This fixture highlighted two exceptionally strong duellists, Erick “aspas” Santos and Kim “t3xture” Na-ra, and proved to be the best game of the opening Swiss stage, stretching to three maps with standout performances from both players.

The map veto began with Leviat��n banning Ascent and Split, while Gen.G removed Sunset and Bind, setting the stage for an exciting VALORANT series.

The first map, Icebox, was Leviat��n��s choice.

Leviat��n started strong on the attack, dismantling Gen.G’s defense and taking an early lead.

Although Gen.G managed to rally towards the end, the first half concluded at 7-5 in favour of Leviat��n.

On defence, Leviat��n continued their dominance, shutting down Gen.G to close the map 13-7, and taking a 1-0 lead in the series.

Gen.G bounced back on Lotus.

Despite a rough start, they finished the first half with a two-round lead.

In the second half, Gen.G dominated, winning the map 13-5 and forcing a decisive third map.

Gen.G dominated Breeze, securing a commanding 8-4 lead by halftime.

They maintained their momentum, closing out the map 13-7 and winning the series 2-1.

Gen.G Esports secure their first series win at #VALORANTMasters Shanghai! #GenGWIN pic.twitter.com/7J1ogVSaM2

— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) May 24, 2024

The second match featured Team Heretics against Dragon Ranger Gaming.

Team Heretics, the EMEA second seed, entered the tournament with a substitute, as their main duelist, Dominykas “MiniBoo” Luka?evi?ius, took a break.

Dragon Ranger Gaming, having qualified via the VALORANT Champions Tour: Ascension China tournament, faced a tough challenge.

Starting on DRG��s map pick, Team Heretics came in hot, quickly securing an 8-2 lead.

DRG managed to win the last two rounds of the half, reducing the deficit to 8-4.

However, Team Heretics extended their lead in the second half, winning the first two rounds and using that momentum to close out the map 13-5.

DRG showed more resilience on Sunset, going toe to toe with Team Heretics in the first half.

Despite this effort, Team Heretics came back strong in the second half, shutting down DRG��s attack and winning the map 13-5, thereby finishing the series with a swift 2-0 victory.

Team Heretics get the series win against the home team! #VALORANTMasters #VamosHeretics pic.twitter.com/yiGAvmLFKg

— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) May 24, 2024

Saturday’s VCT Masters Shanghai fixtures

• FunPlus Phoenix (+275) vs Gen.G (-400) @ 4pm CST
• G2 Esports (+175) vs Team Heretics (-250) @ 7pm CST

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Gen.G are rightly favourites for this clash. They have been phenomenal so far this season, with a gold medal from VCT 2024 Pacific Kickoff and two silver medals from Masters Madrid and Pacific Stage 1.

Leviatan haven��t produced anything nearly as impressive — although they had their moments in VCT 2024 Americas Stage 1, with a 4-1 record in the group stage and a third-place finish in the playoffs. Still, this is a flawed team.

Leviatan are very hit-or-miss and quickly fall apart if things don��t go as planned. Their post-plants need a lot of work, and overall they don��t have any big strengths.

Leviatan have shown nothing that would suggest they have what it takes to win Masters Shanghai, and while they might do well against individually weaker teams, Gen.G should be too much for them to handle. A smaller wager on the Korean powerhouse to sweep is worth considering.

Dragon Ranger Gaming enter VCT 2024 Masters Shanghai as by far the biggest underdogs, priced at +15000 in outright betting markets. Team Heretics, on the other side, sit on the sixth line of title betting.

DRG qualified for this tournament as China��s third seed. That is respectable, but they hail from a relatively weak region where EDward Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix are clearly the top two sides.

Team Heretics made a name for themselves early in the 2024 VALORANT season with a silver medal from the VCT 2024 EMEA Kickoff. They slipped in Madrid with an underwhelming top-eight finish but again found traction domestically with a runner-up result in VCT 2024 EMEA Stage 1.

Heretics looked flawed throughout the first split, but their resurgence in the playoffs was inspiring. While it may not seem like it, Heretics have all the tools to make it far in China. DRG, on the other hand, are prime wooden-spoon candidates.

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