Highs and lows marked the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Pacific for Filipinos, as Paper Rex and Global Esports secured playoff spots while Team Secret missed out on yet another playoff appearance.
It was another Filipino matchup over the weekend as Paper Rex met Global Esports, with Paper Rex’s Adrian Jiggs “invy” Reyes on one side, and former Valorant Challenger standouts and now Global Esports duo Patrick “PatMen” Mendoza and Xavier “xavi8k” Juan on the other.
Paper Rex quickly dispatched Global Esports the map Pearl, taking an easy 13-3 victory. But Global Esports fired back with a strong showing on the defensive side of Split, with Mendoza even securing a five-man ACE against this former team.
But at the half, the Paper Rex express was in full speed, taking nine consecutive rounds to secure the series and a playoff berth.
Team Secret, on the other hand, was ready to go all out in its continued survival in the tournament with the debut of rookie Jhian “Zeus” Dela Vega.
Against reigning Masters Santiago champion Nongshim RedForce, Team Secret kept the South Korean squad on alert as it was a close opening map, with both teams tied at the half. But Nongshim RedForce got a good read on its opponents’ defensive plays, taking four consecutive rounds to eventually close out the first map at 8-13.
Team Secret then answered back with a strong attacking side on its own map pick of Fracture, erasing Nongshim RedForce’s first-half lead to force a deciding map after a 13-8 victory and securing its first map win of the season.
But with a playoff spot on the line, Nongshim RedForce showed why they it is the reigning Masters Santiago champion, quickly taking out Pearl, 13-5, to stay alive and eliminate Team Secret from VCT Pacific Stage 1.
“I believe Zeus is one of the best duelists right now in the Philippines. I’m so glad we have him now. We’re on the right path. Improving little by little since Kickoff. This team now really has a great potential,’ Team Secret veteran Jessie “JessieVash” Cuyco said during the post-match interview.
Team Secret will close out its Stage 1 run against also-ran South Korea’s Gen.G on Friday, May 1, at 4 p.m. Meanwhile, Global Esports will face Masters Santiago winner Nongshim RedForce on Saturday, May 2, at 7 p.m., while Paper Rex will take on rival KRX (formerly DRX) on Sunday, May 3 at 4 p.m.