Nongshim RedForce became the second Ascension team to win a The beginning of VCT event after defeating RRQ in the 2026 Pacific Upper Finals.
On the other hand, RRQ has two remaining chances to qualify for Masters Santiago before facing elimination from this event.
Nongshim RedForce Almost Blunder series
Since then Nongshim RedForce once again benefited from the Tier 1 ecosystem after finishing second at Ascension Pacific 2025, it has not lost a single series. This includes a win over Masters Bangkok champion T1.
This trend continued against RRQ, although the win did not come easily. The first part continues Rust ended with a 6-6 score line that already points to a nail-biting best-of-five series.
While RRQ started the second half by winning three rounds in a row, Nongshim RedForce swept six of the next seven rounds to reach the map point. RRQ stormed back to force overtime and ended up leading the first series 14-12.
In the second map, Nongshim RedForce recorded a dominant start Bindrarely gave the Indonesian team many chances in the first half as the score reached 9-3. What seemed to be a one sided battle turned into a battle as RRQ won five of the first six rounds in the second half which left the team with only two points.
That being said, RRQ failed to finish the job this time as Nongshim RedForce gained momentum back to close the map. 13-8 to level the series.
The South Korean side also had a strong showing The port putting 9-3 on the board. Moreover, unlike Bind, RRQ was able to get five rounds in total as Nongshim RedForce took one step closer to winning the series, earning the award. 13-5 victory.
RRQ finds itself behind again It was an abyssand the opposing team VCT Ascension won 6-1. However, the experienced roster was not ready to give up, as they won more rounds in the first half to even the score. While Nongshim RedForce stole a few laps in the second half, RRQ won the final half to secure the shutout. 13-11 win and take the series to the decider.
The fifth map, The windyou can almost see the biggest flaw of Nongshim RedForce in its entire VCT Pacific performance. The team destroyed RRQ to take a 12-1 lead and are one round away from punching their ticket to Masters Santiago.
However, PujanFNS‘ Mehta’s worst fears were about to come true as RRQ took the match to 12-5. However, in the end the South Korean organization avoided a brutal collapse. Nongshim RedForce says that the one round that needed to close the appearance of Masters Santiago, takes the map. 13-7 and series 3-2.
Nongshim RedForce founder Jung’Xross‘ Hwan was named MVP of the series with a 1.19 ERA and 79/62/20 KDA. However, teammate Lee’Dambi‘ Hyuk-kyu received the highest ACS of 224.
While Nongshim RedForce will now start preparing for its first international VCT event, RRQ will face T1 in the Middle Final February 14 with another shot at the Masters Santiago qualification. The match, like the rest of the tournament, will be streamed live on the VCT Pacific Twitch and YouTube channels.
