DRX reverse sweep Paper Rex to reach Pacific grand final

DRX DRX Korea Rank #4 Flashback Cho Min-hyuk (조민혁) MaKo Kim Myeong-gwan (김명관) Athan Na Ha-jun (나하준) freeing No Ha-jun (노하준) HYUNMIN Song Hyun-min (송현민) have defeated Paper Rex Paper Rex Asia-Pacific Rank #3 mindfreak Aaron Leonhart Jinggg Wang Jing Jie f0rsakeN Jason Susanto d4v41 Khalish Rusyaidee something Ilya Petrov in the VCT Pacific 2024 lower final, punching their ticket to a grand final matchup against Gen.G Gen.G Korea Rank #1 Foxy9 Jung Jae-sung (정재성) t3xture Kim Na-ra (김나라) Munchkin Byeon Sang-beom (변상범) yoman Chae Young-moon (채영문) Karon Kim Won-tae (김원태) . Paper Rex, now eliminated from playoffs, will take the third seed at Champions Seoul.

This series was the ninth encounter between both organizations, with the last six times going Paper Rex's way. The only previous best-of-five was the Pacific 2023 grand final, which Paper Rex took 3-2. Now, usurped by Gen.G, the teams met again - not for the title, but for an opportunity at facing the new Pacific leaders.

DRX picked Abyss as the opening map, but it was Paper Rex, who started on offense, that surprised with their agent picks. They opted for a Neon-Phoenix double-duelist, with something on Breach. A fake helped win the pistol round, but Paper Rex were punished for their early Operator purchase after it was picked up and led to BuZz helping win the next two rounds.

An eco round and two 1v1s gave Paper Rex the lead, but the South Korean squad tied the score again with a clutch of their own, sending the series to halftime at 6-6.

Despite their composition being well suited for early aggression and crunches, Paper Rex began the second half with a more orthodox defense. This approach, along with a something ace, helped the team win four rounds in a row. It wasn't until round 13 in which they attempted a more proactive early round, but DRX were able to prevent a stuck defuse to take the point.

In the end, Paper Rex closed out their opponent's map 13-7, better able to take advantage of their agents by complimenting aggression with quick rotations and well-coordinated retakes.

Paper Rex continued defending in map two, Lotus. They opened the map with two round wins, but DRX took the lead after a Flashback 1v2. A fourth round for the offense prompted a tactical pause from Paper Rex. Triple kills from f0rsakeN and mindfreak forced DRX's own timeout. They were able to score their fifth point, but Paper Rex prevented their opponents from gaining an advantage, ending the first half 7-5.

During the second half, DRX's defense took the lead after Paper Rex failed a forcebuy. Once their economy recovered, however, the South East Asian roster won the next four rounds. Back-to-back Jinggg aces and a something clutch took their team to map point. A stuck defuse gave DRX their tenth point by a matter of milliseconds, but it was merely a consolation round. BeYN was left in an unwinnable 1v2 for the final round, and Paper Rex closed out the second map 13-10.

One map away from a Paper Rex victory, the series returned to a DRX map, Bind. Flashback found three on the pistol to secure the early lead. The offense went B for four-straight rounds, but were only able to win against DRX's bonus due to a gun advantage. Unrelenting, PRX continued going B after a timeout, losing the next two rounds.

Round seven was a change of scenery, as the opening engagement took place in showers. The South Korean team's lead continued to grow, reaching 7-1 before PRX were able to put another round on the board.

Half-time helped reset Paper Rex's mental, as they won the first four rounds of their defense and secured a draw. DRX recovered, forcing Paper Rex into saving three rounds in a row. A 4K and ace from the Korean veterans sent the series to a fourth map, with Bind ending 13-10 in DRX's favor.

DRX continued the series with a pistol win on Icebox, but their opponents found back-to-back triple kills to tie the score 2-2 and later gain a temporary lead. A Flashback clutch helped DRX recover, eventually reaching 6-3. It was not enough to separate themselves from Paper Rex, who came back to end the half 6-6.

The second pistol and anti-eco returned the lead to DRX. They were answered in kind by two rounds for Paper Rex after their full buy. The attackers won another two rounds, but a thrifty win put DRX on pace to take the map and tie the series 2-2.

Flashback was by far the most impactful player on Icebox, with four clutches and 23 eliminations contributing to his 1.51 rating.

The decider map, Ascent, began with a pair of DRX wins. A Paper Rex mid push weakened the attackers enough to secure round three, but DRX continued to extend their lead. By the time Paper Rex were able to win rounds, the offense had separated themselves enough to end the half 7-5.

Even though they won the first two rounds of the half, DRX called for a timeout after 9-6. Paper Rex picked up the pace the following round, earning their seventh point of the map. BuZz's Op double kill helped the team ignore forsakeN's reckoning and d4v4i's own multikill, reaching double digits. PRX tried at the other side of the map, but were completely halted, as DRX won and eleventh round, triggering a timeout for the South East Asian squad.

The pause was unfruitful, as DRX's veterans frustrated another A take by Paper Rex. Paper Rex returned to the same site via mid, only to be stopped by BuZz and MaKo once more.

The win confirmed a South Korean victor for the 2024 VCT Pacific season, as DRX will now face Gen.G in the grand final. It is also DRX's first win against Paper Rex since April 2023, as well as revenge for Paper Rex's reverse sweep at the VCT Pacific 2023 grand final.

In terms of Champions seeding, DRX have an opportunity to claim top seed, while Paper Rex go into the tournament with a third seed for the group stage.