VALORANT: Paper Rex with Jinggg back finally get revenge on Gen.G with 2-1 win in VCT Pacific Stage 1
Prior to this matchup, Paper Rex were defeated by Gen.G in their last two showdowns at the VCT Pacific Kickoff Grand Finals and in the Masters Madrid Playoffs.
The VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) 2024 Pacific Stage 1 treated fans to a matchup that already felt like a grand final when Singaporean powerhouse Paper Rex (PRX) defeated VCT Pacific Kickoff champions and VCT Masters Madrid runner-up Gen.G, 2-1, in their Week 2 Group Stage match on Saturday (13 April).
PRX and Gen.G have formed an intense rivalry since the beginning of the year, with Gen.G defeating PRX in a 3-1 upset at the grand finals of the VCT Pacific Kickoff.
While both teams qualified for VCT Masters Madrid, the first international event of the year, Paper Rex failed to avenge their loss against Gen.G at the Playoffs, dropping to the lower bracket after a 3-0 loss against the South Korean team and eventually finishing third after 3-1 loss against North American team Sentinels.
Meanwhile Gen.G swept through the upper bracket at Masters Madrid but was eventually outlasted by the Sentinels 3-2 at the grand finals.
With Wang "Jinggg" Jie’s return to PRX, the Singaporean team were determined to return to top form at VCT Pacific Stage 1. Meanwhile, Gen.G's Kim "Lakia" Jong-min acknowledging that PRX had the potential to stop Gen.G from winning the title.
PRX finally get revenge on Gen.G
The first game on Lotus kicked off with PRX aggressively going against the South Korean squad, allowing them to take the lead 8-4 in the first half.
However, in the second half, Gen.G on defense caught up to the Singaporean squad 11-11. The South Korean team eventually overtook PRX in the last two rounds to win the first game 13-11. Kim "Meteor" Tae-o of Gen.G and Aaron "mindfreak" Leonhart of PRX were notably given the MVP honours in this game because of their clutch plays and strategic manoevres.
In the second game on Icebox, Gen.G kept their momentum, taking control of the first half 8-4.
But PRX turned things around in the second half, going for scrappy plays that took the South Korean squad off guard. jinggg and Jason “f0rsaken” Susanto both made sure to close out the last two rounds and to win the second game 13-11.
Both munckin of Gen.G and f0rsaken of PRX were named the MVP for the second game, with both members instrumental in closing out rounds for their team.
The third game on Bind was a completely different story, with PRX showing absolute domination across the entire game. Giving no room for Gen.G to breathe, PRX breezed through the first half, taking the first nine rounds swiftly, and winning the first half 10-2
Gen.G attempted to make a comeback in the second half, slowing down PRX’s advances with calculated map rotations.
However, PRX were able to predict Gen.G’s moves and closed out the third game 13-6. Karon of Gen.G and Ilya "something" Petrov of PRX were notably named MVPs of Game 3.
The Group Stage of VCT Pacific Stage 1 will conclude on 29 April, with the top three teams from each group advancing to the Playoffs. At the Playoffs, the remaining teams will navigate a double elimination bracket from 3-12 May to secure a slot at Masters Shanghai.
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.
For more esports news updates, visit https://yhoo.it/YahooEsportsSEA and check out Yahoo Esports Southeast Asia’s Facebook page and Twitter, as well as our Gaming channel on YouTube.
