Nongshim RedForce Books Busan and Shanghai With Gutsy Win Over Gen.G
Nongshim RedForce survived a three-map thriller against Gen.G to book its spot in Busan — and enough Championship Points to qualify for Champions Shanghai outright. Earlier in the day, Global Esports swept VARREL 2-0 to join Nongshim in the Upper Final, while Gen.G and VARREL are pushed into must-win lower bracket runs.
Nongshim RedForce didn't just win a playoff series on Thursday — it locked up two separate trips. A 2-1 win over Gen.G sent the Ascension-born roster to the VCT Pacific Stage 2 finals weekend in Busan, and with it, enough Championship Points to punch a ticket to Champions Shanghai. Earlier in the day, Global Esports made its own case for the finals weekend, sweeping VARREL 2-0 to join Nongshim in the upper bracket final.
Gen.G
Gen.G entered off 20 days of rest; Nongshim came in on a perfect Play-Ins run. That gap in match sharpness showed immediately. On Nongshim's pick of Ascent, Gen.G shifted into a mirrored Yoru-Neon look to prep for star player Dambi, but struggled to convert a 14-7 first-duel advantage into rounds, falling 8-13. Gen.G steadied on its own pick, Summit, riding a dominant 8-2 defensive first-engagement record to a 13-9 bounce-back. The Sunset decider swung hardest: Rb went 17/7 in the opening half to stake Nongshim to an 8-4 lead, Gen.G clawed level at 11-11 behind a pair of t3xture 4Ks, and Nongshim closed it out with a fast site hit on match point.
The wildest map of the series. Rb's 17/7 first half put Nongshim up 8-4, but a pistol-round win and a bonus-round steal fueled a Gen.G surge that tied it at 11-11 — powered by two t3xture 4Ks, including one inside a 2v3 retake. Nongshim answered immediately, winning the round to reach match point and closing it with a fast site hit.
Award | Player | Team | Key Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| VALOINFO MVP | t3xture | Gen.G | 9.80 Rating · 287 ACS |
| The Catalyst | Ivy | Nongshim RedForce | 22 Assists · 73% KAST |
t3xture finished with a match-high 70 kills across the series — split between two maps on Chamber and one on Yoru — even in the loss. Nongshim countered with a more distributed attack: IGL Rb topped the roster with 55 kills. "We made too many mistakes we shouldn't have, so it's very disappointing," Gen.G's solo said afterward — a sentiment echoed by t3xture in the postgame press conference.
The win is a landmark one for Nongshim, a roster built from four former Tier 2 and Tier 3 players, now Shanghai-bound off the back of a top-three Stage 2 finish.
Global Esports sweeps VARREL
Global's afternoon was more straightforward. Fresher off a win over KIWOOM DRX the day before, GE stole VARREL's own map pick on Split, riding five straight defensive rounds to an 8-4 half before closing it 13-10.
VARREL
On Summit, VARREL debuted an unfamiliar Foxy9-on-Veto composition that looked like a direct counter to Global's own Veto-centered identity. It never found footing — GE opened 6-0 and never let go, closing out 13-5 and the series 2-0. VARREL played the match on a five-man roster.
Player | Team | Series Kills | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| PatMen | Global Esports | 38 | 19 kills on Summit alone — map-high |
| Autumn | Global Esports | 36 | Close second on the roster |
| Zexy | VARREL | 28 | Team-high for VARREL |
What's next
Nongshim and Global Esports are Busan-bound and meet in the Upper Final. Gen.G and VARREL drop to the lower bracket, where both now need a top-two finish just to keep their Champions Shanghai hopes alive.
Elimination stakes ahead
Gen.G and VARREL are no longer in control of their own path — a lower-bracket loss for either team ends the Champions Shanghai bid on the spot.
Pacific Stage 2 Playoffs — What's Left
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