Latest news with #VCTMasters
The Star
25-06-2025
- Sport
- The Star
E-sports team Paper Rex's triumph at Valorant Masters a major win for Singapore, South-East Asia
(From left) Patrick "PatMen" Mendoza, Khalish "d4v41" Rusyaide, Wang "Jinggg" Jing Jie and Ilia 'something' Petrov celebrating with the VCT Masters trophy. - RIOT GAMES SINGAPORE: After a series of near-misses, Singapore-based e-sports team Paper Rex finally ended their wait for a major international trophy. The team of mostly South-East Asian (SEA) players emerged victorious in the grand final of Valorant Masters Toronto, beating the formidable Fnatic 3-1 at the Enercare Centre on June 22 to claim the US$350,000 top prize. London-based team Fnatic, the 2023 Masters winners, had fought their way through the losers' bracket and put up a formidable challenge in the best-of-five final, before losing the tense 4½-hour battle in the popular first-person shooter video game. Wang 'Jinggg' Jing Jie, the only Singaporean player on the Paper Rex roster, could barely contain his delight after securing the long-awaited victory to make up for the disappointment of losing in the grand final of the 2023 Valorant Champions. The Champions tournament is a higher tier than Masters competitions. Said the 21-year-old: 'It's surreal. The feeling is just setting in. I'm proud of myself and my team. I'm happy to be able to represent not just my country but also fly all the flags of our home SEA region.' While Paper Rex are based in Singapore, their players come mainly from around the region. Besides Russian Ilia 'something' Petrov, the other members are Indonesians Aaron 'mindfreak' Leonhart and Jason 'f0rsakeN' Susanto; Malaysian Khalish 'd4v41' Rusyaidee; and Patrick 'PatMen' Mendoza from the Philippines. In the first-round group stage, Paper Rex beat Team Heretics of Spain 2-0 but lost 2-0 to North American side Gen.G Esports. With their campaign on the line, they mustered a 2-1 victory over Team Liquid of the Netherlands to seal one of the four spots in the next round. Pitted against winners from the four international leagues – North and South America; Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; the Pacific (Japan, South Korea, and India); and China – in the eight-team, double-elimination play-offs, Paper Rex went unbeaten into the grand final. The won all their best-of-three matches 2-0 – beating North America's G2 Esports, Sentinels of the United States before overcoming Wolves Esports, the e-sports team of English Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers. Paper Rex coach Alexandre 'alecks' Salle was filled with 'a sense of relief, mostly'. 'I don't think I could stomach (another) loss,' said Salle, referring to their near misses, including finishing fifth/sixth at the 2024 Valorant Masters Shanghai and third at the Valorant Masters Tokyo in 2023. 'I'm sure it will dawn on me eventually that we've achieved one of our goals.' The 35-year-old Frenchman and Singapore permanent resident paid tribute to the immense support from their fans in the region 'which drives us forward'. Besides the support, he also attributed their victory to 'a holistic approach to player training and development'. Salle said: 'We have a performance coach and watch what we eat. I think we found a balance that worked for us. I think this is a sign that perhaps e-sports is maturing into a professional athletic sport.' Paper Rex chief creative officer Gad Tan added: 'E-sports players by nature sleep late, wake up late, have irregular eating habits (and) don't get fresh air much. The performance coach helps (them) develop a sense of mindfulness about themselves and approach a work day with better energy.' With the trophy in hand, Paper Rex are looking forward to their next assignment – Stage 2 of the Valorant Pacific League in Seoul from July 15 to Aug 31. Their ultimate goal will be to qualify and making a deep run at the Sept 12-Oct 5 Valorant Champions in Paris. - The Straits Times/ANN
Straits Times
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Paper Rex's triumph at Valorant Masters a major win for Singapore & South-east Asia
(from left) Patrick "PatMen" Mendoza, Khalish "d4v41" Rusyaide, Wang "Jinggg" Jing Jie and Ilia 'something' Petrov celebrating with the VCT Masters trophy. PHOTO: RIOT GAMES SINGAPORE – After a series of near-misses, Singapore-based e-sports team Paper Rex finally ended their wait for a major international trophy. The team of mostly South-east Asian (SEA) players emerged victorious in the grand final of Valorant Masters Toronto, beating formidable Fnatic 3-1 at the Enercare Centre on June 23 to claim the US$350,000 (S$448,000) top prize. London-based team Fnatic, the 2023 champions, had fought their way through the losers' bracket and put up a formidable challenge in the best-of-five final before losing the tense 4½-hour battle in the popular first-person shooter video game. Wang 'Jinggg' Jing Jie, th e only Singaporean player on the Paper Rex roster, could barely contain his delight after securing the long-awaited victory to make up for the disappointment of losing in the grand final of the Valorant Champions in 2023. Said the 21-year-old: 'It's surreal. The feeling is just setting in. I'm proud of myself and my team. I'm happy to be able to represent not just my country but also fly all the flags of our home SEA region.' While Paper Rex are based in Singapore, their players come mainly from around the region. Besides Russian Ilia 'something' Petrov, the other members are Indonesians Aaron 'Mindfreak' Leonhart and Jason 'f0rsakeN' Susanto; Malaysian Khalish 'd4v41' Rusyaide; and Patrick 'PatMen' Mendoza from the Philippines. Wang 'Jinggg' Jing Jie (second from left) is the only Singaporean player on Paper Rex's roster. PHOTO: RIOT GAMES In the first-round group stage, Paper Rex beat Team Heretics of Spain 2-0 but lost 2-0 to North American side Gen.G Esports. With their campaign on the line, they mustered a 2-1 victory over Team Liquid of the Netherlands to seal one of the four spots in the next round. Pitted against winners from the four international leagues – North and South America; Europe, Middle East, and Africa; the Pacific (Japan, Korea, and India); and China – in the eight-team, double-elimination play-offs, Paper Rex went unbeaten into the grand final. The won all their best-of-three matches 2-0 – beating North America's G2 Esports, Sentinels of the United States before overcoming Wolves Esports, the e-sports team of English Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers. Paper Rex coach Alexandre 'Alecks' Salle was filled with 'a sense of relief mostly'. 'I don't think I could stomach (another) loss,' said Salle, referring to their near misses, including finishing fifth/sixth at the 2 024 Valorant Masters Shanghai and third at the Valorant Masters Tokyo in 2023. 'I'm sure it will dawn on me eventually that we've achieved one of our goals.' The 35-year-old Singapore permanent resident paid tribute to the immense support from their fans in the region, 'which drives us forward'. Besides the support, he also attributed their victory to 'a holistic approach to player training and development'. Salle said: 'We have a performance coach and watch what we eat. I think we found a balance that worked for us. I think this is a sign that perhaps e-sports is maturing into a professional athletic sport.' Paper Rex chief creative officer Gad Tan added, saying: 'E-sports players by nature sleep late, wake up late, have irregular eating habits (and) don't get fresh air much. 'The performance coach helps (them) develop a sense of mindfulness about themselves and approach a work day with better energy.' With the trophy in hand, Paper Rex are looking forward to their next assignment – Stage 2 of the Valorant Pacific League in Seoul from July 15 to Aug 31 . Their ultimate goal will be to qualify and making a deep run at the Sept 12-Oct 5 Valo rant Champions in Paris . Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Time Business News
26-05-2025
- Time Business News
Valorant Esports Draft Strategies Enhanced by Meta Predictions
Who is on the team and who isn't often determines the outcome of a match even before it begins. While the players are executing the plays, those in the editing room are making the blueprints and directing them. Now, esports analysts look to the future and make expert predictions, not just provide observations. Because the meta changes fast, strategies around choosing agents, picking maps, and deciding who to face change, too. Experts are now being put in the spotlight for shaping results with data in Valorant Esports. Experts have already predicted the strategies and agents that might be banned before the opening pistol round. Predictions from meta give structure to team strategy and help them gain an advantage before a game. Analysts invest a lot of time creating tier lists that evaluate an agent's usefulness, success rate, and connections to specific maps. Building a draft plan often begins by studying the rankings. Once Killjoy starts being a strong character after the patch in many regions, her name is often seen at the top of ban lists, or she is picked for nearly every game. Using these insights, Valorant teams try to ensure that their lineup includes a variety of players. A poor draft means that a team misses out on area control, the ability to make an entry frag, or clutching achievements. No sooner than a meta changes, meta-analysts revise their list, and experts adjust it more quickly than fans notice. It is not always easy for strategies to work in every part of the world. Teams from the Americas may choose a much more direct approach with duelists, but groups from the Pacific might prefer to use controllers with greater discipline. Analysts now create draft models specifically suited to each region. Learning about how different sections work helps teams overcome their rivals from other countries. These preferences are observed by tracking match replays, popular agent selections, and how well players use these agents. A granular system matters most during big tournaments, for example, VCT Masters or Champions, in Valorant Esports. Planning strategies now revolve around effectively using data. They use modeling tools to test different groups of agents against data on past matches. For example, if many opponents are choosing Omen and Fade at Haven, the analyst may advise selecting Breach or Skye to break up their game plan. Thanks to heatmaps, round win percentages, and how often games are played, making these judgments is possible. With predictive software, you can expect not only what the opposing team will do but also what drives those choices. As a result, this method of planning helps top and prepared teams succeed in Valorant Esports. A strategy is effective only if it's suitable for the players' skills and team personality. The draft is prepared by analysts with close input from the coaching team. Even though supers like Iso may look great, some teams prefer a different kind of agent that suits their teamwork. Together, coaching and analytics give athletes the confidence they need during stressful decisions. A few organizations put analysts into scrims and watch pre-recorded matches, making changes to the team's strategies during the game. Good teamwork is key in those intercontinental games since the draft determines the mood of the encounter. While tournaments go on, the meta changes. Assets in threats are arranged in creative ways, requiring analysts to respond without much time to prepare. An example is when Yoru dominates the beginning of a match, which can force your team to revise tactics for the rest of the day. Esports analysts now have to respond quicker than ever before. They compare statistics from the team games and modify the team order before the playoffs. Because real-time processing is used, the strategies update as competition continues. People succeed in Valorant Esports because they are fast to react and adjust. Nowadays, several teams try to determine if a new member knows the main strategies for winning. Scouts check players out, and then analysts attempt to picture how they fit into the team. If a duelist can't handle playing different maps, they are unlikely to play a role in a reliable international team. Long-term flexibility is a main goal for Valorant Esports organizations. A good mechanic in a game may lose to somebody with little mechanical skill but strong strategic knowledge. The close relationship between skill and strategy determines draft consistency. Modern Valorant analysts go beyond just crunching numbers—they also predict, influence, and strengthen valuable strategies before players start playing the match. Having meta predictions is no longer a luxury—it's essential. As team approaches and how agents fare continue to develop, top teams are counting on their analysts more than ever to stay successful in Valorant Esports. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
