It’s an exciting day for the Pacific region, as both top seeds scored essential victories at the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Masters Madrid.
While Gen.G landed a spot in the Grand Finals post their victory over Sentinels in the upper bracket finals, the Team Paper Rex from Singapore made it through the initial round of the lower bracket by defeating Brazilian team LOUD with a score of 2-0 in the lower bracket semifinals on Saturday (23 March).
Both Paper Rex and LOUD entered Masters Madrid as the second seed from the Pacific and the Americas regions respectively.
Paper Rex faced a minor obstacle after a 1-2 loss to China’s EDward Gaming in their inaugural Swiss format Group Stage match, but they reclaimed their position with a 2-1 victory over Team Heretics.
Continuing on their winning streak, they secured a 2-1 win against Karmine Corp in the final Group Stage match, qualifying them for the Playoffs.
LOUD, on the other hand, suffered their first loss against Gen.G in the debut match but bounced back with two consecutive 2-0 wins against FunPlus Phoenix and EDward Gaming.
In the Playoffs, Paper Rex couldn’t avenge their VCT Pacific Kickoff final loss to Gen.G, as the South Korean team dominated them with a swift 2-0 run in the upper bracket semifinals.
The loss dropped the Singaporean team to the lower bracket, where they were pitted against LOUD in a best-of-three match in the lower bracket semifinals.
In the series’s opening game on Ascent, both the teams kept the audience on the edge with a thrilling competition, that ended with a tie of 6-6 in the first half. However, with small tweaks and seizing opportunities, Paper Rex overtook LOUD to win the first game 7-5 in the second half.
In the second game on Sunset, Paper Rex showed no mercy with a 7-5 lead in the first half and a 6-3 run in the second half, winning the game 13-8 and the series 2-0.
Paper Rex will compete against Sentinels in the lower bracket finals for a spot against Gen.G at the Masters Madrid championship in the Grand Finals.
LOUD’s journey at Masters Madrid concluded at the fourth position, with a consolation prize of US$35,000.
Anna, a freelance writer, and photographer, is an ardent gamer known for her love for RPGs and platformers. She’s a big League of Legends fan. In addition, she’s a foodie who appreciates a strong cup of black coffee.
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