In the fourth match of VCT Champions Paris 2025, VCT EMEA Stage 2 champions Team Liquid return to international play to face DRX.
The last time Team Liquid was on the international stage was in an unusual appearance at VCT Masters Toronto, where In-Game Leader (IGL) NaTs had visa issues and had a substitute in his place.
Now in Paris, the team is fully complete, coming off of winning the EMEA Stage 2 championship, they enter this match still on a high.
For DRX, the South Korean team have had some ups and downs recently.
After failing to qualify for VCT Masters Toronto, they tried to make a run during Pacific Stage 2, but were immediately eliminated in the playoffs.
This would be the first of many David versus Goliath matches in this competition.
DRX would open the match with Abyss as their map pick.
This season, both teams had a 100 per cent win rate on Abyss.
DRX would start the match hot on the attack side as they went on a 6-1 round win streak to start the match.
Though Team Liquid would play some heavy defence and even out the score with a 5-round win streak to close the first half, with both teams being tied at 6-6.
It would be DRX’s Flashback who would be at the top of the leaderboard at the half with 14 kills, 9 deaths and two assists.
Heading into the second half, both teams would switch sides with DRX on the defence and Team Liquid on the attack.
The EMEA champions tried to pressure DRX, but the Korean team would completely shut down any attempt to take control of any sites.
DRX would go on a 7-2 run and close out the match with a 13-8 win to take map one.
DRX IGL MaKo would take map MVP with 17 kills, 10 deaths and 10 assists.
NaTs tried to rally his team together after losing map one, and to help give them the confidence they needed, they would enter their map pick on Bind.
Team Liquid had a 70 per cent win rate, a better win rate than DRX’s 50 per cent win rate.
Team Liquid would be on the defence and DRX would start on the attack in the first half.
Both teams would be trading rounds back and forth the entire half, and they would end the first half with a 6-6 score again.
DRX’s HYUNMIN would be miles ahead of everyone else at the half with 13 kills, 7 deaths and 2 assists.
Heading into the switch, Team Liquid would look to gain a significant lead over DRX, which they would get starting the second half on the attacking side, winning three rounds in a row.
Unfortunately for Team Liquid, DRX would gain the momentum on the defensive side, tying it up 9-9 and then going on a 4-1 round win streak, narrowly defeating Team Liquid 13-10.
DRX’s HYUNMIN would get Map MVP with 18 kills, 11 deaths and 3 assists, but Match MVP would go to their IGL MaKo, who had a total statline of 34 kills, 20 deaths and 19 assists.
With DRX knocking the crown off of Team Liquid, they gain some much-needed confidence in Paris and would be slated to go up against NRG, while Team Liquid would go up against Edward Gaming.