The HERO ESPORTS Asian Champions League (ACL) VALORANT Bounty Clash (ACLxVCT) ended with DRX lifting the trophy. The Korean team became the inaugural champions of the tournament. In the Grand Finals, the team defeated Paper while winning $110,000. Let’s take a look at what went down during this event!
DRX Take Down Paper Rex To Become Winners Of The ACL x VCT Bounty Clash
Image Credits: Hero Esports
The ACL x VCT Bounty Clash was truly a one-of-a-kind VALORANT Tournament. Since the launch of the regional VCT leagues, this is the first VALORANT event not hosted by Riot Games to take place during the season.
The tournament consisted of teams from the VCT Pacific and VCT CN leagues. The top three teams from VCT CN Stage One were invited to this event, while PRX, DRX, and Zeta Division were invited from the VCT Pacific region.
As DRX finished fourth during the VCT Pacific Stage One, they were placed in the lower round 2 of the ACL x VCT Bounty Clash. Following two dominating victories against Bilibili Gaming, they faced off against VCT CN Stage One winners Xi Lai Gaming in the lower brackets.
During this match, DRX secured a comfortable victory against their opponents. The one play from Xi Lai Gaming that stood out was their duelist, Rarga.
In the grand finals, DRX faced off against Paper Rex. Recently, during VCT Pacific Stage One, they faced off in the lower bracket. PRX won that game and became the last team from VCT Pacific to qualify for VALORANT Masters Toronto.
During the grand finals of the ACL x VCT Bounty Clash, Paper Rex started strong and won map 1 with a score of 14-12. It did look like history was repeating itself for fans of PRX.
Instead, DRX returned with an incredible reverse sweep to secure the trophy during this event. Without PatMan, Paper Rex looked like a shell from their past that would crumble under pressure. DRX defeated Paper Rex with a scoreline of 3-1.
What’s Next For Teams?
Image Credits: Hero Esports
The next time we see DRX participate in a VCT tournament will be during VCT Pacific Stage Two. Although they finished 4th, they failed to qualify for VALORANT Masters Toronto. However, they did go home with a cash prize of $110,000, which will benefit the team and its academies. Zeta Division will also be in a similar situation as they will next play during VCT Pacific Stage Two.
The other three teams, Paper Rex, Xi Lai Gaming, and Bilibili Gaming, will participate in the upcoming VALORANT Masters Toronto. Xi Lai Gaming finished first during VCT CN Stage One and will receive a bye to the playoffs stage.
Paper Rex and Bilibili Gaming will start their journey in the Swiss Stage of the event. Paper Rex will face off against Team Heretics, while Bilibili Gaming will face off against Team Liquid.