Karmine Corp vs Paper Rex – VCT Masters Madrid Swiss Stage: PRX secures a huge win in Map 3 OT

Karmine Corp vs Paper Rex ends the Swiss Stage of VCT Masters Madrid. It decides which team moves on to the playoff portion of the tournament, and which team is the last to be eliminated before it begins. All eyes are sure to be on this one.

Two similar styles go at it in Karmine Corp vs Paper Rex. An aggressive style that propelled them to the top of EMEA is what KC employs. W Gaming, which has seen its ups and downs lately, is how Paper Rex often get the job done.

Looking at the EMEA Kickoff Champions, they have plenty to prove still. After dominating FunPlus Phoenix, they lost a 2:0 to Sentinels that was much closer than the final score indicates. Their future is in their hands.

And the same can be said about Paper Rex. The Champions 2023 and VCT Pacific Kickoff runners-up lost a tight one to EDG. They eliminated Team Heretics following that, and can now send the other EMEA team out of Madrid if everything clicks.

If you want to watch the Karmine Corp vs Paper Rex elimination match, just stay right here. We have the stream embedded for you, so you can catch the action along with us.

Read on for a recap and highlights of the series.

PRX's attack side started well, gaining them the pistol round. That continued for the opening portions of the first half. They converted the bonus and grabbed the upgraded weapons. A quick Ace from Monyet put the punctuation on it for Paper Rex.

It took six rounds for KC to finally get their first with an unlikely Thrifty round. PRX quickly responded without letting KC gather momentum. A Thrifty and a ton of Ultimate investment got them in it, preventing a repeat of the first series of the day, as Paper Rex entered halftime ahead.

Paper Rex snagged the second half pistol round, but a buy-up from KC kept it from getting out of hand. That allowed them to bring it within three. Paper Rex had no problem responding to bring their own round count to 10.

A would-be clutch by N4RRATE was shut down by d4v41 to bring PRX to their 11th. Nothing was going to stop Paper Rex, as mindfreak mowed down three to set his team up for map point. KC was not down and out just yet, however. They battled back to within two rounds before Paper Rex shut the door.

Paper Rex secured the pistol and subsequent round. PRX invested an Operator into something for the bonus round, but it didn't work out. KC got theirs early. A 3K Clutch by N4RRATE kept it close in the early goings.

KC then took the lead after a big round by marteen. Paper Rex fought back into it, but KC maintained their defensive stranglehold to keep a lead. A super chaotic final round of the half near C Site went to KC, ensuring a good lead heading into their attack.

Paper Rex did not concede C Site in the pistol round to Karmine Corp, getting yet another one to their name in this series. The next was theirs as well, but KC stole away the PRX bonus. From there, a Flawless round got Karmine Corp to double digits.

A battered economy did not let Paper Rex push back into it. KC reached their 11th round on Lotus with a close Spike detonation. An aggressive push into spawn saw sh1n take out three as the Spike went down on C Site. It forced PRX to save, but gave KC map point. That pushed KC to victory, tying the series.

Karmine Corp took the pistol round on the back of a 3K by N4RRATE. Another 3K, this time by tomaszy, put KC up by two early on. The multikills kept coming for KC, keeping themselves ahead despite PRX taking their bonus.

A disgusting play by Monyet stopped the bleeding. Soon enough, they tied the series at four a piece. It went back and forth between the two teams heading into halftime. KC would prevent a rotation to A to tie the series, giving them a slight lead into the final leg of this series.

Another pistol goes to KC here, primed to take this series after kicking it into gear. The bonus conversion did not happen, though, as Paper Rex got their sixth and weren't ready to give up just yet. A much-needed stop with a 3K by Monyet on B Site brought them within one.

A broken down fight near B Site in the next round saw tomaszy take down three, which put KC up to 10. To get to 11, Magnum clutched up to keep the Spike ticking. As Paper Rex does, however, they locked in to actually tie it at 11. And as the script goes, this one would be decided in overtime.

The first OT round went to PRX. They rushed onto A Site, got the Spike planted, and held their ground. The retake would not happen, and they put themselves one away from a huge victory. KC started their attack round well, but once they got on site, PRX slapped them away and cemented a huge victory.

Stay tuned to esports.gg for more esports news and VALORANT coverage.