Paper Rex solidified their status as a VALORANT Champions Tour Stage 2 Masters contender with a win over top seed Fnatic on Sunday. A 2-0 sweep came thanks to Paper Rex’s trademark hyper-aggressive playstyle, with standout moments throughout both maps in the series.
ONTO THE UPPER FINAL! @pprxteam put on a show in this series win. #VALORANTMasters pic.twitter.com/MO53JcGs2k
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) July 17, 2022
Paper Rex win despite COVID setback
Paper Rex were not at their best after a coronavirus outbreak hit their team earlier this week. Three players couldn’t play onstage, which left just Aaron “mindfreak” Leonhart and Benedict “Benkai” Tan onstage. There were some scary sickness moments during the series, but the team fought through them to win an important match.
A one-on-four clutch from mindfreak set the tone for the day, with Paper Rex showing once again that they can punch above their presumed weight class.
1v4? NO PROBLEM. @aaronleonhart4 | #VALORANTMasters pic.twitter.com/Xs0LgVGAn8
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) July 17, 2022
“The COVID outbreak affected our preparations more than anything,” coach Alexandre “alecks” Salle said. “Both Khalish “d4v41″ Rusyaidee and I had some moments. One time I had to almost run to the bathroom to puke, and d4v41 still has some voice issues, but we managed.”
A fast playstyle leads Paper Rex to victory
Against Fnatic, a team that led their region for the entirety of Stage 2, this win was a close sweep.
Both teams were undefeated on Bind until Sunday’s matchup. Paper Rex set themselves apart with their Yoru and Raze setups and some improvisation along the way.
“We have a lot of plans, but we like to change them on the fly,” alecks said. “We start with a plan for every round, but to put it to a percentage, it would be around 70/30 planning to adapting.”
The upper bracket final with fans awaits for Paper Rex. No matter who they face, that adaptability will be key, just as it will be to win it all at Masters 2.
“I think we are in the right mindset to beat anyone we face,” Benkai said. “But I also don’t want to go into the mindset of just expecting wins, we just want the same emphasis whether we win or lose.”
