Paper Rex took down Wolves Esports 2-0, which makes them the first grand finalist at Masters Toronto, and they will face the winner of FNATIC vs Wolves.
CANADA — Paper Rex are the first team to qualify for the grand finals of VCT Masters Toronto. The top four bracket commenced with the upper final matchup between PRX and Wolves Esports. Both teams had been undefeated in the playoffs so far, with PRX shutting down Sentinels and G2 Esports while Wolves took down RRQ and Gen.G en route. The map veto say Paper Rex pick their favorite Lotus, while Wolves leaned into their defense-heavy Ascent composition, with the decider being Split.
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Lotus ends up an overtime thriller despite being Paper Rex’s pick
The series commenced on Lotus, with Wolves finding a 4-1 start on their attacking side. Post a timeout, Paper Rex found some stability with three round wins in a row, with the half eventually ending in a 7-5 in Wolves’ favor. Post the side-swap, though, PRX’s double duelist comp found much more success, netting four rounds in a row to take the lead. The Chinese representatives countered with another four rounds of their own to bring the score to 11-9 in their favor. A massive 3K from f0rsakeN and the following score tied things up again, until a well-defended KJ ult brought Wolves to match point.
Paper Rex were able to push the map to overtime and then win the map 14-12. The MVP for the map was d4v41 on Vyse, who got his first ace on the international stage today. Jinggg, f0rsakeN, and d4v41 all crossed the 220 ACS/20 kills mark.
Ascent started slow but picked up pace quickly for PRX
The second map, Ascent, saw PRX start on defense with a double initiator/controller comp against Wolves’ Cypher/Deadlock pick. Once again, Wolves started strong with a 4-1 lead, but PRX found their footing and with a 4K clutch from PatMen, started their win streak. They continued their strong defensive showcase, eventually locking Wolves out of the rest of the half, ending it 8-4 in their favor.
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On attack, despite the double sentinel comp, Wolves struggled to hold back PRX’s momentum, as they won their second pistol of the day, converting this into a 12-5 lead. Wolves showed glimmers of a comeback as they won three rounds in a row but a thrifty would be the final death knell in the team’s coffin, as Paper Rex took Ascent 13-8 and the series 2-0.
The MVP for PRX on Ascent was something, who had five first kills and went +8 in terms of kill differential. The scoreboard at the end of the series had four of PRX’s members crossing the 200 ACS mark and going positive in terms of K/D, with both something and f0rsakeN having eight first kills each.
This is Paper Rex’s third international grand final, since their first at Masters Copenhagen vs FPX and second at Champions LA vs Evil Geniuses. “I think we have more experience now, so hopefully the third time is the charm,” said Jinggg.
Paper Rex will play in Sunday’s grand final of the Masters Toronto against the winner of FNATIC and Wolves.
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Cover photo courtesy of Stefan Wisnoski/Riot Games
