Top three at VCT Pacific Stage 2 Playoffs
SOUTH KOREA — The dust has settled as the VCT Pacific Stage 2 playoffs narrow down to three remaining teams, and in an inversion of Kickoff where the top three were Korean, this time, the top three are all Southeast Asian teams. Paper Rex, TALON Esports, and RRQ are the three teams who will be taking the stage in Tokyo to decide who will be the winner of VCT Pacific Stage 2, as well as who gets the final slot at Champions.
The Road to Champions Paris
The first team to make it to VALORANT Champions 2025 in Paris this year was Paper Rex, after they scored enough Championship points thanks to their flawless playoff run so far. The second was T1, also off the back of circuit points thanks to Paper Rex beating TALON in the upper final, and their own win over Nongshim RedForce. The third confirmed team is RRQ, who have been blazing their way through the lower bracket, finally defeating DRX to cement a guaranteed top-three finish as well as a coveted Champions slot.
Paper Rex: A Clear Favorite
The dino gang, still riding high off their win at Masters Toronto, only dropped one group stage series to ZETA and none in the playoffs. They found clean 2-0 wins over both T1 and Talon to be the first grand finalists of VCT Pacific Stage 2, as well as lock in their spot at Champions Paris thanks to their win over T1. They have looked incredibly consistent, being able to deal with a changing meta and map pool with style, and even have a new mascot called Bok.
Their journey this year was not easy, with them missing out on their first international since 2021’s Masters Reykjavik. They also barely qualified for the playoffs in Stage 1 but started hitting their stride with a third-place finish at the playoffs, qualifying them as the last team at Masters Toronto. PRX blazed through the event, lifting their first international trophy with just one Swiss Stage loss to Gen G. They look to be carrying the same momentum through to Champions, and if they can win it, they’ll be the first ever team to win a Masters and Champions in the same year.
TALON: The Flight Club spread their wings
TALON, with the exception of Kickoff 2023, has qualified for the playoffs of every VCT Pacific event, but has not lifted a trophy yet. With their Champions’ chances being decided by this event, the team had to play a lights-out tournament and become a grand finalist, if not outright win it. This year saw them failing to qualify for both Bangkok and Toronto, so it was a high priority for the team to qualify for the final and biggest event of the year.
After a 3-2 group stage, TALON faced off against Nongshim RedForce in the first game, before facing DRX, a team they had never defeated in VCT history. Despite losing the first match, TALON were able to bring it back and reverse sweep the series. They faced off against Paper Rex for a grand finals spot, but lost 2-0. They will face off against RRQ in the lower final in Tokyo, where, if they win, they’ll get to head to Paris, otherwise, it will be DRX taking the final Champions slot.
RRQ: Game by game, brick by brick
RRQ have had an interesting year so far. During Kickoff, they placed top eight and weren’t able to make it to Masters Bangkok. Despite this setback, they dominated Stage 1, eventually winning the whole event and locking themselves in as first seed for Masters Toronto. They were able to skip battling through the group stage, but faced Wolves Esports and FNATIC before being eliminated in the playoffs.
During Stage 2, the team had a 3-2 record during the group stage that qualified them for the playoffs. Their opening game was against T1, where unfortunately they were sent down to the lower bracket. Their next three games had them facing three Korean teams in a row, two of which had Masters trophies. They beat Gen G. after a thrilling comeback from a 2-10 deficit on map two after losing map one.
RRQ carried this momentum forward into their next game against DRX, where the winner would achieve qualification for Paris. They found a 2-0 win and moved on in the lower bracket to face a rematch against T1, to decide which team would get a ticket to Tokyo to play in the playoff finals. They beat them in a close-fought series with xffero’s Cypher topping the kill board.
Stage 2 Playoffs Finals: A Tokyo Showdown
The three remaining teams will duke it out in Tokyo. While PRX has already qualified for the grand finals, the second slot will be fought over by TALON and RRQ. For TALON, they have a chance at claiming that final Champions berth from Pacific – all they need to do is beat RRQ. However, if they lose, the spot will go to DRX, so a lot is at stake for them. While Champions is yet to be completely locked in, for this VCT Pacific Playoff, it’s Southeast Asia on top.
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Cover photo courtesy of VCT Pacific
