The final week of VCT Pacific Stage 1 is currently underway. While the top eight teams that will be playing in the playoffs of the competition are confirmed, the seeding of the teams is not. One of the important matchups in Group Omega is Global Esports vs Nongshim RedForce.
Nongshim RedForce after qualifying for VALORANT Masters. Image source: Riot Games
Going into this game, the stakes are as high as they can get. The final slot in the upper bracket of the playoff is on the line. The team that wins will secure that spot. The loser will play in the lower bracket, where each game is an elimination game.
Interestingly, both these teams have performed in the inverse manner of each other. Global Esports won their first two games only to lose their next two.
Nongshim RedForce lost their first two games only to win the last two matches. Both teams lost to the likes of Paper Rex and Kiwoom DRX.
According to the VALORANT esports community, Nongshim RedForce are the clear favorites to win this game. Many people have already forgotten that they are the reigning champions of VALORANT Masters Santiago. On the other hand, this is the first time Global Esports has qualified for the playoffs of any VCT Pacific tournament.
Nongshim RedForce are the clear favorites in this fixture and it’s mostly due to Lee “Dambi” Hyuk-kyu. He is the primary duelist of Nongshim RedForce, having become the king of Neon players.
Due to his aggressive and unique style of play, no one has been able to shut him down. Recently, he has also added Phoenix to his agent pool and has lit the server on fire. With this switch, Kim “Francis” Mu-bin has become the go-to Neon player, averaging 0.22 First Bloods per round.
If Global Esports wants to win, the team will need to find a way to counter both of them. One player who we feel can step up to this challenge is Patrick “PatMen” Mendoza. He has been the sole player from Global Esports who has been consistent during VCT Pacific Stage 1. This season, he has not left one stone unturned in becoming as good a player as he can be.
Both teams are quite successful on pistol rounds, but Nongshim RedForce does have a slight advantage over Global Esports. NS currently has a 70% win rate on pistol rounds this season.
Interestingly, the two maps that Nongshim RedForce have the worst win rate are Abyss and Fracture. These are two maps that we have seen Global Esports ban during this tournament. If Global Esports does not ban these two maps, then they could have a slight advantage.
Our prediction is that this will be a three-map affair with Nongshim RedForce winning the tie 2-1. If Global Esports wants to win, they will need to play team compositions that they are the best at instead of trying to use a new composition to counter Nongshim RedForce.
Also read: Fnatic go unbeaten to reach VCT EMEA playoffs, Masters London in sight
Featured image source: Riot Games
21+ and present in VA. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
