By defeating Zeta Division, TALON just broke their curse this Sunday, July 20. A loop the Hong Kong-based organization had been stuck in since the start of the year. Over their last 13 official VALORANT matches, the club had racked up seven wins and six losses in the VCT circuit, nothing surprising at first glance. But more importantly, TALON had been alternating between victories and defeats since the launch of the 2025 season. A pattern that finally came to an end this weekend, during the opening week of VCT Pacific Stage 2.

This story begins in late January with the Kickoff event, where TALON secured fourth place — narrowly missing out on a second qualification for an international event. During this early part of the season, they defeated Global Esports and Nongshim RedForce, but also lost to T1 — the future Masters Bangkok champions — and then fell to Gen.G Esports, which led to their elimination from the Kickoff.

Already broken in EWC Qualifiers

In Stage 1, TALON found themselves in the Omega Group, where their rollercoaster ride continued. They opened with a win against Team Secret, only to fall to a surprising RRQ squad, who would go on to win the Split a few weeks later. TALON bounced back to take down Nongshim RedForce, but then dropped their series against Zeta Division. They closed out the group stage with a win over T1 — the recent Bangkok champions. Once in the playoffs, they faced Gen.G again, then beat the Korean side of Nongshim, but were ultimately eliminated by DRX in the lower bracket.

It finally took Stage 2 to break TALON out of this whirlwind of wins and losses, as they secured two consecutive victories. In the Split opener, the Thai roster dominated Boom Esports with scores of 13-8 and 13-3, before facing Zeta Division on Sunday, July 20. With 13-5 and 13-6 wins, it made quick work of the Japanese team and broke free from the cycle that had started in late January 2025.

It’s worth noting that the curse had technically already been broken — but outside of the VCT circuit — as TALON suffered three consecutive losses in the Esports World Cup qualifiers between the two Stages. Their next matchup is set for Friday, July 25, against DetonatioN FocusMe.