Paper Rex advances to Valorant Masters Santiago playoffs
MANILA, Philippines — Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Pacific third seed Paper Rex, along with Filipino Valorant player Adrian "invy" Reyes, have secured a playoff spot in the Valorant Masters Santiago after being the first team through the tournament's Swiss Stage.
Opening its Masters campaign against VCT America's G2 Esports, the Paper Rex train was at full speed, sweeping G2 in the series with 13-9 and 13-5 victories in the maps Split and Corrode, respectively.
Against reigning 2025 Valorant Champions winner NRG, Paper Rex dropped the first three rounds of the opening map Split. But it turned the tides to end the first half at 8-4, with Reyes even scoring an Ace against the North American team. Paper Rex eventually closed out the map at 13-10, but NRG answered back with a similar 10-13 run in its map pick of Pearl to force a decider.
In Haven, Paper Rex was once again in full speed, securing a comfortable 8-4 lead at the half and eventually bringing itself to match point, only for NRG to take four consecutive maps to close the gap. Not wanting to go to overtime, Paper Rex' Jason "f0rsakeN" Susanto closed out the series for his team in fashion, taking out each member of NRG's squad to propel his team to the playoffs.
Reyes was the overall series MVP with an average combat score of 245 after an impressive KDA stat of 60-38-21.
"The crowd really helped us in tense situations. In Haven, they were about to come back but I just kept hearing [chants]. It really means a lot to us. It helps us feel better, releasing the pressure on our shoulders. For me personally, I just went with the energy and it helped me play better. The energy was amazing and probably that's why I played really great,” Reyes said in the post-match interview.
Paper Rex will await the conclusion of the Swiss Stage for the playoff draw for the next stage of Masters Santiago, happening offline at the Espacio Riesco Convention Center in Santiago, Chile.
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