The first team from the VCT Pacific region has punched their ticket to Champions Paris this year and it’s Masters champions Paper Rex.
VCT Pacific has identified its first representatives in the upcoming VALORANT Champions Paris 2025! Paper Rex are headed back to the international stage as they punch their ticket to the year-ender after a series win against T1.
Paper Rex to Paris
Khalish "d4v41" Rusyaidee said that the team missed playing in the "true playoff" atmosphere. "I think the boys played very well and I'm very proud of them."
Coach Alexandre "alecks" Sallé, on the other hand, is glad for a different reason. "I think the most important thing is [that] we have more time to work on visas [and] work on our game," he said in the post-match interview.
PRX vs T1 in VCT Pacific 2025 Stage 2 Upper Bracket Semis
This series was Paper Rex's first playoff match, thanks to the bye they earned for finishing first in their group. Meanwhile, T1 had already gone through last season's champions, Rex Regum Qeon, in the prior quarterfinal.
PRX and T1 both emerged from Group Omega. During the group stage, Paper Rex swept the group, only dropping a map (and match) against ZETA DIVISION. While PRX led the group, T1 were middling, finishing 3-2 in matches, which landed them third place.
When the two teams faced off in the Upper Bracket Semifinals of VCT Pacific 2025 Stage 2, Paper Rex were the clear favorites. They fielded the five-man roster that they won with during Masters Toronto, including the now not-so-rookie pickup Patrick "PatMen" Mendoza.
Meanwhile, T1 also fielded their newest pickup, Kang "DH" Dong-ho.
On Sunset
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PRX and T1's fight for the Paris spot began on Sunset, T1's pick. This was a game of momentum, as you might be able to tell from the game summary below. At the end, though, PRX's W gaming came out on top.
It's worth noting Wang "Jinggg" Jing Jie's presence on Raze — he contributed to 90% of his team's kills. Ilia "something" Petrov also hit 2,000 career kills on this map.
On Bind
Bind told a similar story. Jinggg's Raze ran the lobby, and the team played as a coherent unit.
T1's game looked even more hopeless in this map. Back in Sunset, the pendulum occasionally swung their way. But, this time, it was PRX all map.
This loss drops T1 down to the lower bracket, where they will face fellow South Korean squad Nongshim RedForce. Paper Rex may be Paris-bound, but they first have to go against TALON in the Upper Bracket Final.
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