Why the G2 series "felt like the final" to PRX Head Coach alecks

One held the highest percentage of won 5v4’s. The other held the highest percentage of clutches. Neither method is right or wrong, but when both playstyles came head-to-head, there was simply no telling how the Paper Rex vs. G2 Esports series would go.

When both teams were seeded into the very first playoff match of VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Valorant Champions, it was like watching a clash of two styles that had dominated their respective regions. However, in this moment, only one team would be able to progress through the Upper Bracket, while the other would be dropped into the Lower Bracket for their efforts.

Throughout the series, it was evident that both of these teams were contenders for the title of “World Champions”. Map one on Lotus saw Paper Rex narrowly edge out G2. Meanwhile, map two on Corrode was an even closer affair, ending in a 15-13 scoreline in favor of G2.

That battle came to a final bout on Ascent. G2 held an early 8-4 advantage after the first half on Attack. However, once Paper Rex were given Attack, the hype train proved why they belong amongst the world’s best as they sent G2 Esports to the Lower Bracket after closing out the map 13-11.

VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Valorant Champions

Paper Rex

2

X

1

G2 Esports

Upper Bracket Quarter Final, Best of 3 - September 25, 2025 - 1:00PM

13

Lotus

11

13

Corrode

15

13

Ascent

11

Paper Rex

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

f0rsakeN

1.20

225

62/54/30

+8

1.15

73.8%

145.4

30%

33%

6

12

something

1.20

245

68/48/14

+20

1.42

76.0%

155.3

31%

50%

13

13

Jinggg

0.99

216

54/54/19

0

1.00

74.6%

137.9

15%

53%

9

8

d4v41

0.84

183

44/54/23

-10

0.81

69.2%

127.3

31%

27%

3

8

PatMen

0.77

163

46/51/12

-5

0.90

66.9%

108.1

27%

0%

0

4

G2 Esports

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

leaf

1.31

273

71/56/16

+15

1.27

75.2%

180.6

21%

77%

17

5

JonahP

1.05

226

57/59/20

-2

0.97

73.4%

138.1

24%

58%

11

8

jawgemo

0.92

205

53/56/8

-3

0.95

71.4%

131.7

25%

65%

13

7

valyn

0.77

150

39/52/25

-13

0.75

69.4%

104.8

21%

25%

2

6

trent

0.76

152

41/51/16

-10

0.80

68.5%

105.0

24%

29%

2

5

After the extremely close battle between Paper Rex and G2 Esports, Head Coach Alex "alecks" Salle began the interview with one definitive statement: “This felt like the finals.”

“This felt like the finals of VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Masters Toronto 2025, honestly,” alecks said. “I think we hit G2 with a bit of bulls*** today. We got a lot of clutches go our way.”

Paper Rex vs G2 Esports

One of the defining moments of the entire series came from the second half of Ascent. Normally a Defense-favored map, Paper Rex were able to mount a comeback off of a strategy that they had barely practiced.

“On Ascent, for some reason, it becomes an Attack-sided map every once in a while, but I think we got a little bit lucky. Still, I think we held on there a little bit better.”

The first playoff match between G2 Esports and Paper Rex was one that saw both teams battle close as they traded maps with one another. Neither side was letting up many advantages. If even one mistake was made, the other team would be right there to capitalize on it right away. All of this effort and energy helped alecks come to the conclusion that he would need to "take a risk" if he wanted to take down G2 in map three.

“In scrims, we had actually been suffering a lot from that side, so today I wanted to try something different,” alecks said. “In the second half, we told them that we have to take chances. We cannot just walk around the map like a ball and let leaf kill us.”

He remembered watching the first half on Defense and noticing the passiveness and fear in his players. He highlighted just how much his players were struggling to get past Nathan "leaf" Orf and his impressive performance on Ascent. That understanding of leaf is why alecks made it known to his players that they needed to "find him and play around him."

“We had to win early so that leaf wouldn’t OP us every round,” alecks said. “That’s why we had to take as much space as we could. We needed to find him and play around him.”

One of the shining stars of this series was G2's star leaf, who collected 30 kills on Ascent. That strong performance was something that alecks took note of after the first half of Ascent.

“I told them that we needed to know where he is. Whether we want to play around him is up to them, but we needed to know where he is on the map,” alecks shared. “They had to really dig deep. We are not normally this careful, but this series, they really did a good job.”

A team built on creativity

One of the notable differences in today’s series for Paper Rex was former Fnatic Head Coach Jacob "mini" Harris, who was seated next to alecks throughout the close set. After the series, alecks highlighted the importance of mini's ideas and how his perspective on the game really helped Paper Rex evolve as a team.

“He’s great because he offers a different perspective, and the answers he gives me are very different from how I would usually approach things,” alecks said. “He’s the best coach of all time in terms of accolades.”

While mini’s help has been a huge benefit for Paper Rex throughout their championship-winning run at VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Masters Toronto 2025 and at VALORANT Champions Paris, success is a team effort in alecks’ eyes.

“I plan the days, the practice, and what we need to practice, while mini focuses a lot on helping us with the macro,” alecks said. “Our Performance Coach Panda is responsible for the well-being of the players and helps them deal with stress and conflict.”

Trying new things has become synonymous with the Paper Rex playstyle. Whether it comes from practicing new metas or testing out new ideas on the server, this “creativity” and initiative to experiment is something that alecks is grateful for.

“I am blessed with very creative players and they are very happy to always try something new,” alecks said. “They’ll be in the servers themselves and call me wanting to try something new.”

That creativity served its purpose all throughout their series against G2. Now, the Pacific number one seed will move forward into their next matchup against Fnatic, where they will look to fight for their spot in the Upper Bracket Final.

“I think we are good at the current meta and we try our best to go as far as we can, but we have been more relaxed than stressed lately,” alecks said. “Everyone is trying their best. We are all innovating on the spot, gaming new ideas, and having fun. I hope to win, but if we don’t, it’s not going to bother me one single bit.”

That match between Fnatic and Paper Rex will take place on September 28, 2025.

For all things VALORANT-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