Paper Rex outlast Xerxia to win VCT 2022: APAC Stage 1 Challengers
Singaporean squad Paper Rex have claimed the championship of the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) 2022: APAC Stage 1 Challengers after they outlasted Thai team XERXIA 3-2 in a heated grand finals showdown on Sunday (27 March).
Paper Rex and XERXIA qualified for the tournament after they won the first Challengers events for Malaysia & Singapore and Thailand, respectively.
The two outlasted 18 other teams from all over the Asia-Pacific region to meet in the grand finals.
The finalists qualified for the playoffs thanks to strong performances in the group stage, with Paper Rex taking the top seed of Group B while XERXIA was the second seed of Group C.
They then breezed through the first round of the playoffs to first meet in the upper bracket semifinals, where Paper Rex proved to be dominant in a 2-0 sweep that sent XERXIA down to the lower bracket.
The Singaporean squad then swept Bleed eSports in the upper bracket finals to secure the first spot in the grand finals.
XERXIA then went on a rampage in the lower bracket, first sweeping Persija Esports before taking back-to-back 2-1 victories over BOOM Esports and Bleed eSports to force a rematch with Paper Rex in the grand finals.
Paper Rex looked dominant as usual to start the grand finals, taking an easy 13-4 win in game one at Fracture. However, XERXIA managed to bounce back and take a 13-8 win in game two at Split.
In the pivotal third game of the finals at Icebox, Paper Rex turned a dominant 10-2 showing in the first half into a 13-6 victory to take a commanding 2-1 series lead.
With their backs against the wall in game four at Breeze, XERXIA made good use of a narrow 7-5 first half lead to outlast Paper Rex in a 13-11 grinder to force the finals to a deciding game five.
The first half of a decider at Haven was a deadlock, with both teams tied at 6-6. However, Paper Rex seemed to have flipped the after the side switch, as they went on an incredible 7-2 run to secure the map, 13-8, and claim the APAC Stage 1 Challengers championship.
With their victory, Paper Rex bagged the grand prize of US$30,000 while XERXIA settled for US$20,000 in consolation.
As the top two teams of the APAC Stage 1 Challengers event, Paper Rex and XERXIA have also qualified for the 2022 VCT's Stage 1 Masters tournament in Reykjavík, Iceland this April. Asia-Pacific's representatives will be looking to prove themselves against the best teams from all over the world in VALORANT's first international LAN tournament of the year.
Paper Rex roster:
Aaron "mindfreak" Leonhart
Jason "f0rsakeN" Susanto
Benedict "Benkai" Tan
Khalish "d4v41" Rusyaidee
Wang "Jinggg" Jing Jie
XERXIA roster:
Itthirit "foxz" Ngamsaard
Panyawat "sushiboys" Subsiriroj
Nutchaphon "sScary" Matarat
Thanamethk "Crws" Mahatthananuyut
Thanachart "Surf" Rungapajaratkul
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