The VCT Pacific superweek, the place every VALORANT staff performs twice as many matches, is off to a rocky begin full of technical points and a few very one-sided scorelines. However one of many week’s most fun and high-stakes matchups got here at this time between Japan’s ZETA DIVISION and Korea’s T1, two groups which were floating across the center of the league, simply failing to interrupt the ceiling into the highest tier of the Pacific.
Other than the general staff synergy and cohesion that finally led T1 to their 2-1 victory over ZETA, the MVP of at this time’s match was clearly Joseph “ban” Seungmin Oh, a participant who’s competing in VALORANT in Korea for the primary time this season.
Associated: VCT Pacific 2023: VALORANT scores, schedule, format, and standings
Ban started his VALORANT profession in North America, taking part in for tier-two groups like Squirtle Squad and ultimately Luminosity. He signed with T1 in August 2022 after the group was awarded a franchised spot within the VCT Pacific League in Seoul, South Korea.
T1 structured its new Korean roster round a number of veteran gamers each in VALORANT and in different esports titles. After signing large names like Carpe, Sayaplayer, Munchkin, and former Cloud9 participant xeta, the roster regarded like a masterpiece with only one gap. And ban was left to fill it.
Many pundits doubted ban at first, although. He didn’t have the identical caliber of expertise as his teammates, who all have intensive backgrounds in esports. Proper earlier than the beginning of the VCT Pacific League in March, T1 signed iNTRO, a younger participant developing from the Korean VALORANT scene. Many individuals anticipated that iNTRO would turn into the fifth participant on the roster, with ban sitting on the bench as a sixth man.
But because the Pacific League ramps up, it’s clear that ban is something however a benchwarmer.
Because the staff’s cohesion and consistency has grown, so has ban, and he has turn into a particularly useful participant in his personal proper. Immediately on Fracture, he completely obliterated his opposition, getting an ace and ending the map with a 289 fight rating.
Other than these unbelievable stats, ban additionally made good selections in regard to his positioning, exhibiting that he not solely has glorious sport consciousness however the expertise to tug off dangerous performs when left on his personal too. T1 took Fracture 13-11 and ban had one of the best statistics of anybody within the foyer, ending the map with a 24/19/3 scoreline.
Ban impressed a lot, even on Lotus the place T1 misplaced 13-10, that as a substitute of substituting him out for iNTRO within the third map, which has been T1’s observe previously, ban stayed within the lineup. He not solely continued his glorious gameplay however did so on Harbor, an agent he has by no means performed earlier than in knowledgeable match. INTRO, in distinction, has solely performed controller brokers.
T1 went on to win Bind 13-3, obliterating ZETA. Ban was an enormous a part of their win at this time, going 14/12/5 within the remaining map and 58/44/12 general within the collection.
Associated: 5 players to watch in VCT Pacific’s superweek
T1’s VALORANT staff not solely look to be hitting their stride proper at a vital second within the Pacific League, however additionally they appear like one of the best iteration of the roster that the group has ever had. To prime all of it off, their gamers are peaking precisely on the proper time and eventually beginning to gel collectively.
However the work is much from over. Proper now, although T1 appear like they need to don’t have any downside securing a playoff spot, they might love to complete as far up within the common season standings as potential. They presently sit in third place. For T1 to take second place behind DRX, the league’s most dominant staff that hasn’t misplaced a match, T1 must face them head-on and beat them of their upcoming match later this week. As well as, present second-place staff Paper Rex must lose their one remaining match.
T1 will face off towards DRX on Could 15 at 4am CT.
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