "Life" Hao Qu take charge on Jett. The former EDward Gaming player wrecked havoc on Fracture, keeping his side well in the match despite the 7-5 half in favor of DRX VS. Despite that, another masterclass performance from DRX's Controller main Myeongkwan "MaKo" Kim, propelled DRX to an eventual victory at a close 13-10 victory.

"We knew how they played (due to scrims) and they didn't really change their playstyles. But they switched up their comps a little bit, so that was a minor change I noticed," said Kim "stax" Gu-taek.

Pearl, pick of DRX, is one of the maps where Harbor can shine if mastered. Goo "Rb" Sang-Min showed us just that. Attaining THESPIKE Rating of 1.98, 295 ACS, and 25 kills over the course of 20 rounds in a 13-7 victory showed the scene that it is rather unwise leave Pearl wide open when trying to snag a win against the Korean side.

"My goal is to win Champions, win the whole thing. I don't have a team I'd really like to face right now, but I'd like to face LOUD eventually," - said Kim "stax" Gu-taek

VCT 2023 - Masters Tokyo VCT 2023 - Masters Tokyo
DRX
DRX
2
X
0
Attacking Soul Esports
Attacking Soul Esports
Group B - Opening Match, Best of 3 - June 11, 2023 - 5:50AM
DRX13
Fracture
Attacking Soul Esports10
DRX13
Pearl
Attacking Soul Esports7
DRXDRX
player
Rating
ACS
K/D/A
+/-
K/D
KAST
ADR
HS%
FBSR
FB
FD
FadeHarbor
1.58
254
43/26/24
+17
1.65
88.8%
148.5
23%
50%
1
1
BrimstoneViper
1.42
238
36/27/32
+9
1.33
78.5%
156.0
19%
29%
2
5
Killjoy
1.19
236
34/25/15
+9
1.36
81.6%
161.7
19%
44%
4
5
BreachSkye
1.05
167
27/29/24
-2
0.93
81.6%
110.7
32%
20%
1
4
RazeJett
0.91
224
30/37/10
-7
0.81
76.6%
145.3
16%
40%
8
12
Attacking Soul EsportsAttacking Soul Esports
player
Rating
ACS
K/D/A
+/-
K/D
KAST
ADR
HS%
FBSR
FB
FD
Jett
1.19
237
38/36/8
+2
1.06
83.5%
152.3
20%
76%
13
4
BreachKAY/O
1.17
207
30/32/23
-2
0.94
73.8%
136.7
16%
67%
4
2
KilljoyViper
0.93
191
27/32/14
-5
0.84
77.0%
129.6
22%
67%
2
1
BrimstoneHarbor
0.85
162
23/38/19
-15
0.61
72.6%
95.4
17%
50%
3
3
RazeSkye
0.82
162
26/32/9
-6
0.81
69.8%
109.8
24%
45%
5
6
DRX win their opening match at Masters Tokyo. Photo credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
DRX win their opening match at Masters Tokyo. Photo credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games

EDward Gaming put up a solid fight against T1

The last day of Masters Tokyo saw EDward Gaming, the second Chinese team in attendance, take the fight to T1 for survival. The only game to go to the decider map saw action unfold on Fracture, map pick of T1. The Chinese side put up solid resistance on the opening map, making it a tied 6-6 at the half. Ha "Sayaplayer" Jung-woo, who was starting to warm up, gave T1 the boost that they needed to eventually claw their way to a 13-10 victory on their own pick.

EDG found their footing on their own map pick, Haven. Despite T1 giving EDG a fair fight in the first half, T1's attack was sloppy as EDG duo of Zheng "ZmjjKK" Yongkang and Zhang "Smoggy" Zhao put up huge numbers on defense to close the map in their favor at 13-7.

Finally, Pearl, the remaining decider map, turned into a rollercoaster match in Tokyo. Yet again, a 6-6 half would go to only show that we're in for a long match. The second half saw T1 start out on attack and chain 5 straight rounds, only needing two rounds to seal the deal. However, EDG began their miracle run by putting together 6 straight rounds, leaving them at match point. At the last possible second, T1 switched back on to force overtime and take the two rounds necessary to seal the deal. It was a much closer affair than it had to be for the Pacific side.

"Today was a great opportunity to check how we've improved and also I am sure were better prepped this time around. Today was a tough match and I think it was partly because EDG is one of the tough teams to play against and I feel like if we were to go up against other teams we could've played better," - commented Byeon "Munchkin" Sang-beom.

VCT 2023 - Masters Tokyo VCT 2023 - Masters Tokyo
EDward Gaming
EDward Gaming
1
X
2
T1
T1
Group A - Opening Match, Best of 3 - June 11, 2023 - 8:20AM
EDward Gaming10
Fracture
T113
EDward Gaming13
Haven
T17
EDward Gaming12
Pearl
T114
EDward GamingEDward Gaming
player
Rating
ACS
K/D/A
+/-
K/D
KAST
ADR
HS%
FBSR
FB
FD
Jett
1.33
280
71/48/5
+23
1.48
72.9%
160.6
18%
60%
15
10
BreachKilljoy
1.25
242
61/44/19
+17
1.39
90.5%
159.9
32%
50%
3
3
KilljoyCypherViper
1.00
201
46/44/23
+2
1.05
80.1%
144.8
24%
67%
8
4
SkyeSova
0.96
185
46/48/19
-2
0.96
81.1%
123.4
22%
44%
4
5
BrimstoneOmenHarbor
0.89
183
44/47/17
-3
0.94
87.0%
120.2
30%
47%
8
9
T1T1
player
Rating
ACS
K/D/A
+/-
K/D
KAST
ADR
HS%
FBSR
FB
FD
RazeJett
1.16
248
64/56/8
+8
1.14
69.2%
161.2
25%
30%
7
16
JettOmenHarbor
0.96
200
47/56/19
-9
0.84
73.2%
130.4
24%
50%
6
6
Killjoy
0.93
204
45/53/19
-8
0.85
67.2%
144.9
22%
53%
9
8
BrimstoneBreachSkye
0.86
151
36/51/34
-15
0.71
63.7%
93.5
26%
56%
5
4
BreachSovaViper
0.85
167
39/53/27
-14
0.74
72.6%
114.8
16%
50%
4
4

Following matches at Masters Tokyo

Day 2 of VCT Masters Tokyo will see two matches be played out and they are:

Make sure to check out our Masters Tokyo event page to stay up to date on the elusive VALORANT event. And for all stats, make sure to go to our comprehensive VALORANT stats page where you can find Agent pick rates, most picked compositions, and more!

A former ESL teacher with a Master’s degree in English Studies that found his drive in esports. Merging a passion for the craft of writing with a never-ending need to out-aim others in the game of VALORANT and Counter-Strike.

Naim began his esports-writing and reporting journey at DailyEsports (now Upcomer), where he was a contributor for CS:GO. More and more enamored with esports, he quickly received a chance to attend IEM Katowice 2019 as press and managed to interview Cath, Lekr0, FalleN, and jkaem, his first dive into covering an event on-site.

With the release of VALORANT, Naim saw potential in Riot Games’ take on a 5v5 competitive shooter and joined Run It Back as a writer. After 3 months, he got promoted to a Managing Editor, managing a team of contributors and held regular brainstorming meetings to get content pumping for 3 years straight. In that time he attended Masters Berlin 2021, as well as VALORANT Champions 2022 as press on-site press.

Now, Naim is a Content Manager & Editor at THESPIKE. He keeps tabs on news, features, and evergreen content production, as well as contributing himself from time to time.

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