The winners' bracket matches have concluded, and now it's time for those who have faced defeat. Today, two teams will be eliminated from the tournament for good. The first matchup will be between T1 and Trace Esports. We have analyzed both teams' performances and attempted to predict who will suffer defeat and exit the tournament.

Current Form of the Teams

T1

T1 started the season with a strong performance, finishing second at VCT 2025: Pacific Kickoff. However, their recent results have been inconsistent, with only two wins in their last five matches. In their Masters Bangkok 2025 debut, they lost to Team Vitality, though they managed to put up a solid fight.

Trace Esports

Trace Esports had a mixed start to the year. They participated in the China Evolution Series: Act 1, where they were eliminated early, but before that, they secured second place at VCT 2025: China Kickoff, earning their spot at this tournament. In their last five matches, they won only twice, losing to G2 Esports at Masters Bangkok and EDward Gaming in the China qualifier final. This event marks their first-ever Masters appearance.

Team Map Pool

Predicted Map Picks and Bans

First Ban Phase:

• T1 bans Abyss, their standard ban.
• Trace Esports bans Fracture, as they frequently exclude this map.

Map Picks:

• T1 picks Bind, their strongest map with a 70% win rate.
• Trace Esports picks Lotus, their most played map.

Second Ban Phase:

• T1 bans Pearl, as Trace has a 100% win rate on it.
• Trace Esports bans Haven, to avoid playing on an uncomfortable map.

Decider: Split

Head-to-Head History

T1 and Trace Esports have met only once before, two months ago in an offseason tournament. T1 won 2-0, but offseason results are often unreliable indicators, as teams typically do not play at their full potential.

Match Prediction

T1 has more international experience and has already proven they can beat Trace Esports. While Trace showed strong performances in China, they still need to adapt to the international competition level. If T1 can control Bind and prevent Trace from dominating Lotus, they have a strong chance of winning.

Predicted Score: 2-1 in favor of T1.

The teams will likely trade wins on their map picks, but in the decider, T1 has the upper hand due to their experience and adaptability.

Masters Bangkok 2025 runs from February 20 to March 2 in a LAN format at UOB Live. Eight partnered teams—two from each region—are competing for a $500,000 prize pool, VCT Points required for World Championship qualification, and the prestigious title of champion.