Paper Rex bow out of VALORANT Masters Madrid in third place after 1-2 loss to Sentinels in lower bracket finals

Singaporean powerhouse Paper Rex bowed out of the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Masters Madrid in third place after losing to American team Sentinels, 1-2, in the lower bracket finals on Sunday (24 March).

Paper Rex entered Masters Madrid as the second seed from the Pacific region after finishing second in the VCT Pacific Kickoff.

They stumbled early with a 1-2 loss to China's EDward Gaming in the Swiss format Group Stage but quickly regained their footing by securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Team Heretics. Bolstered by this win, they continued their ascent by defeating Karmine Corp 2-1 in the Group Stage finale, earning themselves a spot in the Playoffs.

However, their journey hit a snag when they faced off against Gen.G, the team that had bested them in the VCT Pacific Kickoff grand finals.

Gen.G swiftly dispatched Paper Rex with a clean 2-0 sweep in the upper bracket semifinals, relegating the Singaporean squad to the lower bracket. There, Paper Rex bounced back, sweeping Brazil's LOUD 2-0 in the lower bracket semifinals to advance to the lower bracket finals.

In contrast, Sentinels stormed into Masters Madrid as the top seed from VCT Americas. They asserted their dominance in the Swiss Stage with a flawless 2-0 record, securing their spot in the Playoffs.

Facing off against LOUD, Sentinels emerged victorious in a closely contested series, clinching a 2-1 win for the North American squad.

However, Sentinels faced defeat against Gen.G who swept them 2-0 at the upper bracket finals, dropping them to the lower bracket finals against Paper Rex.

In the first game on Lotus, both Paper Rex and Sentinels came out guns blazing, so they kept a tied score after the first half at 6-6. In the second half, both teams still kept an even footing, causing them to go overtime after being tied 12-12.

However, it was Sentinels who took the upper hand in the last two rounds, allowing them to secure the first game 14-12.

In the second game on Ascent, Paper Rex continued to claw their way to another 6-6 tie at halftime. But it seemed like the Singaporean team lost momentum in the second half, as Sentinels pulled off seven-straight round wins to claim the 13-6 victory in game two.

Paper Rex fought back in the third game on Split, where they dominated the first half 8-4. The Singaporean squad were determined to extend the series and closed the second half with a 5-1 run to get on the board with a 13-5 victory at Split.

But in game four, Sentinels stepped up and took a commanding 9-3 lead after the first half. The American squad gave no room for Paper Rex to pull off a comeback in the second half either, as they racked up four-straight round wins to clinch the 3-1 series victory and a spot in the Grand Finals.

Meanwhile, Paper Rex bow out of the competition in third place, taking home US$65,000 in consolation. And despite the loss, Cahya "Monyet" Nugraha once again turned heads with a 24/10/3 KDA.

Sentinels will face Gen.G. in a best-of-five rematch on Monday March 24,12:00 AM Singapore Time) in a best-of-five series at the VCT Pacific Kickoff at the Grand Finals.

Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers, and is a League of Legends geek. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup of black coffee.

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