VCT Pacific Kickoff: Seven Things To Watch Out For

VCT Pacific Kickoff 2026 opens on January 21 in Seoul, with 12 teams in the Sangam Colosseum playing high-stakes VALORANT that will determine which three teams reach Masters Santiago. Seven major storylines will define this tournament. Here are the questions that Pacific fans are waiting to see answered.

Can Paper Rex build on their Toronto triumph and maintain championship momentum?

Paper Rex enters Kickoff as reigning Masters champions after their victory at Toronto in 2025 ended years of heartbreak. Their fourth-place finish at Champions Paris and back-to-back victories at the Radiant International Invitational in 2024 and 2025 showed they remained competitive through the end of the year, but champions are defined by what they do after winning once.

The addition of Adrian “invy” Jiggs Reyes replacing Patrick “PatMen” Mendoza represents Paper Rex’s commitment to continuous improvement. Invy spent three seasons with Team Secret as one of Pacific’s most consistent performers on Initiator while showing versatility by flexing to Sentinel. He was actually Paper Rex’s top choice for a controller replacement in early 2025, but circumstances prevented the move. Now he finally joins a title-winning core. Championship teams either use their first trophy as a springboard to dynasty status or struggle under expectations. Can Paper Rex channel Toronto’s confidence into consistent dominance?

Can T1 return to trophy-winning form after their Bangkok breakthrough?

T1 opened 2025 with Masters Bangkok, defeating G2 Esports 3-2 in the grand final for their first international title. But the rest of their season told a more complicated story. Despite early playoff exits in Stage 1 and inconsistent performances, they qualified for Champions Paris as the region’s third seed on points rather than dominant regional play. The off-season brought Sang-beom “munchkin” Byeon back after two years with Gen.G, where he won Pacific Kickoff, Stage 2, and Masters Shanghai in 2024. His versatility across multiple roles and calling experience makes him one of the region’s most complete players.

T1 recently won the SOOP VALORANT League, suggesting they could be positioning for another international run. They’ve earned a first-round bye as Champions 2025 qualifiers. The question is whether they can rediscover Bangkok magic while incorporating their newest piece, or if this represents a missed opportunity.

Can DRX finally complete their journey to an international trophy?

DRX enters Kickoff carrying the weight of being VALORANT’s greatest team never to win an international trophy. Their third-place finish at Champions Paris matched their best-ever result from 2022, but finishing third twice only reinforced the narrative. Kim “MaKo” Myeong-gwan remains one of the game’s most respected controller players despite never hoisting a global title. The off-season brought roster changes as Cho “Flashback” Min-hyuk retired. DRX promoted Yoon “Flicker” Tae-hee from their Academy and signed Ahn “Hermes” Byeong-wook, who dominated Korean Challengers in 2025. Both are young talents making their tier-one debuts. DRX with four out of their current five came second in the OFF//SEASON at the TEN Global Invitational 2025, behind Nongshim RedForce.

DRX’s championship window with their veteran core may be closing, yet they’re integrating new blood who need development time. Can the veterans MaKo, Kang “BeYN” Ha-bin, No “free1ng” Ha-jun provide enough stability? DRX has proven they can reach far, but can they close it out when everything is on the line?

Can Rex Regum Qeon translate domestic dominance into international success with coach Jovi?

Few teams experienced higher highs and lower lows in 2025 than Rex Regum Qeon. After bringing in Ngô Công “crazyguy” Anh mid-season, RRQ won VCT Pacific Stage 1, defeating Gen.G for their first-ever VCT title and Masters Toronto qualification. But Toronto exposed the harsh reality: they went 0-2, failing to win a single match internationally. They reached the Stage 2 grand final before falling to Paper Rex, securing Champions Paris qualification. But the pattern continued: early group stage elimination with no international victories. For all their regional success—two stage finals, one trophy, RRQ remained winless against the world’s best.

Long-time head coach Marthinus “Ewok” Jacobus Van Der Walt stepped away after three years. Enter Jovanni “Jovi” Vera, appointed after spending 2025 as a coach at TALON Esports. Jovi brings extensive experience as the 100 Thieves head coach in 2022, OpTic Gaming’s analyst, and North American Game Changers work. Most importantly, he just spent a full season inside tier-one Pacific competition.

The roster remains intact: Cahya “Monyet” Nugraha, David “xffero” Monangin, Maksim “Jemkin” Batorov, Bryan Carlos “Kushy” Setiawan, and crazyguy. They’ve proven they can dominate Pacific. Can Jovi’s cross-regional experience be the missing piece that helps them finally translate domestic success into international victories?

Can Gen.G return to title contender form with veteran Lakia and newcomer ZynX?

Gen.G enters 2026 trying to recapture magic from their spectacular 2024: Pacific Kickoff, Stage 2, and Masters Shanghai victories, plus a Masters Madrid runner-up finish. They couldn’t maintain that standard in 2025, missing Champions entirely after an early Stage 2 playoff exit. Four players departed, leaving only Ha “Ash” Hyun-cheol and Jung “Foxy9” Jae-sung, with the latter benched. But Gen.G brought back Kim “Lakia” Jong-min after he left alongside teammates following 2025’s disappointment. His Masters Shanghai championship experience and leadership made him ideal to stabilize a retooled roster.

Joining him is Kim “ZynX” Dong-ha, an 18-year-old promoted from DRX Academy. ZynX made an immediate impact during SOOP VALORANT League and Radiant International Invitational, posting the highest ACS for Gen.G at Radiant and helping them secure second place. At Radiant International, Gen.G reached the grand final before falling 1-3 to Paper Rex, showing promise but also highlighting areas needing improvement. They’ve retained stars Kim “t3xture” Na-ra and Kim “Karon” Won-tae. Can Gen.G rebuild team chemistry quickly enough to compete with Pacific’s established powers?

Can VARREL maintain their Ascension dominance in tier-one Pacific?

When SLT Seongnam tore through Ascension Pacific 2025, they made a statement: a perfect 4-0 group stage, then sweeping NAOS Esports 2-0 and BOOM Esports 3-0 in playoffs. Not a single series lost. Now competing as VARREL after being acquired by a Japanese organization, they face their biggest test. History suggests the leap from Ascension to VCT Pacific is brutal. But VARREL showed they might be different: at the SOOP VALORANT League, they finished third after defeating both DRX and Rex Regum Qeon before falling to T1 in semifinals.

Can they maintain their Ascension chemistry against the top VCT Pacific talent and possibly make it to their first international event?

Can Global Esports finally make an international event after signing Masters winner PatMen?

Global Esports has never qualified for an international event. The 2025 season was particularly painful, and GE executed an almost complete rebuild, retaining only Savva “Kr1stal” Fedorov, Go “UdoTan” Kyung-won, and Derrick “Deryeon” Yee. They signed Kale “autumn” Dunne from FunPlus Phoenix, Xavier “xavi8k” Hebron Juan from NAOS Esports, and the headline acquisition: Patrick “PatMen” Mendoza.

PatMen arrives as a Masters Toronto champion and former Paper Rex player, as well as VCT Pacific’s Rookie of the Year. After joining PRX in March 2025, he helped secure podium finishes in both VCT Pacific stages and the Toronto trophy. His Champions Paris top-four finish showcased his ability to perform at the highest level in his very first year of VCT play. Joining PatMen is new head coach Hector “FrosT” Rosario from TALON Esports, plus analyst Thong “balax” Chern Kwi, assistant coach Vladimir “vladk0r” Kornev, and data analyst Platoon, an almost complete coaching overhaul.

The immediate test comes against VARREL in the opening round, where both teams need to establish themselves. Can FrosT’s coaching and PatMen’s championship mentality finally elevate Global Esports?

They said Pacific wouldn’t last.
They said our style wouldn’t work.
We proved them wrong, multiple times.
Now it’s time to do it again.

Welcome to the #VCTPacific 2026 Kickoff, where we will #EarnEverything. pic.twitter.com/UYo0u9PX1a

— VCT Pacific (@vctpacific) January 19, 2026

The road to Santiago begins in Seoul at VCT Pacific Kickoff

VCT Pacific Kickoff 2026 runs from January 21 to February 15. Paper Rex, T1, DRX, and RRQ enter with first-round byes after qualifying for Champions 2025. Based on recent form, Paper Rex looks strongest coming off their Toronto triumph. T1’s SOOP League win makes them dangerous. DRX’s veteran hunger could carry them through.

But in Pacific, any team can beat any other on the right day. Over the next four weeks, three teams will earn the right to represent Pacific at Masters Santiago. Who will it be?