VCT Masters Grand Finals Set! Paper Rex Avenges NRG in Thriller to Storm Into Championship Match | Live from Santiago

To all the VALORANT fans burning the midnight oil, our trip out to Santiago, Chile, has kept us on the edge of our seats right up to the very last moment! The first stop of the 2026 VCT Masters just wrapped up its lower bracket final with a result that has sent the Pacific region into absolute raptures. Our pride and joy, the team that simply doesn't know the meaning of the word quit, Paper Rex (PRX), tore apart North America's last hope, NRG, in a truly epic BO5 battle, winning 3-1 and fighting their way through the lower bracket to secure their place in the grand finals!

From Heartbreak to Revenge: The Kings of the Pacific Are Back

Remember just a few days ago when PRX got knocked down to the lower bracket by NRG, and all the doubters were saying their "full-throttle" style had been figured out? Well, in this match, 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 revenge victory, and it tasted oh-so-sweet.

I have to admit, the start had me sweating. NRG came prepared on their own map pick, Pearl, and keiko's incredible aim helped them draw first blood with a 13-8 win. Seeing NRG with that momentum, I genuinely worried PRX might fall into their familiar "slow start" trap and get out-pressed. But our Pacific princes weren't having any of it.

Clutch Time: Heroes All Round

From the second map, Bind, onwards, PRX switched into full-blown "W-gaming" mode. The shift in gear was seamless, like a car finding the perfect rhythm. Especially f0rsakeN. When the team needed him most, he wasn't just the lurking ninja; he whipped out the Operator, bagged a quadruple kill right in their faces, and the final takedown on brawk? That's going straight into the VCT highlight reel.

• Map 2 - Bind (13-7): something's Operator comes online, completely shattering NRG's economy.
• Map 3 - Split (13-6): Jinggg's Raze plays leave NRG tilted and frustrated.
• Map 4 - Breeze (13-9): Despite NRG clawing back five straight rounds, a perfectly-timed, fiery timeout from coach alecks steers the ship back on course to close it out.

This kind of performance isn't about stats; it's about that unbreakable spirit. Any veteran player knows that when a team like PRX gets that confidence, their offence becomes a flowing, unstoppable force.

NRG's Missed Chance and PRX's Date with History

Of course, credit where it's due to NRG. As world champions, their map pool limitations, outside of Pearl, were expertly exploited by PRX today. For Ethan, the dream of becoming the first player with two Champions titles and a Masters trophy will have to wait – that's just the way it goes sometimes. On the PRX side, after grinding out this hard-fought win, they're just one step away from etching their names into the history books as the first team to win back-to-back Masters titles (Toronto 2025 + Santiago 2026).

The Ultimate Face-Off: Versus Nongshim RedForce

Take a breather, because the grand finals are up next. PRX will face their Pacific League rivals, Nongshim RedForce (NS), who've been waiting fresh from the upper bracket. This isn't just a regional showdown; it's a clash of two distinct styles. NS are terrifyingly disciplined and their team cohesion is rock-solid – they're definitely not a team that wins through brute force alone. Can PRX stick to their relentless "W-gaming" all the way through? Or will we see the more calculated, adaptive play they showed against NRG today?

Personally, I'm betting on PRX's momentum. Fighting from the Swiss stage through the lower bracket and back again, they're peaking at exactly the right time. And let's not forget the countless fans back home, including many in Taiwan, cheering them on through the streams.

As for everyone hunting for those Jinggg highlights, or trying to find specific VCT VOD replay segments, or even checking out that Chief VCTUB XL universal tool-free projector mount that seems to be all the rage among streamers for their secondary screens – the buzz around all of it is hitting fever pitch right now, all thanks to PRX's victory. That's the magic of esports: winning makes everything better.

We'll see you all for the grand finals later tonight (local time, March 15th)! No matter what, PRX has already carved the Pacific region's name deep into the Chilean soil. Bring it home, boys!