invy, Paper Rex dominate Full Sense to claim Pacific title
MANILA, Philippines — Paper Rex, with Filipino player Adrian Jiggs “invy” Reyes, captured the VCT Pacific Stage 1 title after sweeping Thailand’s Full Sense, 3-0, in the grand finals at the Thiskyhall Sala Convention Center in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Paper Rex’s run was not without setbacks. The Group Alpha top seed dropped to the lower bracket after an early loss to Global Esports, featuring fellow Filipinos Patrick “PatMen” Mendoza and Xavier “xavi8k” Juan.
From there, Paper Rex pieced together a lower-bracket surge, surviving South Korean sides DRX and T1 in separate 2-1 series to stay alive in the tournament and secure a spot at the Masters London.
“I’m really happy that we qualified for London and we got three Filipinos going,” Reyes said in a post-match interview.
“PatMen and Xavi8k are really good players, so it’s going to be fun seeing them on the international stage. Finally, I have fellow Filipino players to talk to when I’m there,” he added.
Paper Rex carried its winning momentum into the lower-bracket finals, where it avenged its earlier loss to Global Esports with a decisive 3-0 sweep to book a grand finals match-up against Full Sense.
The Thai squad pushed early in the series, taking a 7-5 lead in the opening map, but Paper Rex responded with seven straight rounds in the second half to secure a 13-10 win.
Lotus followed a similar pattern, with both teams tied 6-6 at halftime before Paper Rex pulled away on their attacking side, stringing together six consecutive rounds to take a 2-0 series lead.
Full Sense kept Fracture close, briefly edging ahead, but Paper Rex once again surged late, closing the map 13-10 to complete the sweep.
The victory marks the organization’s fourth Pacific trophy and the first for Reyes since joining the roster late last year.
"It feels amazing to finally win. I hope it's the first of many. It's a big confidence boost for me,” said Reyes.
With the win, Paper Rex advances directly to the Masters London playoffs as the Pacific’s top seed. Mendoza and Juan, meanwhile, will begin their campaign with Global Esports in the Swiss stage starting June 6.
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