Korea’s DRX Reflects on Exhausting Season Following VCT Pacific League Loss
DRX, the top team in the VCT Pacific League, fell short of winning the championship trophy after a 3-2 reverse sweep by Paper Rex. The team’s coach acknowledges the toll the season took on his players.
Both MaKo and DRX’s head coach termi expressed that the team was exhausted from consecutive five-map series and their overall season schedule.
“This league felt really long and our players definitely felt burnt out,” said termi. “We’ll adjust our internal schedule next year to prevent burnout during the later part of the season.”
During the grand finals, DRX showed their signature teamwork and individual skill, but lost their grip on the championship. This marks a historic reverse sweep result in VCT history.
Termi’s statement suggests that the demanding VCT Pacific schedule and the team’s practice schedule may have contributed to the exhaustion.
The franchised VCT season divided the circuit into three leagues, with the Pacific league featuring a weekly match schedule. DRX played weekly matches until the playoffs and a loss in the upper bracket final, forcing them to play a best-of-five series just a day before the grand finals.
After playing a grueling match against T1, DRX’s star player MaKo commented on the team’s fatigue and loss of stamina.
“We fixed some mistakes against T1, but playing five maps yesterday and a lot today drained us,” said MaKo. “We lost in the battle of stamina.”
Even though DRX’s strategies and roster decisions were questioned, Zest’s performance proved that the absence of Foxy9 was not the reason for their loss.
DRX will still compete in VCT Masters Tokyo next month, providing them with a break to regain their momentum.
Despite the challenges they faced, termi believes the VCT Pacific league was enjoyable and successful, and is confident in DRX’s ability to compete against teams from other regions.