With eco wins and crazy clutches, PRX and G2 kick off Playoffs at Champions 2025

After witnessing triumphs and disasters in the groups, we’ve reached even more intense VALORANT esports matches. Teams in the Playoffs have their eyes on the trophy. No one can afford coasting — the stakes are merciless, even if the tournament format allows one loss for the quarterfinal participants. 

Paper Rex and G2 Esports played on the first day of the VALORANT Champions 2025 Playoffs. The winners advanced to the semifinals: potentially, they have three more matches to the trophy. The losers fell to the lower brackets with the stress of elimination at each following step.

All the VALORANT Champions 2025 are on the official YouTube channel. Also, you can watch the quarterfinal between Paper Rex and G2 Esports below.

The second match of the tournament day on Sept. 25 was the quarterfinal between Fnatic and DRX.

In this section, you’ll find all the details on the VALORANT Champions 2025 quarterfinal between G2 Esports and Paper Rex. Check out the match and map scores, picked agents, player stats, and brief recaps of each game.

We couldn’t ask for a better match to start the Playoffs at VALORANT Champions 2025! Paper Rex and G2 esports delivered a 10 out of 10 competitive show: with amazing clutches, 1v2 duels, eco wins, domination periods, and even more.

In the first half of Game 1, the teams exchanged rounds. Then, they managed to achieve small win-steaks in Game 2. On the decisive map, Ascent, G2 dominated the first half, and PRX were unstoppable in the second.

At the end of this crazy back-and-forth sequence, Paper Rex won a few rounds more. This wasn’t an easy victory, though.

Next, PRX faces the winners of the Fnatic vs DRX semifinal. G2 fell to the lower brackets. 

It was a wonderfully close map and a brilliant start of the Playoffs. The teams chased each other: a constant exchange of rounds in the first half and back-and-forth dominations in the second half.

The closeness also applies to in-round tension. The match between G2 and PRX had tons of mind-blowing moments.

G2 were very swift. For instance, this playstyle helped them win the first pistols: an extremely quick plant, so PRX couldn’t retake B site.

To respond, PRX won an eco battle in Round 2: early kills, G2 lost Spike, and PRX players took control over that area. Eco wins continued on Lotus, so no team could earn a stable economy in the first half.

There were some miracles of personal skills too, like G2 winning a seemingly desperate Round 10 from a 3v4. Leaf was especially helpful for his team.

After the side swap, G2 took the winning trail for a while. But when they already saw the finish line, the domination went to PRX. With some mistakes, like missing the rush timing in Round 21, PRX avoided overtime and secured Game 1 against G2 Esports at VALORANT Champions 2025.

To play on Corrode, both teams kept their team compositions from Lotus. That sure guaranteed us the same level of VALORANT excitement! Back-and-forth rounds continued in Game 2 — as well as breathtaking eco-buy wins.

G2 lost the first three rounds disastrously, but then they won Round 4 with poor weaponry. To be back in the game, PRX won an eco in Round 7: thanks to amazing defense and 3K from f0rsakeN on A.

Such rounds happened on both sides, and no one could get a meaningful advantage. f0rsakeN delivered ridiculously good kills in the second pistols, but then G2 won another eco right after that.

Like usual, PRX implemented brave ideas. Their fake call on B was one of them. Clever afterplant positioning and 4k from d4v41 sealed that win.

G2 used tricks such as early paranoia for a quick man advantage. Sometimes, PRX recovered from that.

G2 were the first to reach the match point, but PRX triggered overtime — thanks to something who won a 1v3. And then something delivers 3K in the next round too. This effort wasn’t enough for PRX, as G2 did not lose the opportunity to bring the match to Game 2 and fight more for their placement in the upper brackets of VALORANT Champions 2025.

G2 dominated the game in the first half. There were not many eco wins this time, but the players treated us to fair VALORANT combat.

On the PRX side, something was amazing: his play in the pistols was truly special. Among G2 players, leaf was notable — like his 4K in Round 9.

PRX and G2 went for the break with a 4:8, and it felt like a ticket to the lower brackets for Paper Rex at VALORANT Champions 2025 Playoffs. Instead, the team won a crazy pistols round, with a 1v1 win by PatMen.

Some of the following rounds were also extremely close. On the first full buy of the second half, G2 could not win a 2v1 against f0rsakeN. In Round 16, PRX won with a couple of seconds on the clock.

After a six-round win streak by Paper Rex, G2 finally could wake up and earn a few wins, including recovery from 4v5 disadvantages and a successful 1v1 duel by trent.

Finally, PRX got low-level guns and decided to win an eco! G2 could not recover after that. With a quick team rush on B and 3K from d4v41, Paper Rex advanced to the upper semifinal.

G2 Esports has had a rollercoaster of a tournament at VALORANT Champions 2025. The team was seeded into one group with extremely strong opponents.

Defeating Paper Rex, the VALORANT Masters Toronto 2025 winners, would be quite a statement from G2.

Paper Rex started this VALORANT esports event as the favorites, and they generally played up to this status in the Group Stage. Only one map went wrong for them — that was a loss to an underdog team, which could be pretty disturbing for PRX fans.

Everyone expects big things from Paper Rex at VALORANT Champions 2025, and that comes with a lot of pressure on the players.

The VALORANT Champions 2025 upper semifinals will happen on Sept. 28. The quarterfinal losers should make it through two elimination matches during the first week of the Playoffs Stage: on Sept. 27 and Sept. 29.

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