Masters Toronto champion Paper Rex and VCT Pacific teammate Nongshim RedForce both won their opening playoff matches, sending FURIA and Gentle Mates to the lower bracket.
PACIFIC POWER SHOW UP IN SANTIAGO
VALORANT Masters Santiago has entered its Playoffs stage, and VCT Pacific wasted no time making a statement. Both Paper Rex and Nongshim RedForce secured upper bracket victories on the opening day, establishing Pacific as the region to beat at this tournament. The results send a clear message: the dominant form that carried Paper Rex to the Masters Toronto title has not faded heading into Santiago.
Paper Rex, who arrived in Chile as the most decorated team in recent VCT international history, dispatched Americas representative FURIA in their opening playoff match. The win was a direct denial of what would have been a significant upset — FURIA had shown flashes of brilliance in the Swiss stage but could not convert when it mattered most against the seasoned Pacific squad.
FURIA AND GENTLE MATES DROP TO LOWER BRACKET
FURIA's loss marks a frustrating start for the Americas region in Santiago's Playoffs. The Brazilian-heavy roster had the crowd and momentum behind them, but Paper Rex's disciplined structure and star-level individual performances proved too much to overcome in the upper bracket opener. FURIA now faces an immediate elimination threat in the lower bracket, where one more loss ends their tournament.
In the second playoff match, Nongshim RedForce dismantled EMEA's Gentle Mates, compounding a rough opening day for the European representatives. Gentle Mates, who have been building momentum on the international stage, were unable to match RedForce's pace and coordination. Both eliminated-to-lower-bracket teams will need rapid adjustments if they intend to fight back through what is historically a grueling lower bracket gauntlet at Masters events. You can follow all the latest results from Santiago on our [MATCHES_LINK] page.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE BRACKET
With Paper Rex and Nongshim RedForce advancing to the upper bracket semifinals, the Pacific region now holds a commanding position in the Masters Santiago [EVENTS_LINK] structure. Should both teams continue winning, a potential all-Pacific upper bracket final becomes a realistic scenario — something that would further validate the region's recent international dominance.
For the rest of the field, the path to a championship just got narrower. FURIA and Gentle Mates must now navigate a brutal lower bracket run against opponents who are equally desperate to stay alive. Paper Rex's performance will be particularly scrutinized as tournament play progresses — the defending Masters Toronto champions are chasing back-to-back titles, a feat that would cement their legacy as [PRX_LINK] arguably the greatest VALORANT team of the modern era. All eyes now turn to the next round of playoff matches as Santiago builds toward its grand final.