VALORANT Champions: Paper Rex, DRX survive in lower bracket

Paper Rex (PRX) and DRX kept the Pacific region alive at VALORANT Champions 2025, winning back-to-back elimination series in Paris to set up a lower-bracket semifinal clash on Friday, October 3.

Paper Rex outlasted Team Heretics 2-1 in a series full of momentum swings.

PRX opened with a 13-11 win on Ascent behind clutch calling from Khalish “d4v41” Rusyaidee and a late ace from Jason “f0rsakeN” Susanto.

Heretics punched back on Bind, 13-9, fueled by multiple thrifty rounds and a decisive 1v1 from Mert “Wo0t” Alkan to level the match.

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  Fast Payouts

On Lotus, PRX erased the ghosts of their earlier collapse against Fnatic and slammed the door 13-4, stringing together a dominant 8-4 half and converting the second-half pistol to run away with it.

F0rsakeN led the way across the series (1.22 rating, 53 kills), while Patrick “PatMen” Mendoza’s impact rounds steadied PRX at key inflection points.

DRX then eliminated MIBR in a gritty VALORANT series to cap off the action.

After sprinting to a 9-3 defensive half on Sunset, DRX stalled on attack and dropped the opener 10-13 as Erick “aspas” Santos powered a Brazilian comeback.

DRX responded on Ascent, leaning on Kang “BeYN” Ha-bin, No “freeing” Ha-jun, and Cho “Flashback” Min-hyuk to edge a double-overtime thriller 15-13.

Bind became the decider and DRX’s cleanest map.

A proactive defense around Flashback’s Operator set the tone, MaKo closed late post-plants, and DRX finished the series with a 13-10 win, despite another huge series from aspas (76 kills).

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  The bookies' bookie

What’s next at VALORANT Champions 2025

VALORANT Champions Paris will move into Accor Arena, with the final four series set to take place across Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

• Lower-bracket semifinal: PRX vs DRX — One will keep the Pacific dream alive; the other goes home. Expect Paper Rex’s high-tempo entries and mid-round scramble to collide with DRX’s polished set pieces and double-duelist looks.
• Upper-bracket final: FNATIC vs NRG — The winner advances directly to the grand final on October 5; the loser drops to the lower-bracket final on October 4 to face either PRX or DRX.