PRX d4v41 on getting their revenge on Nongshim RedForce: "We made fewer mistakes than them"

Paper Rex opened their VCT Pacific 2026 Stage 1 campaign with a 2-1 reverse-sweep victory over the reigning Masters Santiago Champions on April 4th at the SOOP Sangam Colosseum in Seoul. In a post-match interview with KC from THESPIKE, PRX sentinel player Khalish "d4v41" Rusyaidee broke down the series, from sentinel matchups and Fracture comfort picks to the evolving double-duelist meta and the knock-on effects of the Yoru nerf.

VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Pacific Stage 1

Nongshim RedForce

1

X

2

Paper Rex

Group Alpha, Best of 3 - April 4, 2026 - 7:45AM

15

Fracture

13

10

Split

13

6

Lotus

13

Nongshim RedForce

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

Ivy

1.04

225

53/53/16

0

1.00

68.9%

147.7

34%

47%

8

9

Francis

0.91

187

45/57/18

-12

0.79

65.2%

115.1

23%

42%

8

11

Xross

0.86

177

48/51/12

-3

0.94

68.0%

122.3

22%

0%

0

5

Rb

0.82

166

38/59/29

-21

0.64

67.5%

105.7

27%

45%

5

6

Dambi

0.75

173

42/56/15

-14

0.75

60.7%

113.3

26%

33%

6

12

Paper Rex

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

Jinggg

1.50

305

76/47/17

+29

1.62

84.8%

192.1

24%

68%

17

8

invy

1.19

202

51/44/35

+7

1.16

81.8%

129.7

23%

42%

5

7

f0rsakeN

1.17

204

48/46/37

+2

1.04

80.9%

132.9

28%

67%

6

3

something

1.10

206

56/44/13

+12

1.27

74.2%

128.4

25%

64%

9

5

d4v41

0.94

189

45/45/20

0

1.00

70.1%

129.3

23%

60%

6

4

Composure After Dropping Fracture

Paper Rex dropped the first map, Fracture, 13-15, before rallying to take Split 13-10 and Lotus 13-6. For d4v41, that early setback never really rattled the squad.

"We were quite confident on Fracture, could have won that map, but we messed up a little bit. We didn't really get bothered so much and tried to focus on Split and Lotus after and try to win the series. Overall, I think they played well, and I think we made fewer mistakes than them."

The controlled, almost matter-of-fact tone in that assessment says a lot about where Paper Rex's mentality is right now, having clawed their way through the lower bracket at both Pacific Kickoff and Masters Santiago earlier this season.

Fracture has been a rare sight in the VCT, having just been reintroduced to the competitive map pool. It has reportedly been played just once in China before this match. But for Paper Rex, it was anything but unfamiliar territory.

"In the past, we [were] one of the good teams on Fracture. We are very comfortable. It was just a little bit of a reminder—some old VODs, how we play Fracture, and then a dry run. It's just one of our favorites."

The Sentinel Battle: Killjoy Beats Cypher on Fracture

One of the tactical wrinkles of the series was the dueling sentinel picks: d4v41 on Killjoy for PRX, while Park "Ivy" Sung-hyeon opted for Cypher. D4v41 gave a nuanced breakdown of why each pick has its place.

"When it comes to Cypher, it's tricky on the attacking side because you have to guess where he's putting his camera. Those cameras give valuable info. You can even put a camera on the zip line to hear footsteps, so there are a lot of tricky plays. But KJ benefits more on the defensive side. KJ is stronger on defense; Cypher is stronger on attack."

When asked if he'd ever consider running Cypher himself, d4v41 was blunt:

"I don't really like the idea of Cypher. Especially with the trip right now, I think it's kind of useless. Maybe if they revert the trip, I would put it into consideration, but for now, I'm not a big fan of the current Cypher."

Something's Neon Debut and the Explosive Meta

Perhaps the most eye-catching development of the series was Ilya "something" Petrov pulling out Neon on Lotus for reportedly the first time. D4v41 framed it as a natural product of where the game's meta currently sits.

"Because of the current meta, Neon is quite OP. It's kind of an explosive meta right now—you go as a team, you bait the shot as Neon, and the second or third guy trades the kill, like how Nongshim is portraying [it] in the server.”

D4v41 was full of praise for something's Neon debut, backing him to grow into the agent and eventually rival Lee "Dambi" Hyuk-kyu, who is the golden standard for Neon. Just like most teams in the VCT this year, Paper Rex are also trying out their own take on the double-duelist meta.

Yoru Nerf and the Initiator Problem

The conversation naturally gravitated toward the broader meta picture. The Yoru teleport duration nerf, which something reportedly predicted back at Masters Santiago, has fundamentally changed how teams deal with the agent. D4v41 believes it has made Yoru significantly harder to execute effectively, especially on larger maps like Breeze.

"Before, you had to keep guessing where Yoru was because he could be left or right due to the TP duration. Now you just wait 15 to 20 seconds for the TP to expire and choose a side. And you pretty much can just choose like one side to kind of like enter."

D4v41 pointed to Breeze as a map where the Yoru nerf hurts most. The sheer size of the map means players were already relying heavily on the teleport just to travel between sites, and with the reduced duration eating into that window, executing effectively as Yoru has become a difficult ask.

As for the deeper structural issue driving the explosive meta, d4v41 aligned with what GE Frost echoed in a separate interview: the 60-second initiator utility cooldown is the root cause.

"If they don't change the initiator utility timer, it's just gonna stick like this for a while. Nothing much is going to change until they reset the initiator's utility, maybe a lesser timer."

Eyes on Masters London

PRX now sit in what many are calling the group of death, alongside Gen.G, DRX, Team Secret, Nongshim, and Global Esports. But d4v41 isn't fixating on names or reputations.

"Even coming from Kickoff and Santiago, before we qualified for Santiago, we struggled to even beat anyone. Group of death or not, we're just going to focus on ourselves, win game by game, and try not to fumble the seed this time."

The group of death holds no fear for a team that has already stared down adversity this season. For PRX, the goal is simple: qualify for Masters London fast and save the drama for someone else. If day one is anything to go by, they have certainly started off on the right foot.

Watch the full interview below:

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Featured Image Source: Riot Games