EG vs PRX Masters Tokyo: EG bests PRX in five to make the Grand Final

VCT Masters Tokyo is almost at an end. The one and only Masters tournament of 2023 has delivered in all aspects. Presentation, performance, and story are everywhere in this one. And now we see the penultimate matchup of EG vs PRX to determine the second Grand Final competitor.

FNATIC has beaten both Evil Geniuses and Paper Rex at VCT Masters Tokyo. One team will get their rematch and hope to enact some revenge in the Grand Final. They'll have to survive a best-of-five series to do so, however.

Prior to the tournament, these two teams were more than likely near the bottom of most lists when it came to potential top three teams. Many claimed EG's run was a miracle filled with luck, but they have proven they are one of the best VALORANT teams in the world every step of the way.

When it comes to PRX, the narrative was focused on the absence of Ilya "something" Petrov. That has not troubled them in the slightest. Substitute and content creator CGRS has stepped up and been a staple of this roster's success in Tokyo.

The battle of those who shouldn't be here is more of a battle of teams who clawed their way to this point, deserving of every victory under their belt. EG vs PRX sets up a Grand Final against FNATIC, and with both teams eager for a second chance at the VCT LOCK//IN winners, this could be a bloodbath.

The Lower Final series of EG vs PRX will go live on VALORANT's official channels. You can watch it on Twitch, YouTube, or through various co-streams with your favorite content creators. Otherwise, join us and watch along as we recap how the series unfolds.

The series starts with a chaotic pistol round win for EG. PRX then grabbed the bonus to get on the board early. They tied it with the next, but then Jawgemo took down four to put EG back in the lead. From there, Evil Geniuses rolled through the first half. A couple of valiant efforts by Paper Rex were shut down to prevent them from gaining ground. A quick 3K by Demon1 showed he's here to play and helped EG to a 9:3 half.

The second pistol round of Fracture was done in an instance, going the way of Paper Rex. The subsequent round was theirs, but the bonus round was all EG as they reached double digits. This was thanks to a solid 3K hold by Boostio. PRX put up a fight to get themselves a few more rounds. EG's post-plant setups were too much for them to overcome, though. The first map expectedly ended with EG as the victors.

Lotus began like Fracture. As soon as the two teams met, the fighting commenced and was over quickly. EG took the first two rounds and PRX repeated their first half bonus win. Paper Rex was ready to make the most of their map pick, taking their first lead in the series. It wasn't long until they guaranteed a lead at halftime. They could not extend it, however, as EG gained five rounds before the sides switched.

Another feisty pistol round ensued and added to PRX's score. Three from mindfreak pushed Paper Rex to nine before the bonus round occurred. The upgraded weapons and a Viper's Pit gave Evil Geniuses their first of the second half. That set them up for a few rounds in a row, but PRX responded with a mass of utility usage for their 10th. A 4K from mindfreak (shown above) put them to 11. The lead was cut into very shortly after, though, as EG's aggression helped them get close. PRX reached map point, but a 3K from Jawgemo stole the map-winning round away. And to overtime we went.

PRX began on the attacking side. A slick satchel play by Jinggg made quick work of EG to take Paper Rex to map point once more. PRX was a bit too aggressive on their defense, giving EG room to keep OT going. They faltered, though, as Jinggg made another incredible play (shown above) to give Paper Rex the win as the series moved to map three.

Naturally, Split started with another wild pistol round in favor of EG. And the trend continued of them losing the bonus round. A big clutch by C0M followed and prevented PRX from taking control of the first half. A Flawless round with a 4K from Demon1 added to their domination in the first half. Finally, Paper Rex managed to get the Viper's Pit up to secure their second round of the map. A clutch by mindfreak that allowed the Spike to detonate added to that. That helped them turn around a hopeless first half into a doable score line.

A beautiful hold by f0rsakeN secured the second half pistol round allowing PRX to initiate a comeback opportunity. He continued the fragging against EG to take the following round. It was inevitable that Paper Rex would tie the game at eight a piece after the way they started their defensive side. A Flawless gave PRX the lead. Then it went back and forth for a few rounds with the Pacific league champs eventually pulling away to map point and easily taking the final round to win it.

The two teams went head-on near B site to start map four and it was another opening round win for Evil Geniuses. The second round saw PRX force buy and Jinggg, on Phoenix, netted three. Another round was theirs as d4v41 grabbed three kills of his own to stop a retake. EG got back into it with a Reckoning by Jawgemo and a 3K follow-up by Boostio. Back and forth the rounds went yet again in this series, but EG pulled ahead slightly to go up by two at halftime.

This was the first map of the series where a team won both pistols round. EG extended their lead as Boostio took down three in the post-plant situation. This allowed them to snowball rounds, which is something we haven't seen since Fracture. It didn't take long for EG to reach double digits and threaten map five. That threat quickly became a promise after a Demon1 4K secured map point, followed by the win.

It only makes sense that EG vs PRX made it to a fifth map. Ascent started with things looking great for EG, but CGRS stopped them in their tracks with a pistol round 4K. Three rounds from PRX got the crowd fired up for this one, then Evil Geniuses got on the board. After tying it up, a big 3K by Jawgemo put them in the lead. After that, they steamrolled their way to 8:4 half.

The second half pistol overwhelmingly went in EG's favor. A Demon1 3K with the Guardian on the catwalk helped EG grab their 10th round and the finish line was in sight. Paper Rex wasn't done yet, though, as f0rsakeN tried his best to help his team overcome the deficit. Unfortunately for PRX, Demon1 was in full gear. A 4K got his team to map and series point. A Thrifty round of all things got EG to the Grand Final, as they will face FNATIC in a highly anticipated rematch.

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