Paper Rex Send NRG Packing at VALORANT Masters Santiago

The penultimate day of VALORANT Masters Santiago delivered heartbreak for the Americas as NRG were eliminated from the tournament, falling 3-1 to Paper Rex in the Lower Bracket Finals. In what was the third meeting between the two sides at this event, the Princes of Pacific settled the unofficial series in their favour and booked their ticket to the grand finals.

Quick Match Recap

NRG came out swinging to open the series on Pearl, exposing Paper Rex's notorious slow starts once again. The American side put on a commanding defensive display on their map choice, closing it out convincingly at 13-8.

Split was where everything changed. Paper Rex flipped the switch, delivering a dominant performance on both sides of the map and leaving NRG completely without answers. A clinical 13-7 victory levelled the series before PRX carried that momentum into Corrode. Despite NRG mounting a first-half fight-back, Paper Rex shut them down entirely in the second half, sealing a 13-6 win to go up 2-1.

Breeze told a similar story. PRX stormed out to a 9-3 lead on the attack side, before briefly letting NRG claw back to 9-12. But PRX steadied the ship and closed out 13-9, winning the series 3-1.

Map Pool Woes Finally Catch Up to NRG

As highlighted by casters and analysts before the match, NRG's limited map pool ultimately proved fatal. Outside of Pearl, they looked like a shadow of the reigning world champions they are. Paper Rex, placed in the lower bracket by NRG themselves earlier in the tournament, had clearly done their homework.

The loss shatters several historic ambitions. NRG were chasing back-to-back international titles — only second in VALORANT history. IGL Ethan was on the cusp of becoming the first player to hold two Champions and a Master trophy, while newcomer Keiko was hunting his maiden international title.

Meanwhile, Paper Rex's own historic dream lives on. Having won Masters Toronto in 2025, they now stand one series away from becoming the first back-to-back Masters champions, with Nongshim RedForce standing in their way.

Follow Strafe Esports for the latest VALORANT news and our X account for the latest content and coverage. Also, stay tuned to Strafe's channel on YouTube for exclusive interviews, press conferences, and more.

Featured Image Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games