EG Secure Top 3 at Masters Tokyo with 2-0 Victory Against EMEA Champions
| Tags: Valorant
| Author Thealchemist
EG are looking unstoppable with zero map losses at this event
In another show of power, the North American squad, once considered the underdogs, defeated the VCT EMEA Champions, Team Liquid. EG are enjoying a record run at this event, with insane pistol round wins and bonus round conversions that make many of their maps one-sided.
Evil Geniuses take down EMEA's #1 seed in the Upper Bracket! #VALORANTMasters #EGWIN pic.twitter.com/9bPgBSDddo
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) June 19, 2023
Not banning Fracture was the first mistake from Liquid’s side, as EG are known for their excellent form on the map, especially the unorthodox Sova pick from Corbin “C0M” Lee and Alexander “jawgemo” Mor’s exceptional skills on Raze.
Fracture: EG 13 – 2 Liquid
As expected, the North Americans had Fracture under their control to the point where ‘domination’ would be an understatement. The team’s IGL Kelden “Boostio” Pupello has continued to impress with his individual fights that have given the squad advantages in a lot of early rounds, and he secured a 347 ACS with an 18-10 K-D.
HOT start for @EvilGeniuses on their map pick! #VALORANTMasters pic.twitter.com/TKypiUq1o1
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) June 19, 2023
C0M was another stone in Liquid’s shoes, as the Initiator had helpful Sova utilities and secured the second most ACS (282) and a K-D of 17-9. Although jawgemo wasn’t on top of the scoreboard, his scaling and excellent ultimate usage helped EG take sites.
From the opposing side, the skilled Duelist player of Liquid struggled to find openings for himself and Ayaz “nAts” Akhmetshin’s Cypher setups barely helped as Boostio’s squad slowed down their pace in the map. With such a great counter-planning and the IGL stepping up a 13-2 score, the North Americans had the best head-start they hoped for, and we might be seeing teams ban Fracture against them from now on.
Haven: EG 13 – 9 Liquid
Haven was Liquid’s pick, a map they looked good on against EDG and FNATIC the last two times they played. It was a much closer affair, but EG were still under control in both halves and Boostio, once again, secured the most ACS (287) with a 21-15 K-D.
WHAT WAS THAT?! 🤯 @C0Mtweets #VALORANTMasters pic.twitter.com/8bZ0uYElIE
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) June 19, 2023
Winning Haven was even more impressive for EG as they didn’t even have to rely on Max “Demon1” Mazanov’s performance that much, the player who was thought to miss the tournament, and many said the team wouldn’t go past the Group Stage without the talented Duelist.
Credit: Riot Games
Winning this series has secured a top 3 spot for EG, and they are waiting in the Upper Final to face the winner of the Paper Rex vs FNATIC encounter.