NRG vs Paper Rex Result VCT Masters Santiago 2026

Paper Rex defeated NRG Esports 3-1 on March 15, 2026, in the Lower Bracket Final of VCT Masters Santiago 2026. Paper Rex advance to the Grand Final to face Nongshim RedForce. NRG are eliminated from the tournament. VCT Masters Santiago 2026 is the first international Valorant event of the 2026 season, held at Espacio Riesco in Santiago, Chile, with a $1,000,000 prize pool. The Lower Bracket Final was a Best-of-5. Map 1 — Pearl (NRG pick): NRG came out strong on their map pick, winning 13-8 behind a disciplined defensive performance. Pearl had been NRG's most reliable map throughout the tournament and they delivered again — taking the early series lead. Map 2 — Split (PRX pick): Paper Rex leveled the series on their own map pick, winning 13-7. The standout moment was something's 9 Operator kills — a dominant individual performance that gave PRX complete control of the map from the mid-game onwards. Something finished Map 2 with 21 kills and a 295 ACS — the highest single-map output of the series. Map 3 — Corrode: Paper Rex took the series lead with a 13-6 win, dominating the second half of the map. NRG had no answer for PRX's aggressive pace on Corrode — after winning Pearl cleanly, they found themselves down 2-1 with their backs against the wall. Map 4 — Breeze: NRG mounted a comeback attempt but Paper Rex held firm, closing out 13-9 to win the series 3-1 and book their Grand Final spot. PRX's composure in the final map — converting their series lead without allowing NRG to force a Map 5 — was a sign of a team with genuine Grand Final quality. Key performers: skuba finished with a match-high 69 kills and a 1.15 rating for NRG despite the loss — the best individual output of the series on either side. Something delivered the defining performance of the match with 21 kills and 295 ACS on Split. Invy led PRX with a 1.12 rating across all 4 maps. Head-to-head: Paper Rex now lead NRG 2-1 in their all-time series record at Masters Santiago 2026. PRX won the Swiss Stage 2-1, NRG won the Upper Semifinals 2-0, and PRX won the Lower Bracket Final 3-1 — the deciding match in the trilogy. EsportScanner AI gave NRG a 52% win probability entering this match based on their playoff map win rate and Pearl dominance. PRX's something proved the difference. What Decided It Something's Operator on Split 9 Operator kills and 21 kills total on Map 2 was the turning point of the entire series. NRG had won Map 1 and were in a strong position to go 2-0 up — something's individual performance on Split completely reversed the momentum and gave PRX the platform to take Maps 3 and 4. PRX's Corrode dominance Winning Corrode 13-6 in Map 3 was the nail in the coffin. After losing Split, NRG needed to win Corrode to retake the series lead — instead PRX ran away with it in the second half, leaving NRG with too much ground to recover on Breeze. Make your prediction on EsportScanner and earn Scanner Points.