Nongshim RedForce beat Paper Rex to win VCT Masters Santiago
The Ascension side’s meteoric rise has now culminated in their first international title, securing Pacific its fourth Masters trophy in a row.
CHILE – Nongshim RedForce have emerged victorious at VALORANT Masters Santiago, claiming the Korean organization’s first-ever international trophy and capping off an incredible rise from Premier to the top of the world. They defeated Paper Rex 3-0 in the grand finals (Corrode 13-11, Split 13-4, Abyss 13-3), extending an undefeated streak that has remained intact since October 2025, spanning Ascension, the regional league, and now the international stage.
Coming into Santiago, Nongshim RedForce held the advantage of entering as the first seed from VCT Pacific, allowing them to skip the entire group stage and begin directly in the playoffs. While many viewed that as a clear benefit, others argued it could also be a disadvantage, with some teams in the past struggling due to lack of match warmup, jet lag, and the challenge of facing unfamiliar opponents right away. Those concerns felt even more relevant for Nongshim RedForce, with Goo “Rb” Sang-min standing as the roster’s only player with prior international experience, while the rest of the lineup and coaching staff were making their debut on the global stage.
Nongshim RedForce quickly put those doubts to rest. The former Ascension squad had already built a strong reputation among teams and players alike, many of whom spoke highly of the roster during the press conference and especially to Lee “Dambi” Hyuk-kyu, the spearhead of their aggressive identity and unique Neon playstyle. We covered more on Nongshim RedForce in our Santiago preview article.
Victories over Gentle Mates, G2 Esports, and NRG Esports were enough to send them to the grand finals, which they reached after just three matches through the upper bracket. In the end, the limited footage available for opponents to study seemed to work in their favor more than the lack of stage time hurt them.
For Paper Rex, the road to the grand finals was far more demanding. Entering as the third seed from Pacific, they had to battle through both the group stage and playoffs. In total, they played six of their seven matches in Santiago against VCT Americas teams: FURIA once, G2 Esports twice, and NRG three times, with the only exceptions being All Gamers and, ultimately, Nongshim RedForce in the grand finals.
The matchup itself carried extra intrigue, as it marked the first-ever meeting between Nongshim RedForce and Paper Rex despite both teams spending the entire 2025 season in the VCT Pacific League. The triple-elimination Kickoff event earlier this year never produced a clash between the two aggressive squads, and the same held true in Santiago, with NS staying in the upper bracket while PRX battled through the lower side. That finally changed when the two Pacific teams met for the first time on the biggest stage possible: an international grand final that, in many ways, felt like a regional derby. Similar, yet different. Different, yet similar.
Nongshim RedForce looked sharp and fully in control against a Paper Rex side that thrives in a similar brand of chaos. From Corrode onward, every player on NS showed they could take over rounds, and that influence carried across all three maps. In the grand finals, it was Jung “Xross” Hwan who stood out the most, finishing the series with a 1.57 VLR rating, 280 ACS, and a +32 kill differential. Despite being both the newest and youngest member of the roster, Xross showed he could stand toe-to-toe with the very best, delivering crucial impact on Fade and Sova with multi-kill rounds and important picks against the Masters Toronto champions.
Dambi remained the foundation of Nongshim’s approach, with the rest of the roster constantly ready to capitalize on the chaos he created through off-angles and limited-vision fights. The Neon specialist also took home the MVP bracelet, with the award decided by a panel of talent, co-streamers, and media. VALO2ASIA was proud to be part of that process.
Watch the post-grand finals press conference featuring the full Nongshim RedForce roster, who attended a 44-minute Q\&A session with the press at VCT Masters Santiago, with English translation available throughout.
Paper Rex also appeared in the post-match loser press conference, where the team spoke about what went wrong and delivered their final parting words after their Santiago campaign came to an end.
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