In a gruelling four-game final, Paper Rex has secured victory in the Valorant Champions Tour Masters, Toronto.
The Pacific team fought off EMEA Champions Fnatic to shake their curse of second-place LAN finishes and take home the trophy.
Exchanging the “silver curse” for gold
After coming second in the Valorant Champions 2023 and second in the Valorant Masters Copenhagen in 2022, Paper Rex has broken their so-called “silver curse” to win VCT Toronto.
The team quickly became fan favourites in Canada for their personality-fuelled performances.
Despite competing in a high-pressure tournament, the roster was frequently caught regurgitating memes on voice coms or even drawing hearts with their guns on the map walls.
The team also maintained a good relationship with their Finals competitors, Fnatic. British Valorant icon, Fnatic’s Jake ‘Boaster’ Howlett, and Paper Rex’s Jason ‘f0rsakeN’ Susanto (both IGLs for their teams), even posed for a joint photo before the game.
Playing for leverage – Paper Rex forced to fight for the upper hand
The VCT Toronto Finals were far from easy to win. Both teams repeatedly fought for the advantage, exchanging rounds and maps throughout.
Sunset was played for Map 1, picked by Fnatic. However, Paper Rex defeated Fnatic on their own pick, despite Fnatic’s positive start.
After picking up their first win in Round 5, Paper Rex began building momentum into the mid-game.
As a result, round 10 began with Paper Rex holding double the loadout value of Fnatic. By halftime, they had gained an 8-round win streak.
They closed out the map with a 13-11 win, despite Fnatic’s best efforts to regain control.
Map 2, Paper Rex’s pick of Icebox, followed a mirrored pattern. Paper Rex was the team that benefited from early-round wins, with Fnatic forced to catch up.
Icebox proved to be the hardest map to win, with both teams forced into a gruelling overtime. Fnatic had to push the score to 17-15 before collecting the win.
Pearl and Lotus were where Paper Rex slowly began outshining their opponents. Both maps were tightly contested, with both teams jostling for a position to run with the lead.
Nevertheless, it was their abilities to maintain control over Fnatic’s economy, quickly punish mistakes, and surge forward at any opportunity that put the Pacific team on top.
Map 4, Lotus, followed a similar pattern to Map 2. Whenever their opponents gained ground, Paper Rex was never far behind.
A late-game surge in round wins allowed them to push Fnatic into yet another overtime. However, instead of Fnatic pushing towards a win, Paper Rex were able to win a 2v4 clutch to cement their win.
The road to Paris
Valorant’s 2025 season all builds up to the Valorant Champions 2025 tournament. G2 was the first to qualify for the event, and both VCT Toronto finalists will likely also stamp their tickets to Paris for September.
In the meantime, both Paper Rex and Fnatic will return to compete in their respective regions. Hopefully, the two will face off again in 2025.
Hannah is a writer specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for outlets such as Dot Esports, Esports Insider, and of course ENUK, she has developed a love for wider esports and Apex Legends, although it may never surpass her drive to passionately beat her friends in every game of Mariokart. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ESI London, EGX, Discover: Esports and many League of Legends watch parties.
