VALORANT: Gen.G upset Paper Rex, 3-1, to be crowned VCT Pacific Kickoff Champions

South Korean VALORANT powerhouse Gen.G have been crowned as champions of the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) 2024 Pacific Kickoff, after they pulled off a 3-1 upset over Singaporean juggernauts Paper Rex in the best-of-five Grand Finals on Sunday (25 February).

As the runners-up of last year's VALORANT Champions, Paper Rex were the biggest favourites to win the opening tournament for the Pacific VALORANT scene this year. The Singaporean squad asserted their dominance early in the Group Stage, topping Group C and securing their spot in the Playoffs by defeating Gen.G in their first encounter.

On the other hand, Gen.G faced a tougher path as one of the underdogs from the ever-competitive South Korean scene. After coming in second at the Group Stage with their loss to Paper Rex, they were relegated to the Play-ins.

Gen.G narrowly defeated the Philippines' Team Secret with a 2-1 score before soundly sweeping Japan's ZETA Division to earn their Playoff berth.

In the Playoff semifinals, both Paper Rex and Gen.G swept T1 and DRX, respectively, to advance to the Grand Finals.

In the first game on Ascent, Gen.G started off strong and shut down all of Paper Rex’s advances and taking control of the first half 7-5. Paper Rex could not keep up in the second half, allowing Gen.G to claim the first game with a 13-5 scoreline.

Game two took place in Ascent, where Paper Rex turned the tables and dominated the entire match. The Singaporean squad dominated the first half, 8-4, and gave their opponents no room to breathe to close out the game 13-4.

The pivotal third game on Lotus saw Paper Rex build an early lead once again, but Gen.G caught up after the first half and eventually tied things up at 8-8. From there, both teams took turns taking a round off each other until Gen.G overtook the Singaporean team.

While Paper Rex continued to fight back, in the end it was Gen.G that won game three, 13-11, to get to match point.

Backs against the wall, Paper Rex tried to fight back on Bind in game four. However, Gen.G had undeniable momentum and finished the first half with a commanding 8-4 lead. Despite their best efforts, Paper Rex looked powerless as Gen.G closed out Bind with a 13-4 stomp to claim the championship.

With their victory, Gen.G claimed the lion’s share of US$250,000 and three championship points towards earning a spot in this year's VALORANT Champions.Meanwhile, Paper Rex bow out of the competition in second place.

Both Gen.G and Paper Rex have also qualified for VCT Masters Madrid and will represent the VCT Pacific League in this year's first Masters tournament.

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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