VCT Masters Grudge Match Decided! Paper Rex Gets Their Revenge, Powering Into the Grand Final | Live from Santiago
To all the Aussie VALORANT fans burning the midnight oil, our trip to Santiago, Chile, has had us on the edge of our seats right up to the very last moment! The first Masters event of the 2026 VCT season just wrapped up the lower bracket final with a result that has the Pacific region absolutely erupting. Our pride and joy, the team that simply doesn't know the meaning of quit, Paper Rex (PRX), delivered an absolute classic BO5 war, dismantling North America's last hope NRG 3-1 to storm through the lower bracket and punch their ticket to the Grand Final!
From Heartbreak to Revenge: The Kings of the Pacific Are Back
Remember when PRX got sent down to the lower bracket by NRG a few days ago, and all the armchair experts were saying their "all-out aggro" style had been "exposed"? Well, today PRX sent a message to the world: give them a second chance, and they'll take back what's theirs. This wasn't just a ticket to the finals; it was a sweet, sweet revenge game served ice cold.
Game one had me sweating, not gonna lie. NRG came prepared on their pick, Pearl, with keiko hitting some absolute clinics, taking it 13-8. Seeing NRG with that momentum, I was worried we were in for another one of those classic PRX "slow starts" where they're playing catch-up all series. But our Pacific princes weren't having a bar of it.
Clutch Time: Heroes All Round
From the moment Game 2 on Bind started, PRX flicked the switch into full "W-gaming" mode. The gear shift was insane, like the whole squad suddenly found another gear. f0rsakeN in particular, when the team needed him most, stepped up from being a lurking ninja to straight-up pulling out the Operator and clutching a 1v4, the final takedown on brawk is already an iconic VCT highlight.
- Game 2 Bind (13-7): something gets cooking on the Operator, completely shattering NRG's economy.
- Game 3 Lotus (13-6): Jinggg's Raze play is just taking the piss, completely getting into NRG's heads.
- Game 4 Breeze (13-9): Even after NRG clawed back five straight rounds, coach alecks called a massive timeout, fired the boys up, and got them back on track to close it out.
A series like this isn't about the stats; it's about the aura. Anyone whose been around competitive VALORANT knows, when a team like PRX gets that confidence rolling, their offence is just unstoppable.
Heartbreak for NRG, a Historic Chance for PRX
Gotta give credit where it's due to NRG, though. As world champions, their shallow map pool beyond Pearl was well and truly exposed by PRX today. Ethan's shot at becoming the first player ever to hold two World Championship titles and a Masters trophy just wasn't meant to be. For PRX, after grinding out this monster win, they're now just one step away from becoming the first team in VCT history to go "back-to-back" Masters champions (Toronto 2025 + Santiago 2026).
The Final Showdown: Versus Nongshim RedForce
Take a breather, because the Grand Final is up next. PRX will face their Pacific league compatriots who've been resting in the winners' finals—Nongshim RedForce (NS). This isn't just a regional clash; it's a total style brawl. NS are scary good with their discipline and team play, definitely not a team you can just brute force your way through. Can PRX stick to their chaotic "W-gaming" all the way? Or will they need the kind of smart, adaptive play they showed against NRG today?
Personally, I'm backing PRX and the momentum they've built. Coming all the way from the Swiss stage through the lower bracket, they are peaking at exactly the right time. And don't forget, they've got heaps of fans back home and across the Pacific riding with them.
And for everyone asking about Jinggg highlight reels, trying to find specific VCT VODs, or even checking out that Chief VCTUB XL universal tool-less projector mount that's apparently all the rage with streamers using a second screen to watch the matches—the hype train for all things PRX is at full steam. That's just the beauty of esports, winning fixes everything.
Catch the Grand Final tonight (March 15 local time)! No matter what, PRX has already cemented the Pacific region's name deep in Chilean soil. Bring it home, boys!