Southeast Asia’s Paper Rex have been topped VALORANT’s VCT Pacific champions on Could 28 after pulling again a two-map deficit within the grand ultimate partially due to a very area of interest agent decide.
Paper Rex and DRX have already certified for the upcoming Tokyo Masters after reaching Monday’s higher bracket ultimate. Right here, Paper Rex won the game in a 13-5, 13-6 scoreline to advance to the grand ultimate, with DRX organising a rematch after beating T1 in a five-map thriller on Saturday, Could 27.
Whereas Paper Rex was given a two-map ban benefit because the higher bracket workforce within the grand ultimate, this was nonetheless seemingly a recreation that they have been dreading, with DRX growing a popularity as their kryptonite over the past three years. Final weekend’s higher bracket ultimate was the primary time Paper Rex had overwhelmed their Korean rivals in six conferences together with losses at Masters Berlin in 2021 and Masters Reykjavík in 2022.
Associated: Paper Rex look prime coming into VCT Pacific playoffs with successful double-duelist strategy
Now after lastly breaking the curse, they have been set to face once more for the VCT Pacific trophy, $35,000 in prize cash, and the highest seed on the Masters Tokyo occasion in two weeks’ time.
After dropping their very own map decide, Fracture, in a reasonably demoralizing 6-13 outcome, Paper Rex’s Russian marvel signing, Ilya “one thing” Petrov, pulled out a surprising agent decide on Ascent in Reyna, an agent normally prevented as a consequence of her lack of utility.
One thing netted 30 kills and one of the best opening differential within the recreation but nonetheless couldn’t win the map because it went onto triple additional time.
From right here on, Paper Rex started the primary high-profile VCT best-of-five reverse sweep up to now in emphatic model. A 13-3 on Lotus was adopted by a 13-6 by Pearl, the place one thing had switched again to Jett. Lastly, on the decider map for the VCT Pacific season, he doubled down, bringing Reyna out as soon as once more.
Paper Rex by no means seemed in bother because the workforce gained the opening six rounds to an eventual 13-6 map win, and 3-2 collection scoreline, to raise the VCT Pacific trophy.
On this ultimate map, one thing on Reyna was the highest fragger with 22 kills to simply 12 deaths in addition to securing one of the best opening differential as soon as once more. This additionally put one thing as one of the best general participant throughout the collection with a plus 31 differential whereas taking part in Breach, Reyna, and Jett.
Whereas PRX has introduced Reyna out on Bind earlier than, this was the primary time within the 2023 VCT season that she had been chosen on Ascent.
Even with these two lock-ins, Reyna stays the third least-played agent above Yoru and Chamber within the Pacific area with a 3 % decide charge, whereas Reyna sits with zero picks in EMEA and America. Notably, PRX can also be answerable for two of Yoru’s three picks as they wish to convey out the surprising.
With this win, Paper Rex get to skip the preliminary group stage portion of the Masters Tokyo occasion as a consequence of happen from June 11 to 25. DRX, in the meantime, will probably be seeded with three other of the world’s top teams in a GSL-style group, with the highest two progressing into the playoffs.
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