It was a G’day for both Gen.G Esports and G2 as they prevailed in their respective upper semifinal battles at the VALORANT Champions Tour 2024: Masters Shanghai (2024 VCT Masters Shanghai) Playoffs.

To quickly recap both teams’ Masters Shanghai journey thus far, Gen.G and G2 clawed their way to the upper semifinals of the tournament.

The two teams started from the Swiss stage rounds of Masters Shanghai which they both finished with undefeated 2-0 records respectively.

In the VCT Masters Shanghai playoffs, they both toppled the top-seeded teams for their first playoff matches, with Gen.G defeating EMEA’s top seed FNATIC and G2 besting Pacific’s top-seeded team Paper Rex.

As they both reached the upper semis, Gen.G and G2 kept their winning momentum to get past both of their opponents. Gen.G was the first one to win, sweeping 100 Thieves 2-0. Up next, G2 met and defeated Team Heretics, another Swiss stage team on an upper-bracket run in Shanghai.

Gen.G Steals 100 Thieves’ Thunder in Masters Shanghai

To kick off the upper bracket semifinals, Gen.G successfully stole 100 Thieves’ thunder, sweeping the North American top seed 2-0.

Despite the series ending in a sweep, the battles between Gen.G and 100 Thieves were close. The first game on Icebox ended 13-10, a game Gen.G could have lost if they had not stopped 100 Thieves just in time. The series then ended on Ascent 13-10, showing 100 Thieves who was the top dog between them.

In this series, Kim “Karon” Won-tae played very well as Gen.G’s designated controller. Using both Viper and Omen, Gen.G’s young gun posted a series Average Combat Score (ACS) of 260 while getting a total of 43 kills and 30 assists.

Just trailing Karon a bit, Kim “Meteor” Tae-o also played fantastically, recording 42 kills and six assists while having a 256 ACS as Killjoy. As for the rest of Gen.G’s squad, Kim “Lakia” Jong-min finished with 32 kills and 13 assists, Byeon “Munchkin” Sang-beom had 27 kills and 29 assists, and Kim “t3xture” Na-ra ended with 28 kills and six assists.

As for the side of 100 Thieves, Matthew “Cryocells” Panganiban was their team’s top fragger, finishing the series with a total of 34 kills, six assists, and a 207 ACS.

Gen.G Steals Icebox from 100 Thieves

For the first game of their series, Gen.G stole the map pick of 100 Thieves, winning at Icebox 13-10.

Gen.G virtually dominated the start of Icebox, earning a 9-3 lead before halftime. Although Gen.G never really gave up their lead, 100 Thieves almost caught up by instigating a 7-round win streak in the second half. Fortunately, Gen.G halted the impending 100 Thieves comeback with a successful post-plant defense in the 22nd round, giving them the map point to close the game out the next round after eventually.

In this game, Karon showed everyone why he got recruited by Gen.G in the first place. As Viper, he posted a 286 Average Combat Score that went along with his 24 kills and seven assists in Icebox.

Meanwhile, Peter “Asuna” Mazuryk was the only player for 100 Thieves that broke through the 20-kill benchmark, getting exactly 20 kills and seven assists on a 231 ACS.

Gen.G Stands Tall in Ascent

As the series proceeded to the second map, it was Gen.G who stood tall in Ascent. The concurrent best team in South Korea won the map by another 13-10 scoreline.

This time around, Gen.G and 100 Thieves were equal to start the first half. Gen.G found an early 5-1 lead but 100 Thieves quickly responded with a five-round win streak. Eventually, the score was tied 6-6 with Gen.G winning the last round of the first half.

With 100 Thieves securing two of the first three rounds to start the second half, Gen.G responded by taking the map point via a five-round win streak. After losing the next two rounds to 100 Thieves, Gen.G sealed the deal in the 23rd round to completely sweep the series.

In this game, Meteor shined brightly as the wunderkind agent. As Killjoy, he racked up 26 kills, five assists, and an impressive 316 Average Combat Score.

G2 versus Team Heretics

After Gen.G swept their series, G2 took on Team Heretics, another team that came from the Swiss stage of Masters Shanghai, in the upper semis. In another North America versus EMEA matchup, G2 came out victorious as they reverse-swept Team Heretics 2-1.

To begin the series, G2 actually fell short on their first game against Team Heretics, losing Icebox 13-7. In the second game on Ascent, G2 overturned a 10-2 deficit to win the game 13-11. To cap off the series, G2 dominated on Lotus, winning the map 13-4.

For their series comeback win, Jonah “JonahP” Pulice’s agent flexibility proved to be instrumental for G2. Using Viper and KAY/O, he racked up 58 kills, 35 assists, and a series Average Combat Score of 283.

As for the rest of G2, Trent “trent” Cairns ended up with 49 kills, 17 assists, and a 214 ACS, Nathan “leaf” Orf got 39 kills, 16 assists, and 197 ACS, Jacob “valyn” Batio had 36 kills, 25 assists, and 164 ACS, and Jacob “icy” Lange finished with 34 kills, 18 assists, and 158 ACS.

Meanwhile, on the side of Team Heretics, Benjy “benjyfishy” Fish led his team with 55 kills, eight assists, and 231 ACS. As for his other teammates, Mert “Wo0t” Alkan had 42 kills and nine assists, Ričardas “Boo” Lukaševičius recorded 39 kills and 18 assists, Patryk “paTiTek” Fabrowski got 34 kills and 31 assists, and Enes “RieNs” Ecirli finished with 34 kills and 17 assists.

G2 Goes Cold in Icebox 

G2 had a rough outing on Icebox against Team Heretics. During the first half, G2 only managed to secure two rounds for themselves, ending with a 10-2 deficit going into halftime. Despite their best efforts in the second half, G2 lost to Team Heretics 13-7.

G2 could not simply break through the mighty defense Team Heretics showed in Icebox, especially with Benjyfishy anchoring as Killjoy. In this game, Benjyfishy had an impressive 350 ACS as he racked up 28 kills and three assists with just six deaths.

Reversing a 10-2 Deficit in Ascent

After suffering defeat in Icebox, G2 started their miracle run by overturning a huge deficit in Ascent.

Just like in Icebox, G2 found themselves in a precarious situation as 10 out of the 12 rounds in the first half. Unlike in Icebox, however, G2 went on a tear and won 11 straight rounds to win Ascent 13-7.

In this massive comeback victory, Trent’s sova was the main guy of G2. Trent finished Ascent with a 318 ACS on 27 kills and five assists.

G2 Squashes Team Heretics in Lotus

With a massive confidence boost from their massive comeback in Ascent, G2 squashed Team Heretics once and for all in Lotus.

Breaking the 10-2 cycle in the first half from the previous two maps, G2 found themselves up 8-4 to start their campaign on Lotus. Then, after winning the second pistol round of the game, G2 ran away with a five-round win streak in the second half, thus ending the game 13-4.

In this Lotus beatdown, JonahP had a monstrous performance as Viper. He posted a massive 452 ACS in Lotus as well as 28 kills and 12 assists in such a very short game.

Gen.G and G2 Face Off Next in VCT Masters Shanghai Playoffs

As they both won their upper semifinal matchups, Gen.G and G2 will meet in the upper bracket finals of VCT 2024 Masters Shanghai Playoffs. The winner of this faceoff will get the first ticket to the Grand Final.

As for the defeated teams, 100 Thieves is set to tackle Paper Rex while Team Heretics will take on FUT Esports in the lower bracket quarterfinals.

If you want to watch all the competitive VALORANT action happening in the 2024 VALORANT Champions Tour Masters Shanghai, you can watch all the matches on the official VALORANT Twitch channel. Additionally, you can also view replays and other Masters Shanghai content on the official VALORANT Champions Tour YouTube channel.

For more 2024 VCT Masters Shanghai news, follow us at ClutchPoints Gaming.