VCT Masters: Tokyo is coming to an end with only three teams remaining in the battle to win an extra slot for their region at Champions 2023 as well as a whopping prize money of $350,000.
On June 21, 2023, two important matches took place: the Upper Final between FNATIC and Evil Geniuses and the Lower Round 3 between NRG Esports and Paper Rex.
FNATIC vs. Evil Geniuses Match Summary
This was the first head-to-head matchup for both squads, which seemed to be too easy for FNATIC in the first map. They had a commanding lead of 10-2 at the half to eventually close their map pick, Lotus, on 13-3. However, EG fought back on the following two maps, pushing FNATIC to the edge as they won the second map 13-9 after being 9-3 up in the first half.
The third map, Split, was nail-bitingly intense as the first half ended at 6-6 only for FNATIC to win 13-11. With this win, FNATIC became the first Grand Finalist for VCT Masters Tokyo, securing a flawless Upper Bracket run by defeating NRG Esports, Paper Rex, and Evil Geniuses. Coincidentally, these teams only made it to the top four, failing their Lower Bracket runs.
NRG Esports vs. Paper Rex Match Summary
Once again this was the first head-to-head for both teams and this time there was no clear favorite. NRG's first choice, Pearl, went into overtime. Both teams had a monumental tug of war with some rounds coming down to the millisecond. Paper Rex managed to grab the first map by their fingertips, pushing them towards the second map of Lotus with an advantage. However, NRG dominated Lotus, winning the match 13-6 after taking a 10-2 halftime lead. The third map was, once again, very close, as NRG led 7-5 at halftime only to lose the map 11-13, eliminating NRG from Masters Tokyo.
To determine which of the two teams advances to a rematch with FNATIC in the grand final, Paper Rex will now compete against EG in the lower finals. f0rsakeN was one of Paper Rex's most reliable players throughout the competition. The MVP on Pearl today was their sixth player, CGRS, who has been filling in for Something.