DRX DRX Korea Rank #4 Flashback Cho Min-hyuk (조민혁) MaKo Kim Myeong-gwan (김명관) free1ng No Ha-jun (노하준) HYUNMIN Song Hyun-min (송현민) BeYN Kang Ha-bin (강하빈) opened up 2025 with a 2-1 win over Nongshim RedForce Nongshim RedForce Korea Rank #3 Persia Yang Zi-on (양지온) Francis Kim Mu-bin (김무빈) margaret Kim Ji-woo (김지우) Dambi Lee Hyuk-kyu (이혁규) Ivy Park Sung-hyeon (박성현) in the former's first match of 2025, sending the Pacific Ascension champions to the lower bracket.

The win is a particular beacon of confidence for DRX, who has gone through a rough patch in the last two years. The first year of partnership, 2023, was the first for DRX without any form of regional glory. Last year was more dire for the roster, as not only did the team miss out on the regional trophy again, they also failed to attend a Masters for the first time since the original Vision Strikers Vision Strikers Inactive stax Kim Gu-taek (김구택) Rb Goo Sang-min (구상민) Zest Kim Ki-seok (김기석) BuZz Yu Byeong-cheol (유병철) MaKo Kim Myeong-gwan (김명관) were formed.

At the tail end of 2024, DRX re-signed BeYN for 2025 — returning Athan to their academy roster — and signed prospects HYUNMIN and free1ng , who spent last year slogging through the tier 2 circuits of Japan and China, respectively.

BeYN at VCT Pacific in 2024 Photo by VCT Pacific

free1ng was the one that showed up when it mattered most on Lotus. In a match full of highlights — a total of 128 multikills and clutches — free1ng stood out in a B defense where he found four quick kills in the middle of all the chaos.

That 4K allowed DRX to clinch their opponents' map pick 13-11. Despite later dropping their own choice of Pearl 13-6, it was also free1ng that put DRX on their back on the way to victory on Fracture. In a 13-9 victory, he dropped 22 kills and 144 ADR, for a 1.22 rating that gave his team the victory.

And he did so on Tejo, a mainstay of this match. While free1ng exclusively played Tejo, Nongshim RedForce's Ivy only brought out the new initiator on Fracture for a near-mirror comp.

MaKo actually topped the board on Lotus, but only marginally. He averaged a 1.28 rating (to free1ng's 1.24) and 170 ADR, as well as 22 kills, five of which first bloods. Overall, though, free1ng and HYUNMIN topped him. The latter, in particular, accrued a whopping 17 entries across 58 total kills.

Nongshim RedForce's loss today brings an end to a 16-match win streak that started all the way back in May of last year, when the roster played their first qualification match of VCL Korea Split 2. Among those 16 games were two wins over Dplus Esports Dplus Esports Korea Rank #8 Felix Park Hyeon-ho (박현호) Rico Han Jun-seo (한준서) CabezA No Gun-hyung (노건형) Bangnan Jung Min-u (정민우) RedLight Kim Eun-soo (김은수) kAyle Jung Soo-yong (정수용) , where free1ng played at the time.

“They were the team I wanted to beat for so long back in Challengers and to be able to win against them here in Pacific feels really, really good,” free1ng told the post-match interview.

It's also a possible sign of a return to form for the Koreans, who have had a rough few months between regional losses in playoffs, a top-six Champions exit, and a struggling offseason where they never went beyond the top four.

As things stand, DRX are guaranteed a slot in the top six, a placement that has haunted them since the dawn of Vision Strikers' performances abroad. They now have about 10 days to prepare for their semifinal match against Gen.G Gen.G Korea Rank #2 Foxy9 Jung Jae-sung (정재성) t3xture Kim Na-ra (김나라) Munchkin Byeon Sang-beom (변상범) yoman Chae Young-moon (채영문) Karon Kim Won-tae (김원태) or Rex Regum Qeon Rex Regum Qeon Asia-Pacific Rank #11 Monyet Cahya Nugraha xffero David Monangin Jemkin Maksim Batorov Kushy Bryan Carlos Setiawan Estrella Park Gun (박건) , who both found wins over DRX in Stage 2 last year.

Should DRX win that match, their only guarantee is a few VCT points. The squad requires another win to lock in a slot at Masters Bangkok.

Nongshim RedForce, meanwhile, have a much longer path to trace. The team has been knocked down to the first round of the lower bracket, where they will open against BOOM Esports BOOM Esports Asia-Pacific Rank #2 dos9 Zhumagali Dastan Famouz Fikri Zaki Hamdani Shiro Hildegard Arnaldo NcSlasher Sheldon Andersen Chandra BerserX Rizkie Adla Kusuma to kick off next week.