Japanese squad DetonatioN FocusMe (DFM) caused a major upset in the VCT Pacific 2024 Stage 1 as it triumphed over T1 in a thrilling 2-1 victory last night.
With no lineup changes made prior to this event, pundits expected these DFM boys to face significant challenges against the Korean powerhouse. However, being underestimated appeared to work in their favor, allowing them to play with greater freedom and catch its opponent off guard.
The action-packed Game 1, set on DFM’s chosen map, Ascent, saw both teams locked in a tense battle until DFM momentarily lost control, falling victim to the aggressive play of T1’s dynamic duo, Ha “Sayaplayer” Jung-woo and Ham “izu” Woo-joo. However, DFM’s strategic timeout allowed it to regroup, narrowing the score gap before staging an impressive comeback to claim victory with a final score of 13-10.
T1 then retaliated in Game 2, played on their map pick, Lotus. This time, izu and Sayaplayer’s duo successfully cleared every gap and shut down DFM’s movements to win the series convincingly with a final score of 5-13.
With the score all square at 1-1, both teams ramped up their attacks. It was neck and neck until the 13th round, where DFM smelled blood. That’s when Ibuki “meiy” Seki and Yusuke “neth” Matsuda from DFM stepped up, putting pressure on T1 in tough teamfights. Despite T1’s strong resistance, DFM eventually came out on top, winning the deciding game with a score of 13-11.
This victory marked a significant milestone for DFM, breaking its meme streak of not winning a series in the Pacific tournament since 2020. It also showcased the strength of the Omega group, which has been on a winning streak this week. In contrast, only Gen.G remains the standout team in the Alpha group.
