VALORANT Champions Tour Masters Shanghai 2024: G2 Esports Wins Over T1 in Thrilling Opener
The VALORANT Champions Tour Masters Shanghai 2024 began today with an exciting encounter between G2 Esports and their international rivals T1. The thrilling opener saw G2 win 3-1, demonstrating their perseverance as they defeated T1 in a nail-biting overtime conclusion.
After the first action-packed stage in the global VALORANT competitive scene, the 12 best teams in the world are finally colliding at VCT Masters Shanghai 2024. And today, the competition kicked out with one of the most thrilling international rivalries spanning numerous titles: G2 versus T1.
Today’s clash at Masters Shanghai, like their League of Legends meeting at MSI 2024, was not disappointing. Starting the competition on Breeze, where rounds were passed back and forth, T1 established an early lead on their claimed best map. But after the side switch, G2 commanded the sandy shores of Breeze, ultimately claiming the first map of the tournament.
T1 retaliated on Icebox, dominating G2 with an almost perfect map score. T1 won 11 rounds on the offensive side, while G2 won only one when their opponent became overly aggressive and slipped. Even on defense, T1 won two successive rounds, 13-1, tying the match and forcing a crucial third game.
And then the fun started.
The two teams went head-to-head on Lotus, unleashing their full potential to try to secure the first win of VCT Masters Shanghai. After exchanging blows, they went into overtime, providing spectators with all they hoped for in the competition’s inaugural encounter.
But after being tied at 12-12, G2 swiftly won the 25th round on attack and closed out the game by winning the next round on defense, capitalizing on T1’s aggressive but careless play on the A site. G2 quickly seized the map and won the first match of VCT Masters Shanghai.
Similar to Masters Madrid, the Shanghai teams begin the event with a thrilling Swiss stage, followed by a do-or-die double-elimination bracket to determine the competition’s champion. With this system, even today’s loss does not mean T1 is eliminated; instead, they will try to win their first game soon.