Paper Rex
Paper Rex
Asia-Pacific
Rank #6
mindfreak
Aaron Leonhart
Jinggg
Wang Jing Jie
f0rsakeN
Jason Susanto
d4v41
Khalish Rusyaidee
something
Ilya Petrov
swept
FUT Esports
FUT Esports
Europe
Rank #8
xeus
Doğan Gözgen
MrFaliN
Furkan Yeğen
yetujey
Eray Budak
AtaKaptan
Ata Tan
qRaxs
Doğukan Balaban
in their opening playoff match of Valorant Champions 2023, securing a 2-0 victory and relegating the Turkish team to the lower bracket.
After a slow start, PRX quickly demonstrated why they are considered one of the favorites in this event, efficiently dismantling FUT over the course of the final map.
PRX, however, remains focused on their own games and isn't concerned about their opponents.
“If you want to be the best, you've got to beat the best,” mindfreak said after the match. Known for their unconventional agent compositions, PRX didn't disappoint in this match, bringing out their fan-favorite Reyna/Raze/Harbor/Viper/Skye composition on Ascent.
Following his absence from Masters: Tokyo due to visa issues, something swiftly showcased why he could be the missing piece that propels PRX to success, securing dominant kills on the first map.
FUT selected Ascent as their map choice, and initially, it seemed they were poised for victory on the first map. However, a late-round resurgence from PRX in the first half narrowed FUT's lead to 8-4 at halftime.
After winning the pistol round and the anti-eco, something showed his prowess with Reyna, achieving a 4K and an ace in quick succession to equalize the score at 8.
PRX never looked back, and another 3K from something in round 23 resulted in a 13-10 victory, giving PRX a 1-0 series lead.
While something was undoubtedly the catalyst on Ascent, the entire team delivered exceptional performances, with each member maintaining a rating of 1.00 or higher. Jinggg on Raze also shined, contributing several multi-kill rounds and securing 21 kills.
While the first map was closely contested, PRX once again showcased their dominance on Pearl, quickly achieving a 10-0 lead before ultimately closing out the map with a 13-4 score.
On the second map, d4v41 led the charge on Skye, amassing 20 kills, a 1.75 rating, and an average combat score exceeding 300. This performance underscored that while something, Jinggg, or even f0rsakeN may be the star players, every member of their team is capable of producing astounding numbers.
D4v41 with an incredible map 2 (Photo by Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games)
The team is excited for their next opponent,
LOUD
LOUD
Brazil
Rank #1
dgzin
Douglas Silva
v1nny
Vínicius Gonçalves
pANcada
Bryan Luna
tuyz
Arthur Andrade
cauanzin
Cauan Pereira
, after they beat tournament favorites
FNATIC
FNATIC
Europe
Rank #6
crashies
Austin Roberts
Boaster
Jake Howlett
kaajak
Kajetan Haremski
Chronicle
Timofey Khromov
Alfajer
Emir Ali Beder
.
“It's going to be a good match,” D4v41 said.
And perhaps something is already looking forward to going head-to-head with a world champion duelist.
“It will be a good show… aspas is a very talented player,” something said.
PRX advances to the upper bracket semifinals to take on LOUD after previously defeating FNATIC earlier in the day. Meanwhile, FUT drops down to the lower bracket and will face FNATIC on Friday in an elimination match.