NRG vs T1 Masters Tokyo: NRG holds on during a tight third map to advance to the playoffs

Another team will punch their ticket through to the VCT Masters Tokyo Bracket Stage from the Group Stage. Group A's first representative is set to be determined by NRG vs T1. The showdown between Americas and Pacific could go either way with the amount of incredible players stepping onto the stage.

T1 was the very first team to sign a professional player in VALORANT way back in 2020. It has been a rocky road since that point. The organization has had high expectations for years, but not much to show for it.

That narrative has started to change after they found a spot in the VCT Pacific league. Finishing the playoffs in third place brought them to VCT Masters Tokyo. It'll be nowhere near an easy journey for them survive the Group Stage, however.

EDWard Gaming put up quite the fight against T1, who will now face an always dangerous NRG roster. NRG, a core filled with some of the top VALORANT players in the world, bested NAVI to put themselves in the Winner's Match of Group A.

NRG is the definition of consistency in this esports. T1 should not be counted out, though. They are a squad that can individually pop off and shutdown the opposition at any time. They just need to get the ball rolling and avoid any bumps along the way.

There are a ton of ways to watch NRG vs T1 as they fight to make it out of the Group Stage. You've got the official VALORANT streams, co-streams, and alternate language channels. Or you can just keep your eyes here and watch the stream along with us.

The first half of NRG vs T1's opening map started as a very back and forth affair. NRG's offense seemed evenly matched with T1's defense. Neither team was able to pull ahead in the early goings. NRG found themselves getting the Spike down quite often, but a heroic Ace by Munchkin ended any chance for momentum. Still, it wasn't enough for T1 to go on a streak. The teams swapped sides at 6:6.

T1 kicked off their attacking half with a Flawless round. That was the catalyst for a team to finally stack up some rounds. Speed was the name of the game for T1. They took sites and got the Spike down very quickly to add to their round count. NRG wasn't going down that easy, though. A 3K by Victor on a C site retake put them right back in it. Despite that, T1's resiliency showed and they took their map pick 13:11.

Bind is known as NRG's playground, but T1 were ready to bully them out of there. Their defense stood strong and they started shooting bodies within the first five rounds. That might have ticked NRG off just a bit, as they fought back to keep things close. Just like Lotus, these two teams refused to give up and halftime approached with a 6:6 score.

Sayaplayer caused problems for NRG in the pistol round, but they shut him down to take the lead. NRG continued to successfully retake after T1 got the Spike planted. They were proving why Bind is their house. T1 only managed to take NRG's bonus round. That's really all there is to it. NRG stomped them in the second half for a 13:7 victory to force map three.

Pearl started with ardiis taking out three to ensure an NRG pistol round win. And from there, NRG were off to the races. Their attack side was as overwhelming as could be against T1. They finally got on the board after NRG netted seven, but the Americas team already guaranteed they would be ahead at the half. That didn't stop T1 from crawling their way back into it, as a 4K by ban made created some hope.

The second half of Pearl started 7:5 in favor of NRG. That quickly changed as T1 carried the momentum over from their defensive side to tie it. NRG tried to shift that momentum after taking the bonus round, but heroics from T1 kept things tights. This includes a wild Bladestorm 4K by Sayaplayer that included one kill while flashed, which you can see above. NRG just did what NRG does, though. They battled until the end to take the map 13:11 and win the series.

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