In a thrilling three-map series, Paper Rex (PRX) beat home favourites Karmine Corp (KC) in a hard fought 2-1 victory, securing their spot in the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Masters Madrid Playoffs in a wild back-and-forth match that saw plenty of drama.
PRX would come out guns blazing from the get go, swinging momentum in their favour by securing the first five rounds on the first map, Bind.
But the European stallions KC did not go down without a fight. They took four rounds off PRX’s map point, bringing the score to 10-12. The Southeast Asian powerhouse managed to stem the tide and eventually closed out the map 13-10.
In particular, Cahya “Monyet” Nugraha impressed. After a rocky debut with PRX earlier this year in the VCT Pacific Kickoff stage, the 18-year-old Indonesian finally found his footing in the team, getting an ace on Round Four.
Monyet ended Map 1 with an impressive scoreline, picking up a KDA of 20/17/7, and an Average Combat Score (ACS) of 259.
KC fired back on Map 2, Lotus, with a resounding 13-6 win over PRX.
PRX’s unorthodox team composition caused some consternation, with Monyet taking a step back from Raze, and Jason “f0rsakeN” Susanto taking over. Monyet would then go on Astra, a rare pick for Lotus.
After a short back and forth between the two teams with the score at 3-1 in PRX’s favour, KC went on to win the next five rounds convincingly.
In particular, Marshall “N4RRATE” Massey put on a beautiful display of skill. Stuck in a one vs three situation, the American outsmarted the PRX players, killing all three in 15 seconds, clutching the round for KC.
At 8-6, KC shut down any hopes of PRX mounting a comeback, winning the next five rounds once again, bringing the score to a tie.
With playoffs on the line and one map to spare, tensions were running high.
PRX went down 3-1 on Ascent and quickly called a timeout in an attempt to turn the tides. After dropping another round, PRX regrouped, bringing the score to 4-3.
KC then called a timeout of their own but it failed to stop PRX from winning the next two rounds to bring the score to 5-4. It was only then that KC fought back, taking the next three rounds and swinging the scoreline in their favour to 7-5.
Then it was game on for both teams, with the final half proving one of the most exciting of the series.
KC opened the final half, taking two rounds off PRX. PRX responded immediately, pushing back with another three rounds of their own. With the score at 9-8 in KC’s favour, the map looked like it could go either way.
Looking for a break, KC took another two rounds, pushing them closer and closer to a coveted playoffs spot.
At 11-8, it looked like PRX’s elimination was imminent.
But the APAC Champions was made of sterner stuff and dug deep, mounting a magnificent comeback. PRX stole four straight rounds to swing the score back in their favour to game point at 12-11.
The drama was not quite over – as KC denied PRX’s game point, bringing the score to 12-12, forcing an overtime.
In overtime, PRX showed up where it mattered. KC rushed onto site with everything they had, throwing every last piece of utility. But PRX would hold firm, with Khalish “d4v41” Rusyaidee delivering the final blow. PRX won 14-12, securing their playoff spot and knocking out KC.
The crowd exploded, and PRX lept up from their chairs, embracing one another and jumping on stage – PRX was not quite done in Madrid.
PRX’s win means that there will be no EMEA teams in the playoffs, leaving only teams from the Americas and APAC region.
PRX are set to rematch Gen.G in their first playoffs match on 21st March 11pm SGT, after losing VCT Pacific Kickoff 3-1 to the South Korean team.
