Paper Rex take down DRX to secure spot for Masters Toronto

After weeks of tension and uncertainty, Paper Rex have officially punched their ticket to VCT 2025 - Masters Toronto 2025, defeating Strike Arabia Championship - North Africa Season 1 2-0 in a high-stakes Lower Bracket Semifinal of the VCT 2025 - Pacific Stage 1 Playoffs. For a team that missed out on VCT 2025 - Masters Bangkok 2025 and struggled with inconsistency in 2024, this victory marks a pivotal turning point.

“I feel like now we have really good momentum and I think today really showed that... My whole team played really insane.” - PRX Head Coach Alexandre “alecks” Sallé

A Slow Start, Then Total Control

PRX began the series on Lotus, their own map pick, but didn’t hit the ground running. DRX looked composed early on, but Jason "f0rsakeN" Susanto and Khalish "d4v41" Rusyaidee came alive just in time. With a combined 41 kills between them, the duo turned the tide and carried PRX across the finish line to a 13-11 win.

Heading into Icebox, DRX’s pick, PRX were ready. Strong defensive setups gave them an early cushion, and new recruit Patrick "PatMen" Mendoza delivered some critical rounds that shifted the momentum firmly in PRX’s favor. The match ended 13-8, and with it, PRX’s redemption arc began to write itself.

VCT 2025 - Pacific Stage 1

DRX

0

X

2

Paper Rex

Lower Bracket Round 3 of 4, Best of 3 - May 9, 2025 - 10:00AM

11

Lotus

13

8

Icebox

13

DRX

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

MaKo

0.97

217

32/32/12

0

1.00

73.2%

141.4

30%

38%

3

5

HYUNMIN

0.93

197

31/34/8

-3

0.91

66.7%

129.7

26%

62%

8

5

BeYN

0.85

176

28/30/7

-2

0.93

66.7%

115.0

33%

57%

4

3

freeing

0.76

166

26/30/5

-4

0.87

61.3%

117.3

39%

73%

8

3

Estrella

0.74

155

25/31/9

-6

0.81

61.9%

109.2

37%

33%

2

4

Paper Rex

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

f0rsakeN

1.10

217

36/27/11

+9

1.33

72.3%

152.2

46%

67%

4

2

something

1.03

227

35/29/6

+6

1.21

71.4%

132.5

30%

47%

8

9

d4v41

0.99

196

32/23/10

+9

1.39

73.5%

140.5

21%

25%

1

3

PatMen

0.98

189

30/29/12

+1

1.03

73.2%

116.5

33%

63%

5

3

Jinggg

0.75

168

24/34/15

-10

0.71

62.2%

124.2

24%

20%

2

8

Back on the International Stage

Missing out on Bangkok hurt both emotionally and competitively for the Singaporean powerhouse.

“It was really painful to miss the event in Bangkok because I think we have a large fan base there and we really wanted to go,” alecks shared. “Being here is already a big achievement, but we want to win the whole event right now in Korea.”

Let’s not forget: this is still a Paper Rex team that crashed out of VCT 2024 - Champions 2024 in 9th-12th place and only managed 5th-6th at VCT 2024 - Masters Shanghai. Their form has been questionable, but the pieces may finally be falling into place. The addition of PatMen has brought a fresh spark, and with the addition of a performance coach from July of last year, PRX seem mentally stronger.

With momentum building and a spot at Toronto secured, Paper Rex look poised to challenge the top dogs once again.

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: Riot Games