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Paper Rex during the 2026 VCT Pacific: Stage 1 finals weekend in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. VCT Pacific/Handout
Paper Rex claimed another global VCT qualifying slot as the third seed after defeating T1 in the lower bracket semifinals of the 2026 VCT Pacific: Stage 1.
The boys of W Gaming knocked out the last Korean squad in the tournament, 2-1, in front of a Vietnamese crowd during the Finals weekend held in Ho Chi Minh City and snag the last Pacific ticket to VALORANT Masters: London.
Their latest qualification will be their 14th international appearance, making them currently the team with the most appearances in the VCT global stage.
PRX joined fellow Pinoy-repped squad Global Esports and FULL SENSE in representing the Pacific region in the second Masters event of the year.
T1's loss will also be the first time a Korean team will not attend a global VCT event.
In Split, PRX won the pistol, anti-eco, and another round, but T1 won six straight rounds to overtake the lead. PRX scraped the last two rounds to end the half at 5-7.
The two squads traded two rounds each to open the second half, then PRX went on to win 6 straight rounds to take their map pick at 13-9.
In Ascent, T1 had the upper hand in the first half while PRX trailed behind, closing the half at 5-7. T1 continued their lead in the second half, and PRX could not close the gap, leading to the decider with a 10-13 scoreline.
As the series went to Breeze, T1 won the pistol and anti-eco, but PRX began to snowball and concluded the first half at 9-3. T1 began narrowing the gap with five straight rounds, but PRX managed to stop the momentum in time to qualify for Masters: London at 13-8.
PRX's Russian duelist Ilya "something" Petrov led the squad with 63 kills, 38 deaths, and 12 assists while piloting his signature Jett and Yoru.
With the win, they now face Global Esports once again in the lower bracket finals tomorrow, May 16.