VCT Masters Tokyo 2023 Playoffs Day 1 highlights: Evil Geniuses stun LOUD, Team Liquid scrape past EDward Gaming, and more

The first day of VCT Masters Tokyo 2023 Playoffs started off with fantastic games. Evil Geniuses and LOUD kicked off the day, while Team Liquid and EDward Gaming faced off in the second series. Evil Geniuses were able to cause a monumental upset and stomped Americas champion, LOUD. Team Liquid had a highly intense series against EDward Gaming, and the EMEA champions were pushed to the limit to win.

The first day of Playoffs at Masters Tokyo also had some highlight moments and memorable plays, including outplays, multikills, clutches, and funny fails.

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Everything to know about VCT Masters Tokyo 2023 Playoffs Day 1

The first day of the Masters Tokyo Playoffs Phase featured two best-of-three matchups featuring the top teams from Americas, EMEA, and China.

Match results

Here are the results of the matches held today in VCT Masters Tokyo 2023 Playoffs Day 1

• LOUD vs Evil Geniuses (Match 1): Fracture (7-13) and Ascent (5-13)
• Team Liquid vs EDward Gaming (Match 2): Haven (13-9), Split (8-13) and Lotus (13-11)

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Top highlights

The first day of the international tournament featured great moments from players such as Zheng "ZmjjKK" Yongkang and Saif "Sayf" Jibraeel . The games were very exciting, and the crowd was filled with energy and cheers through both best-of-three series. Here are the best moments from VCT Masters Tokyo 2023 Playoffs Day 1.

1) Demon1 activates his clutch genes

Max "Demon1" Mazanov once again proved why he is considered one of the best VCT players in the world after a monstrous 1v2 clutch on 40HP secured the sixth round for Evil Geniuses. The crisp aim and movement showcased in this play made the crowd and viewers go wild.

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2) Ethan sprays them all down

Evil Geniuses had a strong start to their attacking side on Ascent. LOUD looked like they would easily convert their Buy round after losing the Pistol and Eco rounds. However, Ethan "Ethan" Arnold had other plans in a 2v4 post-plant. He beamed down four players with the Ares to make it a 1v1, before Corbin "C0M" Lee secured the bonus for Evil Geniuses.

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3) Tuyz has an absolute nightmare

LOUD's controller player Arthur "Tuyz" Vieira will be remembered for all the wrong reasons after this incredibly baffling moment against Evil Geniuses on Ascent. Jawgemon did not clear Tuyz and the latter waited patiently and showed trigger discpline, only to completely fumble his shots once the former turned back to clear the angle.

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4) Sayf's genius play secures the Thrifty win

Sayf had a phenomenal play on Split against EDward Gaming to win the Thrifty round for Team Liquid. He got two quick kills before expertly dashing away from Zhang "Smoggy" Zhao with barely any health. Sayf also had the awareness to quickly drop his Phantom mid-air to his healthier teammate Elias "Jamppi" Olkonnen, showcasing brilliant game sense in tense moments.

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5) ZmjjKK gets himself a crisp ace

ZmjjKK showed a great play on Lotus by securing the Anti-Eco round against Team Liquid with five precise headshots to get an ace. The play showcased his sharp aim and game sense to check all angles to not be caught off-guard by the weaker weapons.

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Standings

The conclusion of VCT Masters Tokyo 2023 Playoffs Day 1 saw Team Liquid and Evil Geniuses advance in the Upper Bracket, where they will face each other for a spot in the Upper Bracket Finals, guaranteeing a top 3 finish at the tournament. EDward Gaming and LOUD have been sent to the Lower Bracket and will fight for a chance to stay alive in the tournament.

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Schedule for Day 2

Fans can tune into the official Valorant Twitch and YouTube channels to catch Day 2 of VCT Masters Tokyo 2023 Playoffs. The games scheduled for tomorrow are:

• Fnatic vs NRG: Match 1 - Saturday, June 17 - 8:30AM IST / 5:00AM CEST / 8:00PM PDT (Thursday, June 16).
• Paper Rex vs DRX: Match 2 - Saturday, June 17 - 11:30AM IST / 8:00AM CEST / 11:00PM PDT (Thursday, June 16).