T1 pulled off a nail-biting comeback to defeat G2 Esports and claim the VALORANT Masters Bangkok crown, making them the second Pacific team to secure an international VCT title.

The South Korean squad went the distance in a five-game grand final on 2 March, rallying from a 2-1 deficit to outlast G2 in a series packed with overtimes, upsets, and enough twists to make a K-drama jealous. For their efforts, T1 walk away with a cool US$250,000 and five VCT points, while G2 settle for second place, US$100,000, and three VCT points—probably not the consolation prize they were hoping for.

Two Teams, Two Very Different Journeys

Both sides had a respectable Swiss Stage, but once the Playoffs hit, they went on entirely different journeys—G2 took the scenic expressway while T1 got stuck on the nightmare detour.

G2 started strong with a 2-0 sweep, only to get body-slammed by EDward Gaming (EDG). Not ideal. But instead of sulking, they went on a rampage, knocking out Team Liquid before blitzing through the Playoffs, humiliating tournament favourites Team Vitality and then settling a score with EDG in the upper bracket finals.

T1, on the other hand, took the hard mode route. They were nearly eliminated in the Swiss Stage but managed to scrape through with a 2-0 win over DRX. Then, in true dramatic fashion, they were smacked down to the lower bracket by EDG, forcing them to fight through Vitality and then—because the scriptwriters clearly wanted some tension—win a rematch against EDG just to make the grand final.

A Five-Map Saga of Pain, Overtime, & Utter Chaos

The grand final started on Lotus, and it wasn’t pretty. T1 had a solid start, but then G2 woke up, realised they were playing a grand final, and bulldozed their way to a 13-5 win.

Haven looked like another G2 victory, but T1 had other ideas. They clawed their way back from an early deficit and took the second map 13-9, because apparently, they enjoy suffering and wanted to keep things interesting.

Then came Ascent, where T1 stormed ahead with an 8-4 first half. G2, refusing to be outdone, mounted a ridiculous comeback to level things at 11-11. It looked like we were headed for another overtime—because of course—but T1 narrowly avoided it, taking the map 13-11.

At this point, T1 were on match point, but G2 had Split to play with, and they were not going down quietly. They led 8-4 at halftime, only for T1 to mount a monstrous five-round streak, flipping the script. Cue another overtime. After trading rounds like a dodgy stock market, T1 eventually eked out a 15-13 win, forcing a decisive fifth game.

And so we arrived at Pearl, a map that could have ended in normal fashion. But no. That would be too easy. T1 had an 8-4 lead at halftime, G2 fought back, we got another overtime (obviously), and the two teams kept each other locked at 14-14. But after what felt like an eternity, T1 finally put the match to bed, clinching a 16-14 victory and the championship.

T1 have proven that suffering builds character, that no lead is ever safe, and that apparently, they thrive in pure chaos. As for G2? Well, at least they got to beat EDG twice. Shame about the actual trophy, though.