Gen.G make Masters debut with 2-1 over LOUD

Gen.G Gen.G Korea Rank #2 Munchkin Byeon Sang-beom (변상범) t3xture Kim Na-ra (김나라) Meteor Kim Tae-O (김태오) Lakia Kim Jong-min (김종민) Karon Kim Won-tae (김원태) have defeated former Champions LOUD LOUD Brazil Rank #1 Quick Gabriel Lima saadhak Matias Delipetro Less Felipe de Loyola tuyz Arthur Andrade cauanzin Cauan Pereira 2-1. They are now one match away from making playoffs and securing a top-four finish at their first-ever Masters event. LOUD, meanwhile, will need to avoid a loss to continue in the tournament.

The Korean squad have now defeated three top Champions 2023 teams in a row. Their recent matches are victories against LOUD, Paper Rex, and DRX, who placed third, second, and top-six, respectively.

The teams' next opponents will be determined tomorrow, as they will next play against a team with an equal record. Gen.G will face off against another team that won their opening match, while LOUD will be drawn against a team that lost their first series.

LOUD picked Icebox to kick off the series. Starting on defense, LOUD took the pistol round after a B main backstab. A failed force buy from Gen.G harmed their economy, and LOUD went up 4-0. Gen.G finally answered back with a round 5 thrifty, using Stingers to break apart their opponents' setup. The attackers went on to win another four rounds in a row, and the half ended 6-6.

Going into the second half, t3xture and Munchkin helped put their team in the lead with back-to-back triple kills and a 2v2 bonus round. LOUD were able to keep the score close, but Gen.G eventually reached map point. It took a 4K from Less to force a timeout from the defending team.

Unfortunately for the Brazilian squad, Gen.G's weak economy was enough to avoid overtime. Munchkin pushed into LOUD as they set up for an A take, killing 2 players. LOUD were able to plant and bring their rivals down to one player, but Karon cleaned up, sticking the defuse to win 13-11.

A key player to their victory, t3xture finished the match with a 1.33 rating. Karon was just as valuable, winning two clutches for his team and contributing 19 eliminations throughout the match.

The series continued on Breeze, Gen.G's map pick. LOUD gained an early lead, with little resistance from the Korean roster. Karon contributed with a round win, and Munchkin kept LOUD's economy in check with a number of kills and a 1v2, but the half still ended 9-3. Compared to Icebox, Quick 's performance was night-and-day. He matched his eliminations just in the first half of Breeze, and found four first eliminations, one more than his previous map total.

LOUD further extended their lead in the second half, taking the pistol round. Gen.G were not out of the match, winning the eco round and setting up t3xture for an ace against LOUD's own low buy. They kept up the pace the following round, catching the A defense off-guard with three early kills.

Gen.G continued to tally up rounds, but LOUD was able to keep them from doing too much damage, securing map point by round 18. A hectic final round would eventually end the map 13-8 and tie the series.

Left as the decider, Ascent would close out the second match of the day. What appeared to be a back-and-forth start ended up with Gen.G running away with the half. LOUD put up a good effort initially, but Gen.G were able to overwhelm the defense and punish their mistakes.

Gen.G rookie Karon was the best performer on their attack. He ended the half with a 20-5 KD, a 2.01 rating, and 413 ACS. He also won two clutches, and alongside t3xture helped win five of the seven opening duels the duo participated in.

Coming into the next half LOUD won the pistol and anti-eco, the last rounds they would take for the remainder of the match. Gen.G picked up where they left off on rifle rounds, winning the next two rounds and forcing a timeout from LOUD. Meteor helped secure their twelfth win of the map, and a puzzling A hit closed out Ascent 13-5.

“I wasn't playing when [LOUD] won Champs,” Karon said prior to the match. His mindset translated to the server. “It's important to be confident against LOUD,” he said.