The bluebloods of Pacific have done it again.

With a sweeping 3-0 victory, Paper Rex Paper Rex Asia-Pacific Rank #1 invy Adrian Jiggs Reyes Jinggg Wang Jing Jie f0rsakeN Jason Susanto d4v41 Khalish Rusyaidee something Ilya Petrov has defeated FULL SENSE FULL SENSE Asia-Pacific Rank #7 Leviathan Thanyathon Nakmee Killua Tanate Teerasawad primmie Papaphat Sriprapha JitBoyS Jittana Nokngam Crws Thanamethk Mahatthananuyut in the grand final of VCT Pacific Stage 1. The win stamps a fourth-straight year that the juggernauts have lifted a regional title.

FULL SENSE, owning a double map ban after reaching the grand final through the upper bracket, stayed with its go-to playoff ban of Ascent and banned Split, a map that it has played just twice this Stage. The series was played out on FS's Pearl, PRX's Lotus, and FS's Fracture. PRX won 13-10, 13-9, and 13-10.

On Pearl, both teams used similar comps, with a Jett-Phoenix Duelist pairing joined by Astra and Fade. The difference came with the Sentinels: FULL SENSE went with Vyse, while Paper Rex chose Killjoy. The decision was a change from the past, as PRX had used Vyse previously.

Play was tight to start. FULL SENSE carried a 7-5 advantage after its attack half, but struggled against PRX's well-coordinated attack. As part of a 4-0 start to the pistols, the Thai side claimed the pistol and anti-eco to go up 9-5, but it was all downhill from there. PRX went on a monstrous run, winning seven rounds straight to reach map point, which was converted soon after. Early on, the biggest question mark was next to primmie 's name. The star Duelist was not looking like his usual self, while something , his Jett counterpart, had dropped a map-high 20 kills.

PRX's pick of Lotus was an expected one. The map has been one of the team's best in recent years, and it remained that way in this grand final. Using the Vyse-Fade-Omen comp that the team is often credited with being the benchmark for, Paper Rex started out with a strong defender side, claiming six rounds on the three-site map. Once on attack, things fell into place smoothly for Paper Rex. After losing yet another pistol, PRX went on another big run to reach map point, winning six straight rounds and once again reaching 13 just two rounds later.

Being in a best-of-five series, Paper Rex was set to play its first rep on Fracture since the second match of the group stage. Fracture was another map that opened the door for f0rsakeN to play Neon, as PRX had moved away from something playing the agent following struggles earlier in the stage. PRX was successful in finding its first pistol round to open Fracture, and while FS used a force-buy to turn the tide, PRX did well to roll with the punches on defense.

A mix of knowing when to play retake and capitalizing on openings by playing more proactively meant that Paper Rex played on the front foot on defense. The play put FULL SENSE on the back foot. On a historically attacker-sided map, PRX worked its way up to a 6-6 halftime score. On attack, Paper Rex pulled the strings around the map masterfully. A push and pull behind the chaotic yet sharp play of f0rsaken and Jinggg helped remind why the map is such a strong one for the team once known for its 'W key' approach to the game.

PRX lost its fifth pistol through three maps to begin the second half, but it didn't end up mattering. Following the anti-eco, PRX dropped just two rounds, closing out the map 13-10.

f0rsaken ended the series with a match-best 63 kills, while something's 57 and d4v41 's 51 supported his efforts. For FULL SENSE, Leviathan 's 49 led the way in the losing effort.

"Death, taxes, and winning a VCT Pacific Trophy," said Paperthin.

Up next

With the win, Paper Rex claims Pacific's top seed at Masters London, which is set to begin next month. The team also qualifies for the Esports World Cup with the win, and claims 10 Championship Points. As the top seed, PRX will bypass the Swiss Stage in London, while FULL SENSE collects seven Championship Points and will begin in the Swiss Stage.