Global Esports had never won a map against DRX, and they just knocked them into the lower bracket

Global Esports had played KIWOOM DRX five times in the Valorant Champions Tour and lost all five by the same score. On Wednesday in Busan they beat them 2-1 in the opening round of the Pacific Stage 2 playoffs, which sent the India-based org through to the upper half of the bracket. The top two finishers in Busan go to Champions.

The head-to-head was 0-2, five times over

Look up the two teams on VLR and the record is almost funny. April 2024, Pacific Stage 1: 0-2. April 2025: 0-2. The Esports World Cup semi-final in May 2025: 0-2. August 2025: 0-2. Then April this year, again: 0-2. Five series, not one of them close enough to reach a decider, and not a single map won along the way.

DRX picked Lotus to open this one, which is the sort of thing a team does when it has never lost to you. Global took it 13-11.

Then they nearly gave it away

Ascent was Global’s own pick and they lost it 8-13, which sent the series to Abyss, the map neither side had removed in the veto. Global won that 13-9.

xavi8k was the reason. He finished the series with 56 kills to 43 deaths, a 252 average combat score and a 1.35 rating across the three maps, the best number on the server. Autumn had the opposite kind of day: 0.60 rating, 29 kills to 51 deaths, and a first-blood record of 5 to 18. Winning a series in which one of your five is minus 13 on opening duels says something about the other four.

DRX had HYUNMIN at 225 ACS and yong at 222 and it was not enough. MaKo finished on a 0.82 rating, the lowest of the five.

Two teams go to Champions

Stage 2 is worth $250,000 and runs at the Sajik Indoor Gymnasium in Busan until 6 September. The first two places take Champions slots, along with eight and six circuit points. Third gets $40,000 and no ticket.

Global went into the playoffs as the second seed from Group Alpha behind Gen.G, who have already been beaten by Nongshim RedForce in the upper half. Nongshim are through to the upper final on 4 September and will play whoever comes out of Global’s side of the bracket.

DRX drop into the lower bracket and face T1 on Friday, a Korean derby with elimination on the end of it. Paper Rex, who lost 0-2 to Nongshim in the same round Global were beating DRX, play ONSIDE GAMING earlier the same day.

Global Esports reached Masters London earlier this year, the first Indian organisation to make a VCT international event after joining the Pacific league in 2023. Beating DRX is a smaller thing than that. It has also been a longer time coming.

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