Summary:
- Paper Rex, a Valorant team from Southeast Asia, took the scene by storm, going from underdogs to regional champions.
- Paper Rex went on to dominate the region until they made it clear that they were at the top of the region.
- After several near-misses and second-place finishes, PRX’s persistence paid off when they made it to Valorant Masters Toronto.
Chances are, if you’ve been tuning in to the Valorant scene, you’ve probably heard Paper Rex (PRX) before. And we can’t blame you for that! This Southeast Asian team has been the talk of the town with their aggressive playstyle and unyielding team morale. However, it wasn’t and hasn’t always been so easy. From their early underdog days to wearing the crown as the first ever Southeast Asian Masters title holders? The story of Paper Rex is an underdog story you’d hate to hate.
Early Beginnings and Rise to Prominence
Paper Rex started off back in January 2020, founded by previous Counter-Strike legend Harley “dsn” Örwall and a well-known Southeast Asian esports personality, Nikhil “nikH” Hathiramani. Actually, Paper Rex began as a larger esports organization in Singapore. But after seeing the new tactical shooter Valorant from Riot Games, PRX jumped into the competitive arena and signed the Singaporean team Vindicta in July 2020.
The team had a rough time initially with the roster and tons of changes. But the organization showed resilience and vision and shifted their Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster into Valorant in early 2021. They brought in experienced players like mindfreak, f0rsakeN, and d4v41, and their complete roster is where it started to take off.
Regional Success to Global Breakthrough
The Singapore-based team wasted no time in asserting themselves as the undisputed best power in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. With multiple top-place finishes in both the MY/SG (Malaysia/Singapore) and the APAC Challengers levels, they proved superior skill and team cohesion. More importantly, they set themselves in the region with team performances that were ultimately unmatched by teams in the region and prepared themselves to go international.
A really big step in Paper Rex’s journey was their memorable run at the VCT Stage 2 Masters Copenhagen 2022. This is where they became the first Southeast Asian team to ever reach an international Valorant event’s Grand Final. Paper Rex lost to the very challenging FunPlus Phoenix in the end. Nevertheless, being a runner-up cemented their role in the development of Southeast Asian esports history. Regardless, this win is still a giant leap both for the team and the region.
Challenges Paper Rex Faced
For a while, this team was cursed by the “second-place curse”, consistently appearing in second continuously to have no titles to win. They had their most recent grand final spot before Toronto at Champions 2023, where they lost in heartbreaking fashion against Evil Geniuses. Just a couple of months before Toronto, they had to fight back from the brink of elimination in their Stage 1 playoffs against DetonatioN FocusMe.
For most teams, not being able to come up with results at the international stage would demoralize them. In this case, however, the struggle only seems to forge the team’s hunger for results and competitiveness.
Going Forward to Valorant Masters Toronto 2025
PRX struggled during the VCT Pacific group stages, where they lost a few series early in the tournament. But later on, they recovered and turned the tide to be the third seed in the Pacific region. And not to say that the earlier struggles were beneficial, but it may have given them some inspiration or motivation. Because when the team came into the Masters, unbeknownst to them, they played with an urgency and desire to win.
The team toyed with their opponents both in the play-ins and playoffs. Ultimately, they defeated well-renowned teams such as Team Heretics, G2 Esports, Sentinels, Wolves Esports, and finally, Fnatic, with relative ease. They looked like they didn’t even sweat back then!
The grand final against Fnatic was an emotional and hard-fought fight that really captured Paper Rex’s heart and ability. The series even went to four maps, every one of which was decided in nail-biting situations and was highly contested. Eventually, Paper Rex lifted the trophy, having won the series 3-1, alleviating their long-standing curse of close calls.
Conclusion
Paper Rex (PRX) doesn’t just have another trophy to add to their shelf after winning Valorant Masters Toronto. They now have a reminder that hard work, belief, and teamwork can be the most powerful of blessings. Facing years of failures, heartbreaks, and toss-ups, this group of all-stars erupted onto the world’s biggest esports stage. And now, they crowned themselves as the best before 2025 was even half over.
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