Paper Rex downs FURIA in three-map battle

Paper Rex Paper Rex Asia-Pacific Rank #1 invy Adrian Jiggs Reyes Jinggg Wang Jing Jie f0rsakeN Jason Susanto d4v41 Khalish Rusyaidee something Ilya Petrov has defeated FURIA FURIA Brazil Rank #7 nerve Michael Yerrow artzin Arthur Araujo eeiu Daniel Vucenovic koalanoob Gianfranco Potestio alym Torogul Baidyldaev 2-1 to start the VCT Masters Santiago Playoffs, remaining perfect in Chile following a 2-0 Swiss Stage.

The series was played out on PRX's pick of Haven, FURIA's pick of Breeze, and the decider map of Split. The teams stole each other's map picks, with FURIA winning Haven 13-9, PRX winning Breeze 13-4, and PRX winning Split 13-7.

Haven has been a staple in PRX's map pool throughout the past few months, with a reinvented and off-meta Yoru-Phoenix comp working wonders, resulting in a 4-0 record on the map. PRX started the map by winning the first of six pistol rounds in the series, claiming five of the first six rounds in the half but entering halftime tied 6-6 thanks to FURIA playing around the aggression.

After winning the pistol to start its defense half, PRX began to falter. After winning an eco round on a force buy of two Outlaws, FURIA exposed gaps in the PRX defense, weaving through and around the three-site map. FURIA attacked with a strong sense of togetherness, leaving anchoring PRX players on an island at times.

After suffering its first map loss of the event, PRX was tasked with picking off its opponent's map pick to bring the series back. The map of choice, Breeze, was one that PRX had solid reps on to start the year. The team entered the match 3-2 on the map in 2026, with a Yoru-Jett, Omen-Viper comp. Meanwhile, FURIA was 2-1 on the map, with wins over KRÜ Esports KRÜ Esports Latin America South Rank #1 saadhak Matias Delipetro mwzera Leonardo Serrati silentzz Caio Morita Less Felipe de Loyola Basso Dantedeu5 Jesús Federico Larrosa and Sentinels Sentinels North America Rank #6 Reduxx Yassin Aboulalazm Jerrwin Gurjiwan Gill Victor Victor Wong stand-in johnqt Mohamed Amine Ouarid cortezia Gabriel Cortez JonahP Jonah Pulice , but a 13-2 loss to MIBR MIBR Brazil Rank #4 zekken Zachary Patrone tex Ian Botsch Mazino Roberto Rivas Verno Andrew Maust aspas Erick Santos .

PRX continued its pistol round dominance to start the series, and after a slide of three FURIA rounds, went on a roll on defense. Slower FURIA executes were punished by PRX, with raw aim and technical prowess giving PRX the upper hand on the peeking FURIA players, leading to man advantages and passive map control. Even when it seemed like FURIA had the rounds won, moments of heroics put wind in the PRX sails.

PRX won seven straight rounds to end its defense half, and after winning the pistol round to start attack, only dropped its bonus before stealing FURIA's map pick 13-4.

The series then moved to Split, yet another map that PRX has had success on this year. The team has been 4-1 on the map to start the year, while FURIA was 3-0. Both teams used similar comps, with the meta Omen-Viper-Fade trio. On the Duelist front, PRX went with Yoru-Raze, while FURIA went with Waylay-Yoru.

FURIA started on attack, and immediately, the match promised chaos. FURIA played with almost PRX-like aggression, shoving forward with veteran Initiator player eeiu leading the way. Despite the stark disadvantage in pistol rounds, FURIA bounced back. After going 1-1 in the two rounds following the pistol round, the multinational squad went on a seven-round winning streak, sealing a halftime lead of 7-5.

On attack, FURIA had no answers whatsoever for PRX. PRX owned a 5-3 advantage in first bloods in the half, but the magic of map one seemed to have long faded for FURIA. Eight straight PRX rounds closed out the map and the series, with a combined 11 rounds dropped through the final two maps to help PRX enter the Upper Semifinals with momentum.

The match marked FURIA's debut in a Masters event following an impressive 4-0 run at Americas Kickoff, which saw the new-look squad capture wins over G2 Esports G2 Esports North America Rank #2 jawgemo Alexander Mor BABYBAY Andrej Francisty trent Trent Cairns valyn Jacob Batio leaf Nathan Orf and MIBR. In the losing effort, experience appeared to carry weight, as eeiu , arguably the player with the most experience on such a stage, had a team-high 56 kills.

For Paper Rex, the series marked the start of a playoff run with high hopes. Last year, at Masters Toronto, the squad looked borderline unstoppable, going undefeated in their run to the grand final, where they lifted their first-ever international trophy after dropping just two maps throughout the entire bracket. something and d4v41 were the standout players for PRX in the win, putting up 56 and 57 kills respectively to lead the team.