Kaustavmani Choudhury

The penultimate day of VALORANT Masters Santiago delivered heartbreak for the Americas as NRG were eliminated from the tournament, falling 3-1 to Paper Rex in the Lower Bracket Finals. In what was the third meeting between the two sides at this event, the Princes of Pacific settled the unofficial series in their favour and booked their ticket to the grand finals.

Another international tournament, another exit for G2 Esports. The Americas powerhouse was sent packing from VALORANT Masters Santiago after a 2-1 defeat to Paper Rex in the Lower Bracket Semifinal, a result that will sting but perhaps didn’t surprise.

In one of the most stunning upsets of VALORANT Masters Santiago, Nongshim RedForce dismantled NRG Esports in a dominant 2-0 sweep in the Upper Bracket Finals, booking their spot in the Grand Finals of their very first international tournament.

Greg Reisdorf served as Multiplayer Creative Director at Sledgehammer Games for over 15 years before departing in early 2025 to co-found Oncade, a direct-to-consumer game distribution platform. After 15 years shaping Call of Duty's multiplayer modes across titles like Advanced Warfare, WWII, and Black Ops Cold War, Greg Reisdorf has seen every version of the franchise's internal friction up close.

VALORANT's Patch 12.04 isn't the most explosive update the game has seen, but it's a meaningful one. Riot Games has focused this patch on polishing the player experience — from Agent usability tweaks to a full redesign of the post-game and career screens. Here's everything you need to know.

Day 3 of VALORANT Masters Santiago delivered a blockbuster matchup as the 2025 Champions, NRG, squared off against the 2025 Masters Toronto winners, Paper Rex, for the first playoff spot.