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) triumphed over 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) 2-1 in the upper quarterfinals of Pacific Kickoff. Gen.G advances to the upper semifinal against 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) , while RRQ has been knocked down to the lower bracket and will fight for their tournament lives against Team Secret Team Secret Asia-Pacific Rank #8 invy Adrian Jiggs Reyes JessieVash Jessie Cuyco Wild0reoo Brheyanne Christ Reyes 2GE James Goopio Jremy Jeremy Cabrera .

This match was Gen.G's first showing in VCT 2025 after the Masters-winning squad brought in yoman and Foxy9 in place of Lakia and Meteor . On the other side, a familiar opponent in RRQ came in riding off the momentum of a strong win over DetonatioN FocusMe DetonatioN FocusMe Japan Rank #3 Meiy Ibuki Seki Art Jinboong Kim Jin-won (김진원) Akame Yu Gwang-hui (유광희) gyen for the two teams' seventh all-time matchup.

The three-map series played out on Fracture, Lotus, and Haven, Fracture being RRQ's pick and Lotus being Gen.G's pick. RRQ won Fracture 13-6 while Gen.G won Lotus 13-8 and brought it home on Haven 14-12.

Starting on Fracture, both teams went for the classic Sova-Breach composition originally popularized by Evil Geniuses Evil Geniuses North America Rank #20 Derrek Derrek Ha NaturE Nicholas Garrison supamen Phat Le icy Jacob Lange yay Jaccob Whiteaker , the only difference being t3xture 's Raze versus his former teammate Monyet 's Neon. RRQ quickly demonstrated why they had selected the map, dominating with proactive pushes, steadfast site holds, and improbable retakes. RRQ's impenetrable defense netted them an 11-1 first half despite allowing Gen.G to plant the spike six times.

Even at a numbers disadvantage, Monyet and Kushy overcome the odds to extend their lead.

Gen.G managed to scrape together a few rounds in the second half, but the gap was too wide for any hope of a comeback and RRQ closed out Fracture 13-6. While every member of RRQ put up a strong performance, it was Kushy on Sova leading the charge with 19 kills to 10 deaths, 272 ACS, and a 1.53 rating.

Lotus threatened to go in a similar direction for Gen.G as RRQ opened the map 6-2, thriving in firefights early on. However, Gen.G finally began to show signs of life; individual hero plays from Foxy9 and Karon seemed to give the Korean squad the push they needed to bring the scoreline back to 7-5 at the half. Fully revitalized, Gen.G's defense in the second half was near-perfect as they won seven consecutive rounds, this time with the ironclad setups and quick reactions that previously characterized them as one of the most consistent teams of 2024.

New season, same old t3xture 4Ks.

Gen.G ultimately closed out Lotus 13-8. Foxy9 led the server in a statement performance with 20 kills to 13 deaths and a 1.45 rating, while Karon followed close behind with 17 kills to 10 deaths and a 1.33 rating.

Haven was the decider. RRQ opted for the standard Sova-Breach, while Gen.G brought out their signature Viper with Neon as their Duelist of choice. Unlike the previous maps, both teams struggled to break away from one another—RRQ picked up the first bonus, but Gen.G responded with three rounds of their own. Almost every round offered something different, ranging from individual brilliance from Foxy9 to a well-coordinated A hit from RRQ to just about every level of chaos in between, resulting in a 6-6 first half.

Tensions in the second half rose even higher than the first. Kushy secured the pistol for his side, but Gen.G immediately won the eco round. RRQ's decisive holds and retakes got them to 12-10, but Gen.G forced overtime by the skin of their teeth and fragged out in the most important moments to win Haven 14-12 and narrowly claim the series.

In a match full of mayhem, Karon finds four when it matters most.

Despite losing the map, Jemkin and Kushy were still the ones that consistently shone the most individually, with the Duelist leading with 29 kills to 19 deaths, 210 ADR, and a rating of 1.47.

The bracket takes Gen.G straight to an upper semifinal match against DRX, where Foxy9 will face his former team. “I will show you guys, and termi , I'll show you. Just wait,” he declared in the post-match interview.

Gen.G will return on Jan. 31, while RRQ will take to the stage on Jan. 27.