Paper Rex Knocked out of VCT Champions 2022 by Team Liquid
Paper Rex, the second-place finishers at the recent VALORANT tournament, Masters Copenhagen, have been eliminated from VCT Champions 2022 by Team Liquid.
The EMEA team secured the last qualification spot for the tournament through their region’s Last Chance Qualifier. This gave them less time to prepare, especially on the new map, Pearl. However, Team Liquid won the match 2-1, eliminating the SEA team from Champions.
Team Liquid showcased exceptional teamwork on Haven. In addition to Elias “Jamppi” Olkkonen’s impressive 29 kills, the EMEA team displayed a seamless coordination. Each team member contributed equally, and no round relied solely on one player’s performance. Although Paper Rex showed signs of a potential comeback during overtime, Liquid ultimately secured the map victory after an error from Aaron “mindfreak” Leonhart.
The Pearl map favored Paper Rex, as it was their selection. This gave them an advantage over Liquid, who likely had limited practice on the map between the EMEA Last Chance Qualifier and the start of Champions. Paper Rex dominated the map with a 12-4 score, leading to a deciding third map on Ascent.
Ascent started well for Paper Rex, but they began to struggle after the second round. Team Liquid capitalized on this opportunity, winning eight consecutive rounds and securing an 8-4 lead by halftime. Although Paper Rex made a partial recovery, it wasn’t enough to break their second-place curse.
Paper Rex is renowned in the VALORANT esports community, largely due to Benedict “Benkai” Tan’s entertaining antics. These include making a sandwich during a press conference, wearing a dinosaur costume on stage, and appearing as if he just rolled out of bed. Unfortunately, their loss to Liquid means they will miss out on the Champions playoffs.
Team Liquid will now face NA’s OpTic Gaming in a classic NA vs. EU matchup in the first round of the playoffs. The match is scheduled for September 10.
Paper Rex, VCT Champions 2022, Team Liquid, VALORANT esports, VALORANT tournament, Masters Copenhagen