Gen.G vs DRX VCT Pacific: DRX secures 2 – 1 victory over Gen.G

We have a serious title bout on our hands in Week 5 of VCT Pacific in the form of Gen.G vs DRX. Make sure you keep an eye on this page for all of the updates regarding this crucial match.

This truly was a battle of the giants within VCT Pacific with first-placed DRX squaring off against the second-placed Gen.G. Both sides have had an incredible start to their season, with DRX having not dropped a single map in competitive play coming into this match. Their dominant 2 - 0 win over Paper Rex in Week 4 had left many wondering if anybody would be able to stand up to their might, as the Korean juggernauts continue to go from strength to strength this season. Yet there was still a lingering chance that if anyone was going to be able to take down DRX it would be their age old rivals.

Gen.G were also sitting at 4 - 0 in the Pacific League standings coming into this match. With the only thing separating them from their fierce rivals at the time being their map differential of 8 - 1. Their roster has looked just as strong as DRX for the most part. With their Sentinel player "k1Ng" having a particularly great season as he currently holds the highest K/D amongst his Pacific League peers at a 1.37. A stat that matched only by Foxy9's equally impressive Average Combat Score of 265 across the first four weeks of competitive play.

Gen.G certainly had their hands full in a match that had the potential to go the full distance. And have shown that they can go toe-to-toe with the best in this league. But while they became the first team to make a dent in the Pacific Kings' flawless map record, they still paled in comparison to the unyielding might of DRX. Here is how it all went down.

We take a trip over to Haven to begin this match, with both teams opting to go with similar double initiator agent compositions. DRX takes the opening four rounds to give them early control with Gen.G off to a slow start. Gen.G attempts to regain some composure with an early timeout but it makes little difference as DRX ramps up the tempo on their attack as their lead grows to 8 - 0. Gen.G finally manages to get a round win of their own on the board, but not before DRX hits the double digit mark. As they take a commanding 11 - 1 lead into halftime. DRX's RB is off to a particularly hot start to this match as he finishes the half with 17 kills and only 4 deaths.

Gen.G manages to win the second pistol round of the map and look to have found their footing at last on Haven. They reduce DRX's lead to 11 - 6, with their main duelist Meteor having a much better performance in the second half. Though DRX hits map point at soon afterward, Gen.G's resurgence on attack appears to unnerve the league leaders a bit. Prompting DRX to use their first timeout of the map. It was a much better showing from Gen.G who had looked despondent in the first half. But in the end all they were able to do was make the scoreline closer on their map pick. Leaving DRX to take Haven 13 - 7 and establish a well-deserved 1 - 0 lead in the match.

Thanks to their dominant performance on Haven, DRX comes into their home turf of Fracture for Map 2. And they look to be pilling on the aggression against Gen.G as they opt to run a double duelist composition with RB on Neon and Foxy9 on Raze. Whereas Gen.G decide to go with a double initiator, double controller combination.

DRX takes the opening pistol round and their anti-eco to lay the foundations on their defensive half. Gen.G answers back with four rounds to give themselves the lead at 4 - 2; their first lead in this series. Forcing an uncharacteristically early timeout from DRX. They come out swinging off of their timeout, but Gen.G maintains a slim lead. But DRX's positioning across the map as well as their utility usage enables them to keep the match level at 6 - 6 going into halftime. With most of their success on defense coming from BuZz's Killjoy utility setups as well as the double duelist threat of RB and Foxy9.

DRX secures the second pistol round on Fracture as they look to re-establish their control over the map on attack. But their lead doesn't last long as the teams continue to scrap things out. Gen.G crosses the 10 point mark on Fracture, but DRX follows suit. Gen.G hits match point at 12 - 10 with DRX's economy seemingly in the dirt. They go for a gamble play in round 23 to give themselves hopes of Overtime. But in the end, Gen.G stood firm once more on their defense and were rewarded with a 13 - 10 win on Fracture. Tying up the series 1 - 1 and dealing DRX their first map loss in competitive play at VCT Pacific.

After a solid bounce back on Fracture, Gen.G have sprung back to life in this series and have given themselves a chance at snagging the number one spot in VCT Pacific. We now move to Pearl where both sides opt to use a variation of the double controller compositions. With Gen.G opting to have TS on Astra and DRX putting RB on Harbor.

DRX makes an early stand on their defensive half as they take the opening pistol round as well as their anti-eco. Gen.G responds with their first round win to keep things as close as they were on Fracture. But the lead only continues to build for DRX, as Gen.G struggles to establish a semblance of control on their attack half. They do manage to claw back some rounds, but DRX are able to take a commanding 9 - 3 lead into halftime. BuZz continues to be a thorn in Gen.G's side with his Killjoy setups, sitting at 19 kills and 7 deaths.

Gen.G pulls off an incredible defuse play on the second pistol round as they look to find their second wind on Pearl. But DRX responds with three well-orchestrated attack rounds to put themselves on match point at 12 - 4. Gen.G had already impressed by being the first team to win a map against DRX in the league. But in the end they found themselves having to climb another steep mountain in this series, further emphasizing DRX's prowess. And with one final clutch performance from BuZz, DRX were able to close out Pearl 13 - 4 to take the match 2 - 1 as they continue to assert their dominance over VCT Pacific.

It is a new era for the VALORANT Champions Tour as we get set for the first season of Franchising. The VCT season will see 30 teams split into three region-based leagues of 10 teams, competing for the chance to secure a spot at both Masters Tokyo in June and Champions 2023 in August. Fans who wish to watch the Gen.G vs DRX match in the 2023 Pacific League may do so by heading to the VCT Pacific Twitch and Youtube Channels.

You can stay up to date with all of the action in the Pacific League by heading to our VALORANT Pacific hub.

Stay tuned to esports.gg for more esports news and VALORANT coverage throughout the VCT 2023 Season.