NRG Esports
NRG Esports
North America
Rank #1
FiNESSE
Pujan Mehta
s0m
Sam Oh
Verno
Andrew Maust
mada
Adam Pampuch
Ethan
Ethan Arnold
has overcome
Gen.G
Gen.G
Korea
Rank #1
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)
3-0 in the grand final of the SOOP Valorant League, earning the right to lift the trophy in one of the biggest events of the offseason.
The three-map series played out on Abyss, Haven, and Ascent, Abyss and Ascent being Gen.G's picks and Haven being NRG's pick. NRG won Abyss 13-4, Haven 13-11, and Ascent 13-4.
Both teams came into this match with a point to prove. For NRG, it was a chance to turn over a new leaf for an experienced core after a disappointing 2024 season with the addition of two highly anticipated rookies. For Gen.G, it was a chance to show that changing two players hadn't taken away from their ability to vie for championships.
A fresh opportunity for three Americas veterans. (Photo by Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games)
The series kicked off on Gen.G's first map pick of Abyss. Both sides brought out distinct compositions that they had shown earlier in the event, with Gen.G locking in Astra and Omen and NRG opting for Harbor and Vyse. The first six rounds were back-and-forth, leading to a 3-3 start, but NRG tore away with a 9-3 lead as Gen.G became increasingly unable to handle the opposition's rapid site hits, ironclad postplants, and deep mid searches.
In the second half, NRG demonstrated a superior defense with impressive and varied Vyse setups from FiNESSE , easily closing out Abyss 13-4. Statistically, it was Verno and s0m who controlled the server; the former found 17 kills to 6 deaths and a 1.66 rating while the latter scored 18 kills to 9 deaths and a 1.49 rating.
NRG opened their map pick of Haven with a similarly dominant attack half, building an 8-4 lead despite losing the first pistol. In contrast, the second half was neck-and-neck as both teams struggled to string together multiple rounds in a row until the score was 12-8 in NRG's favor. Gen.G rallied temporarily, managing to get to 11 rounds, but NRG denied overtime and won out Haven 13-11.
While Munchkin led his team with 19 kills and a 1.13 rating, it was Verno once again lighting up the scoreboard with 21 kills to only 11 deaths and a 1.67 rating. The American Initiator racked up highlights on the map, including a 1v2 in round 11 and a belting 4K with the Guardian in round 15.
The final map was Ascent. This time, NRG established an even greater lead early on, converting the first pistol on their defense and then the bonus off the back of a Judge 3K from s0m. An ace from s0m in round 7 later led his team to a 6-1 lead. Every setup that NRG used seemed to work perfectly to foil Gen.G's plans as they consistently won out their duels, culminating in a 10-2 half. NRG took home Ascent 13-4 to complete the clean sweep over Gen.G and win the SOOP League.
“I think we just had a really good flow in all three maps, we had a good game plan going into the game,” FiNESSE commented on the win in the post-match interview.
“I think it showed that we're pretty good, so hopefully a lot of winning next season,” Ethan added when asked what fans could expect from the team going into 2025.
With this win, NRG has cemented themselves as a title contender going into the 2025 season, which is now just one month away. NRG will next return for Americas Kickoff, which begins Jan. 16.
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