From Ascension to Masters Santiago: Nongshim RedForce Are VALORANT’s New Champions With a Flawless Run

History was always going to be made today. An all-Pacific Grand Final at VCT Masters Santiago guaranteed a fourth consecutive Masters title for the region, and a storyline that could not have been scripted better: the undefeated Nongshim RedForce, a team born in Premier and forged through Ascension, against Paper Rex, serial finalists hunting a second international trophy back-to-back. In the end, there was only one winner, and it wasn’t close. Nongshim RedForce swept Paper Rex 3-0 to become Masters Santiago champions, completing one of the most dominant runs in VCT history.

A Final With History to be Made on Both Sides

For Nongshim, a win would complete a journey that started in Premier for Francis, dambi, and Ivy, then ran through back-to-back Ascension titles, and now ends with a Masters trophy as the first team ever to make that climb from Ascension to the top of the international game. For IGL Rb, the story is personal: a third-place finish at Champions Istanbul in 2022, playing as a relative rookie with DRX, followed by years away from the international stage. Today, returning as the veteran leader of a roster full of young talent, he finally got his hands on a trophy he has been waiting years to lift.

For Paper Rex, this was their fourth international Grand Final, adding to silver medals at Masters Copenhagen and Champions Los Angeles before their breakthrough win at Masters Toronto in 2025. They arrived in Santiago as the defending Masters champions, hoping to make it back-to-back. For Invy, the newest member of the squad, this was his first international final after an appearance at LOCK//IN 2023 with Team Secret.

The Pacific region came in knowing one of their own was winning a fourth consecutive Masters title, following Gen.G at Masters Shanghai 2024, T1 at Masters Bangkok 2025, and Paper Rex at Masters Toronto 2025. The only question was which team would end up with the trophy. Neither team had played each other, throughout last year and this year, making this first showdown one with the highest stakes possible.

The Map Veto Advantage

Nongshim came into the veto with a clear game plan and executed it perfectly. They removed Breeze and Pearl, two maps PRX had been adept on throughout the tournament, with Breeze in particular being a near-untouchable surface for them this event. Abyss, PRX’s permanent ban all year, fell as the third map out of the pool, with the series concluding on Haven and Bind. What remained was a veto that leaned towards Nongshim’s strengths and exposed PRX’s thinner ground. The Korean side hadn’t just prepared for the final; they had prepared for this opponent specifically.

Corrode: 13-11 (Nongshim)

PRX picked first and chose Corrode, a map both teams had won dominantly against Americas opposition. They started sharp, taking the pistol and building a commanding 8-4 first half despite dropping the anti-eco, showcasing their retake ability when the round was alive. Nongshim’s defense looked shaky early. Then it didn’t.

Nongshim launched a stunning comeback, counteraggressing their way back into the map and stealing it 13-11. The architect of the reversal was Xross, who on defense went 19/6 with 25 kills overall, 259 ACS, and the map MVP by a comfortable margin. It was a performance that set the tone for everything that followed.

Split: 13-4 (Nongshim)

PRX’s own pick. A map they had won seven times in a row dating back to Kickoff, and on which they had been undefeated at Masters Santiago heading into the final. Nongshim dismantled that record without mercy.

They went up 6-0 on defense. Jinggg broke the streak with a clutch to give PRX their first round, but Nongshim barely paused as they closed the half 9-3 and ran out 13-4 winners. It was so thorough that PRX coach Alecks had no answer for it afterward: “We had no chance on Split. It’s very rare for me to say this, but we couldn’t get into the game.”

Two maps played. Two maps won. A 2-0 lead in the series, and Nongshim looking completely in control.

Abyss: 13-3 (Nongshim)

The final map was Abyss, a map PRX had permabanned all year, forced into unfamiliar territory by Nongshim’s methodical veto. It showed immediately. Nongshim raced to a 9-1 start on defense, powered by Francis’ aggression and five first kills as he and Xross found frags in every direction. PRX took the second pistol but couldn’t convert: losing the anti-eco proved to be the last nail in their coffin. Nongshim closed it 13-3 to complete the sweep.

A Series MVP Performance

While the best player on the day was Xross, tournament MVP honors were awarded to Dambi for his groundbreaking Neon performances that were the biggest x factor for Nongshim throughout the event. Every single member of Nongshim finished in positive kill differential in the grand final. Not a single PRX player did.

Dambi opening space on Neon, Francis hunting first bloods, Xross cleaning up and clutching after going from playing Yoru in Challengers Korea to playing scan initiator for NS now, Ivy with his refrags and Rb providing the structure that kept every round legible. For a team whose identity has been collective from the beginning, the scoreline reflected that completely, with immaculate play on both a micro and macro-level. They also countered PRX’s aggression perfectly, and kept them from finding any momentum on maps two and three. In fact, the team had only lost one map on their way to the trophy at Masters Santiago.

PURELY UNSTOPPABLE!

YOUR #VALORANTMASTERS SANTIAGO MVP, @Dambi_vlrt pic.twitter.com/ymg5HdPz6u

— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) March 15, 2026

“As an entry fragger, I didn’t feel the pressure while entering sites, since I knew my team would be there behind me to trade. Also, playing Ascension twice had made me used to the stage so I didn’t feel nervous,” said dambi, who had defined the event with his dangerous Neon/shotgun gameplay.

Post-Series Reflections

For Paper Rex, it is a third silver medal at an international event and they know that today, the better prepared team won. The map veto disadvantage was real, the disparity in time and team rest was significant: PRX played six BO3s and two BO5s across the event compared to Nongshim’s three BO3s and one BO5, and the adaptations required throughout the tournament had taken a visible toll.

“We keep trying to solve our problems by changing comps,” said something, reflecting on a series in which the preparation gap was exposed. Alecks was equally direct: “We played a lot of NA and Europe at this event, and we knew how to play them. Against Nongshim, we couldn’t come back against them.”

PRX leave Santiago as finalists and with a break ahead before Stage 1. The hunger is clearly still there. They’ll be back.

Nongshim on the other hand, were on top of the world. For Rb, he spoke about his time on DRX, his original Neon gameplay as one of the players to really show how it was played when she released, as well as how all the teams and his time in both VCT Pacific and China have helped him gain experience to lead this roster to their trophy. Members of the team spoke about how as a whole, they stand strong. “We also run a double duelist comp like most teams at this event. But individually, all of the team is amazing individually on their main agents like dambi on neon or Rb on omen.”

When asked about his dominance on Yoru and gameplay, Francis said, “In my career, I think this is my prime time but also my hardest season personally. Rb and the coaches helped me a lot, and my team mates also, they’re so precious to me.”

Making History

Nongshim RedForce are Masters Santiago champions: undefeated in 2026, undefeated at this event, and now the first team to walk the full path from Premier to Ascension to lifting an international trophy. Rb got his trophy. A roster of young talent that has been quietly building toward this moment for two years finally got to celebrate it.

Pacific makes it four in a row, and in Santiago, Nongshim RedForce stood the tallest.

“If we make it to Champions, I believe we will go the distance,” said the players. And after their performance this year, it rings true.