Paper Rex are in the VCT Toronto final — they owe it to their fans to win it

Paper Rex is the first team to book their spot in the Masters Toronto grand final. One of the most popular VCT teams, they owe it to their fans to win the event and finally become a global champion.

PRX beat Wolves to reach the Masters Toronto final

Before the tournament, Paper Rex versus Wolves, or really any team versus Wolves Esports for that matter, would’ve been thought of as massively one-sided, with a Wolves defeat all but guaranteed. But that’s simply not been the case throughout the event. Wolves completed upset after upset and became VCT stars overnight. So while an unlikely opponent for an upper bracket final, Paper Rex still had to have their wits about them.

The opening map, PRX’s Lotus pick, was, at times, looking like another Wolves fairytale result. The China third seed went into halftime with a slim 7-5 lead, and following a slow start to the second half, found the momentum again to earn an 11-9 lead: two rounds from the map victory.

But Paper Rex fought back, winning five of the next six rounds to clinch a 14-12 overtime win and started the series 1-0 heading into Wolves’ map pick.

Three opening round wins for Wolves on Ascent signalled the beginnings of a comeback, but a total turnaround from PRX saw them 8-4 up at halftime and 12-5 up soon after. Wolves showed some fight to get it back to 12-8, but Paper Rex avoided capitulating and completed the 13-5 map win, thus ending the series 2-0 and moving on to Sunday’s grand final.

Fnatic or Wolves

PRX’s final opponent will now be the winner of the lower bracket final between Fnatic and Wolves. Yesterday’s victory over Wolves will give Paper Rex confidence going into a potential rematch, and they’d be heavy favourites were that matchup to recur.

Fnatic are a different beast entirely, thought of as one of the top teams coming into Toronto and one of a select few to have backed it up with their deep run. In fact, only G2, Fnatic’s last opponents, were another of the strongest sides who did not wholeheartedly disappoint at this tournament.

G2 were tournament favourites before Masters Toronto began, and Fnatic will have gained heaps of confidence after sending them home. Their series saw back-to-back 13-10 victories for Fnatic, both having moments where G2 had rounds leads before Fnatic were able to close the gap and win.

Fnatic will firmly believe that they are a stronger side than PRX, the Pacific favourites will have their work cut out for them.

Global trophy long overdue for PRX

It’s testament to the personalities on Paper Rex’s long-standing core that they’ve managed to accrue such a dedicated worldwide fanbase — one of the largest within VCT — without having ever found international success.

Other sides of their ilk have all done so. Fnatic in São Paulo and Tokyo. Sentinels in Reykjavík and Madrid. LOUD in Istanbul. Paper Rex is, by some distance, the most popular VALORANT team to have never won globally.

The organisation owes it to those dedicated fans, the ones who supported them through ten failed attempts at global success. Through grand final heartbreak in Copenhagen and Los Angeles. Those that stuck with them through early Kickoff elimination and still had belief when that was followed up by a 0-3 start to Stage 1.

Paper Rex’s turnaround in the last two months has been spectacular. They’ve done the bulk of the hard work to come back, qualify for Toronto, and reach the grand finals, against all odds. They’re 95% of the way there; just one more victory is required.