"I just over-called" - DRX BeYN on beating NongShim, Neon nerfs, and the PRX challenge

KIWOOM DRX IGL Kang "BeYN" Ha-bin sat down with THESPIKE following their hard-fought 2-1 victory over Nongshim RedForce—the reigning Masters Santiago champions—in the Lower Bracket Round 1 of VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Pacific Stage 1 Playoffs. The win kept DRX's London dreams alive for a single day, but fate had other plans for the Korean side.

A Hard-Earned Win Against the Champions

DRX's victory over Nongshim was far from clean. The Korean squad dropped the first map, Pearl, despite pushing the score all the way to 11-11 before ultimately falling short. They regrouped to take the series 2-1, and BeYN credited the team's mental focus as the key factor.

"There were times where we were catching up and times where we were being caught up. But you can't dwell on the past; you just focus on each round happening right now, and eventually you suddenly realize you're already at 13."

Beating a team of Nongshim's caliber, fresh off a Masters title, was a significant statement. As BeYN put it, "I'm very happy with the win today against such a great team, and all five players are just focusing on lifting that trophy—so we're going to chase that goal step at a time."

VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Pacific Stage 1

KIWOOM DRX

2

X

1

Nongshim RedForce

Lower Bracket Round 1 of 4, Best of 3 - May 9, 2026 - 11:35AM

11

Pearl

13

13

Split

6

13

Haven

9

KIWOOM DRX

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

HYUNMIN

1.32

262

61/44/13

+17

1.39

80.1%

177.0

29%

82%

14

3

MaKo

1.14

210

46/37/32

+9

1.24

84.8%

128.2

23%

54%

7

6

free1ng

1.03

205

49/40/13

+9

1.23

86.2%

136.1

22%

50%

4

4

BeYN

1.03

174

39/42/35

-3

0.93

84.6%

104.3

33%

33%

4

8

Yong

0.96

197

47/39/14

+8

1.21

76.7%

139.2

30%

40%

6

9

Nongshim RedForce

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

Dambi

1.06

216

48/56/25

-8

0.86

72.4%

145.3

21%

47%

9

10

Francis

0.95

212

46/56/15

-10

0.82

61.3%

131.5

13%

57%

13

10

Rb

0.93

161

38/38/27

0

1.00

73.4%

96.9

19%

33%

1

2

Ivy

0.76

157

38/44/9

-6

0.86

66.9%

105.9

24%

50%

6

6

Xross

0.71

154

32/48/21

-16

0.67

68.9%

109.2

24%

13%

1

7

BeYN's IGL Journey

One of the more intriguing storylines around DRX this season has been BeYN's transition into the IGL role, previously held by Kim "MaKo" Myeong-kwan. The first-time IGL was quick to clarify that the shift wasn't a dramatic overhaul, but rather a natural team decision with everyone agreeing on the role change.

"Our team always thought that Initiators have more info and are more optimal for being an IGL. We also thought that if we took [the IGL role] away from MaKo, he'd be more free to go into kill mode. I think that's just worked out for us."

BeYN also revealed that the two remain in close communication, with the current IGL regularly consulting MaKo for advice. "My style and MaKo's aren't all that different. I ask him things when I'm curious and I've learned a lot from him," he said.

Composition Choices and the Neon Meta Shift

On Pearl, DRX ran a double-initiator composition, which was a deliberate map-specific choice rather than a counter-strategy to Nongshim. "It wasn't really a decision to play two initiators to counter them. It was just a composition we thought would work very well on Pearl," he explained.

Looking ahead to the meta, BeYN welcomed the confirmed nerfs to Neon and shotguns across the board.

"I thought it was an agent that was a little too overtuned. Now that she's getting nerfed, it kind of opens the door for everyone to change their compositions. I think it'll be a lot more fun."

He was also confident that DRX's wide agent pool and player flexibility would give them an inherent advantage in any shifting meta.

A Promising Run, Ended Too Soon

The win over Nongshim set up a date with Paper Rex in the lower bracket, a matchup BeYN acknowledged with honest self-reflection. "Last time we played them, I think I just overcalled. I was overthinking on certain rounds that cost us," he admitted. He noted that PRX's individual mechanical prowess would demand a more aim-focused approach from DRX.

Unfortunately, that adjustment wasn't enough. DRX fell to Paper Rex, bringing their playoff run to a close. DRX have been officially eliminated from VCT Pacific 2026 Stage 1, and will not be heading to Ho Chi Minh City for the final phase of the split, thus ending what had been a promising and hard-fought campaign.

For all things VCT-related, make sure to stay tuned to THESPIKE.GG as we continue to update you with the freshest game and esports news.

Featured Image Source: Riot Games