Singapore-based e-sports team Paper Rex finally broke the jinx to win a major international trophy. The team emerged victorious in the grand final of Valorant Masters Toronto, beating the formidable Fnatic 3-1 at the Enercare Centre on June 22.
The London-based Fnatic, the 2023 Masters winners, gave a tough challenge in the best-of-five final, before losing the tense 4½-hour battle in the popular first-person shooter video game.
While Paper Rex are based in Singapore, their players come mainly from around the region. Besides Russian Ilia “something” Petrov, the other members are Indonesians Aaron “mindfreak” Leonhart and Jason “f0rsakeN” Susanto; Malaysian Khalish “d4v41” Rusyaidee; and Patrick “PatMen” Mendoza from the Philippines.
The Paper Rex roster comprised of of just one Singaporean player Wang “Jinggg” Jing Jie.
“It’s surreal. The feeling is just setting in. I’m proud of myself and my team. I’m happy to be able to represent not just my country but also fly all the flags of our home SEA region”, Jie said.
How much did Paper Rex earn
The champions claim the US$350,000 (S$449,000). Here’s what each of the teams earned in prize money and points:
| Place | Team | Winnings (USD) | Championship Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1st | Paper Rex | $350,000 | 7 |
2nd | Fnatic | $200,000 | 5 |
3rd | Wolves Esports | $125,000 | 4 |
4th | G2 Esports | $75,000 | 3 |
5th–6th | Sentinels | $50,000 | 2 |
| Gen.G Esports | |||
7th–8th | Rex Regum Qeon | $35,000 | 0 |
| Xi Lai Gaming | |||
9th–10th | Team Liquid | $25,000 | 0 |
| Bilibili Gaming | |||
11th–12th | Made In Brazil | $15,000 | 0 |
| Team Heretics |
Paper Rex’s path to victory
In the first-round group stage, Paper Rex beat Team Heretics of Spain 2-0 but went down 2-0 to North American side Gen.G Esports. With their campaign on the line, they mustered a 2-1 victory over Team Liquid of the Netherlands to secure one of the four spots in the next round.
Pitted against winners from the four international leagues – North and South America; Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; the Pacific (Japan, South Korea, and India); and China – in the eight-team, double-elimination play-offs, Paper Rex remained unbeaten into the grand final.
The won all their best-of-three matches 2-0 – beating North America’s G2 Esports, Sentinels of the United States before overcoming Wolves Esports, the e-sports team of English Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers.
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Rex coach Alexandre “alecks” Salle was filled with “a sense of relief, mostly”.
“I don’t think I could stomach (another) loss,” said Salle, referring to their near misses, including finishing fifth/sixth at the 2024 Valorant Masters Shanghai and third at the Valorant Masters Tokyo in 2023. “I’m sure it will dawn on me eventually that we’ve achieved one of our goals.”
“We have a performance coach and watch what we eat. I think we found a balance that worked for us. I think this is a sign that perhaps e-sports is maturing into a professional athletic sport.”
Fresh off the title victory, Paper Rex will next feature at the Stage 2 of the Valorant Pacific League in Seoul from July 15 to Aug 31. Their ultimate goal will be to qualify for the Sept 12-Oct 5 Valorant Champions in Paris.
