something lands at #2 at the VALO2ASIA Awards 2025
Paper Rex’s star duelist rebounds from last year’s dip, mastering Yoru and delivering a Finals MVP run to power PRX’s VCT Pacific Stage 2 title.
The VALO2ASIA Awards 2025 is brought to you by Pulsar Gaming Gears.
RUSSIA – Ilia "something" Petrov has claimed the No. 2 spot in the VALO2ASIA Awards 2025 rankings, cementing another year where he stood as one of Paper Rex’s biggest win conditions and one of the most feared duelists in the region.
The placement keeps something firmly in the top tier of the Top 20 list after sliding to 14th last year, a drop that largely reflected Paper Rex’s overall form and his individual performance.
In 2025, something reshaped his identity as a player. After a slower start while transitioning from Jett and putting real time into Yoru, something closed the year looking like one of the best Yoru users in the scene while continuing to be a constant Operator threat, a weapon he has always been able to abuse in the best way, holding space and anchoring sites with the kind of confidence that forces teams to respect him even when he is alone.
More than anything, 2025 was about adaptation. Something was willing to do whatever the team needed, even if it meant stepping outside his comfort zone. The infamous 1/15 Brimstone on Fracture still gets brought up, as he was experimenting, learning, and building tools for the long run. For a superstar, that willingness to take the ugly games as part of the process is often what separates a highlight player from a title-winning one.
That work paid off when Paper Rex hit their stride. PRX went on to win VALORANT Masters Toronto and VCT Pacific Stage 2, with something delivering on the biggest stage and earning the Finals MVP in Tokyo. He walked away with the 24K gold keyboard from Pulsar, a functional trophy that doubled as a perfect symbol of his year: flashy, rare, and earned through performance.
And of course, when something is making plays, it usually turns into a clip. His mechanics are still the headline, the kind of raw skill that makes difficult rounds look effortless. But with another year of reps and the added layer of experience, his ceiling now shows up more consistently when the pressure is highest.
Placement over the years
- 2021: -
- 2022: -
- 2023: #3
- 2024: #14
- 2025: #2
Comment from judge(s):
Clinton "Paperthin" Bader: “When something is at his best, few can stop him. One of, if not THE, best OPers on the planet, when he is in the zone, he can single handedly win 4, 5, 6 rounds in a row for a team. Few have the ability to take over a game like he can.”
William "Chobra" Cho: “Everyone deserves their flowers on PRX, but without something's ability to pick up AND master Yoru, I don't think we would have even seen a glimpse of the 2025 PRX”
Jiwarin "Aoeyjiwa" Thongklung: “For me, something’s rise in 2025 goes beyond stats and trophies. What truly impressed me was his adaptability, his synergy with the team, and the raw talent he brings to every match. He’s redefined what it means to be a Duelist in APAC not just through numbers, but through the way he influences the game itself. He’s not just one of the best in the region, he represents how far our scene has come.”
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Cover photo courtesy of Eric Ananmalay/Riot Games