Paper Rex send NRG packing from VALORANT Masters Santiago

The penultimate day of VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Masters Santiago 2026 delivered heartbreak for North America as NRG were eliminated from the tournament, falling 3-1 to Paper Rex in the Lower Bracket Finals. It was the third meeting between the two sides at this event, and with each team having taken one win apiece, everything was on the line. Ultimately, the Princes of Pacific settled the score in their favour, booking their grand finals spot and sending NRG home empty-handed.

Quick Match Recap

NRG came out swinging to open the series on Pearl, ruthlessly exposing Paper Rex's notorious slow starts once again. The American side put on a commanding defensive showing on one of PRX's supposed strongest maps, dictating the pace throughout and closing it out convincingly at 13-8. It was a statement performance, and for a brief moment, another NRG upset looked entirely plausible.

Split was where everything changed. Paper Rex flipped the switch in emphatic fashion, delivering a dominant performance on both attack and defence, leaving NRG completely without answers. A clinical 13-7 victory levelled the series, and PRX carried that momentum straight into Corrode. Despite NRG mounting a first-half fightback, Paper Rex shut the door entirely in the second, sealing a commanding 13-6 win to go up 2-1 in the series.

Breeze told a familiar story. PRX stormed out to a dominant 9-3 lead on the attack side before briefly taking their foot off the gas, allowing NRG to claw back to 9-12. But after a very angry timeout talk from coach Alex "alecks" Salle, Paper Rex regrouped and closed it out 13-9, completing a well-deserved series victory.

VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Masters Santiago 2026

NRG

1

X

3

Paper Rex

Lower Bracket Final, Best of 5 - March 14, 2026 - 5:00PM

13

Pearl

8

7

Split

13

6

Corrode

13

9

Breeze

13

NRG

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

skuba

1.15

229

69/59/18

+10

1.17

72.0%

143.5

27%

54%

7

6

mada

1.06

231

62/66/21

-4

0.94

72.3%

149.2

26%

58%

22

16

Keiko

0.93

186

56/62/18

-6

0.90

69.8%

119.2

29%

40%

6

9

Ethan

0.87

172

53/64/20

-11

0.83

64.2%

121.1

30%

30%

3

7

brawk

0.73

159

41/59/21

-18

0.69

67.0%

109.5

22%

50%

3

3

Paper Rex

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

f0rsakeN

1.13

216

65/61/29

+4

1.07

74.5%

136.4

27%

52%

11

10

invy

1.06

221

64/54/17

+10

1.19

70.8%

154.1

35%

38%

5

8

d4v41

1.06

210

66/52/13

+14

1.27

73.6%

135.8

31%

83%

5

1

Jinggg

1.05

212

61/56/25

+5

1.09

72.0%

138.8

21%

41%

9

13

something

0.89

193

54/58/15

-4

0.93

69.5%

135.7

25%

55%

11

9

Map Pool Woes Finally Bite NRG

As casters and analysts had warned throughout the tournament, NRG's limited map pool ultimately proved fatal. Outside of Pearl, they looked like a pale shadow of the reigning World Champions that they are. Paper Rex, who were sent to the lower bracket by NRG earlier in the event, had clearly done their homework and came prepared with answers.

The defeat also shatters several historic ambitions. NRG were chasing back-to-back international titles, a feat only ever achieved by Fnatic back in 2023. In-game leader Ethan "Ethan" Cole Arnold was within touching distance of becoming the first player to claim two Champions and a Masters trophy, while newcomer Georgio "Keiko" Sanassy was hunting his maiden international medal.

Paper Rex's own dream, however, remains very much alive. Having won VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Masters Toronto 2025, they now stand just one series away from becoming the first back-to-back Masters champions in the game's history. But Nongshim RedForce pose a serious threat, and the question remains whether PRX's signature W-gaming will be enough or whether they'll need to adapt their style to counter Nongshim's equally aggressive approach.

For all things VCT-related, make sure to stay tuned to THESPIKE.GG as we continue to update you with the freshest game and esports news.

Featured Image Source: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games