645 Days Later, Nongshim End Unbelievable Record at Masters Santiago

The first day of playoffs at VALORANT Masters Santiago delivered two gripping series, with Paper Rex and Nongshim RedForce both advancing to the semifinal round. But the headline story belonged to the Korean squad: for the first time in 645 days, a #1 seeded regional team that received a bye into the playoff bracket has found victory their opening matchup at a Masters tournament. The last team to achieve that feat was 100 Thieves at Masters Shanghai against FUT. Nongshim, and to a lesser extent FURIA, had the chance to put that streak to rest today, but only one of them delivered.

Series 1: PRX Take Down All Americas Teams to Advance to Semis

Paper Rex vs. FURIA was a matchup that had never been played before on the international stage. PRX came in with a clean 2-0 record from the Swiss stage, while FURIA were making their debut at their first ever international event. In a bold move during the draw show on the final day of Swiss, FURIA chose PRX as their playoff opponents, a decision that would quickly be tested.

Map 1: Haven (PRX Pick): FURIA 13-9

PRX opened their own map pick on the front foot, racing out to a 5-1 lead on attack in the first half. FURIA steadied themselves and clawed back to tie the half at 6-6. After the side swap, PRX won the pistol round, but FURIA stole the anti-eco and strung together five of the next six rounds to reach match point. PRX grabbed one more but couldn’t halt the momentum. FURIA took Haven 13-9, with eeiu putting in a standout performance on Sova, with 24 frags, 4 first kills, and a +9 kill differential earning him map MVP honours.

Map 2: Breeze (FURIA Pick): PRX 13-4

PRX responded emphatically on FURIA’s own map pick. Starting on defense, they won the first two rounds before FURIA answered with three straight. From that point, PRX dominated the remainder of the half to lead 9-3 at the break. The second half was even more one-sided — PRX won the pistol to extend to 11-3 and never looked back, closing out Breeze 13-4. Jinggg was the standout performer on Omen, posting an ACS of 286 to take map MVP.

Map 3: Split (Decider): PRX 13-7

Split opened in FURIA’s favour. They built a 7-3 lead on defense before PRX tightened things up to 7-5 heading into the second half. On attack, PRX were flawless: they won the pistol, making their pistol round record a perfect 6-for-6 on the day, and then reeled off seven consecutive rounds to close the map 13-7 and the series 2-1. D4v41 was especially destructive on Viper throughout the map. The series MVPs were something and d4v41, posting ACS of 246 and 251 respectively, and each racking up 8 first kills.

Series 2: Nongshim RedForce Break the Curse, Sweep Gentle Mates 2-0

The second series had Nongshim RedForce playing their first game at Masters Santiago, having received a bye as the #1 seed out of the Pacific region. Gentle Mates, meanwhile, had fought through the Swiss stage undefeated to earn their spot. Equally notable: it had been 929 days since Rb last appeared on the international stage, his previous appearance coming with DRX.

Map 1: Haven (Gentle Mates Pick): Nongshim 13-10

Both teams came out running a Yoru/Neon composition on Gentle Mates’ map pick, setting the tone for a fast, chaotic game. Mates started on attack and jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but Nongshim settled in, with rb and xross finding key kills to bring the half back to 7-5 in NS’s favour. In the second half, it was dambi and ivy providing the impact. The defining moment came in the final round, where ivy clutched a stunning 1v4 on Killjoy to seal the map 13-10. Ivy took map MVP honours with 24 frags and a +11 kill differential, though it was Marteen who posted the highest ACS on the server at 341.

Map 2: Corrode (Nongshim Pick): Nongshim 13-8

Nongshim started on defense and stumbled to a 1-4 deficit, but gradually clawed their way back into the game. By the half, Gentle Mates still led 7-5, but the tide was already shifting. Mates won the pistol after the side swap, yet dambi and francis immediately stole the anti-eco — dambi wielding a Bucky to devastating effect. NS rattled off four straight rounds to lead 11-6, and despite Mates winning two more, the Nongshim momentum was impossible to stop. An explosive Judge round from dambi closed out the map 13-8 and the series 2-0. Francis and dambi split map MVP duties, combining for 45 frags and 11 first kills between them on Yoru and Neon.

The series MVP was ivy, finishing with an ACS of 272, a +17 kill differential, and five first kills. Marteen remained the most impressive individual performer across both maps, though, posting 47 frags, 9 first kills, and an average ACS of 299 in a losing effort.

Gentle Mates’ minny offered some insight into what made Nongshim so difficult to prepare for: “It’s hard to counter the shotgun; if you miss the shot you’re done for, no second chances. And no one else is using it like this team. We only scrimmed Nongshim once.”

Day 6 is a wrap.

Check out the updated #VALORANTMasters Santiago Playoffs Bracket! pic.twitter.com/SLXV0eDw9O

— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) March 6, 2026

What’s Next at VALORANT Masters Santiago?

With their victories, Paper Rex will advance to face the winners of BBL vs. NRG, while Nongshim RedForce will take on the winners of All Gamers vs. G2. Both FURIA and Gentle Mates drop to the lower bracket, where one more loss will spell the end of their Masters Santiago run.

The curse, at long last, is broken.