Paper Rex Eliminate T1 to Clinch VALORANT Masters London

Paper Rex is heading to London. The Singapore-based squad knocked out T1 in the lower bracket semifinals of VCT 2026: Pacific Stage 1, sealing the last Pacific slot at VALORANT Masters London with a 2-1 win.

A Comeback Built on Chaos

It wasn't a clean run to this point. Paper Rex stumbled earlier in the bracket after Global Esports knocked them into the lower half with a shocking 2-1 upset in the upper bracket semifinals. That loss stung, but PRX didn't spiral. They regrouped, survived elimination pressure round after round, and showed up for T1 playing some of the most focused VALORANT of their 2026 season.

The series itself was a grind. PRX opened with a convincing 13-9 win on Split, only for T1 to pull things level with a 13-10 win on Ascent. Breeze was the decider, and it wasn't close. Paper Rex took over from the first half and never looked back, closing it out 13-8 to punch their ticket to London and send T1 home empty-handed.

Something Was Everywhere

Ilya "something" Petrov was the story of this series. The Russian duelist was relentless all night, making aggressive plays that kept T1 off-balance across all three maps.

In a match where Paper Rex needed someone to show up and carry the weight, he delivered exactly that.

London Calling for the Defending Champions

With this win, the Pacific region locks in its full trio of representatives at Masters London, set to run June 6 to 21 at the Copper Box Arena.

T1 finishes fourth in the Pacific bracket and heads home without a ticket to London, making this a brutal end to their stage and contributing to what will be the first major VCT global event without Korean representation.

PRX still has the lower bracket final against Global Esports to play before the stage wraps up, with a shot at the Pacific title on the line. But the most important goal is already secured.

As the reigning Masters champions after their Masters Toronto 2025 title, Paper Rex land in London not as pretenders or dark horses. They arrive as a team with a target on their back and the track record to back it up.

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Featured Image Credit: Paper Rex

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