Leviatán edge out Paper Rex and claim Masters London, first organization's international trophy

After a grand final filled with tension and dramatic twists, Leviatán secured the first international title in the organization's history by defeating Paper Rex in the Grand Final of Masters London. Having been knocked down to the lower bracket by one of the most VALORANT’s iconic team in the opening round of the playoffs, the Argentine organization completed a remarkable lower-bracket run despite the fact that none of its players, with the exception of Francisco “kiNgg” Aravena, had previously competed at an international event.

With this victory, Leviatán becomes the first LATAM organization to win an international VALORANT tournament. The team also sets a historic benchmark as the youngest international champion in the game's history, fielding four players under the age of 20. After dominant victories over Xi Lai Gaming and Team Vitality, followed by another commanding performance against EDward Gaming in which they did not drop a single map, Leviatán completed an extraordinary run by defeating the very team that had sent them to the lower bracket on the opening day of the playoffs.

The series could hardly have started worse for Leviatán. A crushing 13–2 defeat on Fracture highlighted Paper Rex’s tactical superiority in the opening map and appeared to set the tone for the final. Unlike their first meeting earlier in the playoffs, however, the VCT Americas representative found an answer. Leviatán bounced back on Split to level the series, led in large part by an outstanding performance from Eduardo “Sato” Nagahama, who had been largely neutralized during the first map.

Riding that momentum, Leviatán came close to taking full control of the series on Breeze after building an 8–4 halftime lead. Paper Rex, however, responded through a strong attacking side spearheaded by Ilia “something” Petrov, overturning the deficit and narrowly claiming the map 13–11. With Paper Rex in control of the fourth map and seemingly on course to close out the series, a crucial resurgence from Rodrigo “spikeziN” Lombardi and his Neon on defense dragged Leviatán back into contention and forced a decisive fifth map.

The Singaporean side never fully recovered from that blow. Despite Leviatán's relative inexperience and youthful roster, it was the VCT Americas squad that ultimately prevailed through composure, resilience, and mental fortitude. On Lotus, a map where they had already delivered dominant performances against both Xi Lai Gaming and Team Vitality, Leviatán executed their game plan with confidence. In a stomping map five, they secured the championship to the cheers of a crowd that had largely been rooting against them.

Paper Rex will undoubtedly leave the event with significant regrets after suffering yet another defeat in an international grand final, the fourth in the organization's history. After displaying some of the best teamplay seen throughout the tournament, the Pacific representative once again faltered at the decisive moment. It also marks the team's second Masters grand final loss of the year, following its defeat to Nongshim RedForce in Santiago. In retrospect, the words spoken by Khalish “d4v41” Rusyaidee in the pre-match trailer proved almost prophetic: “It felt like we were cursed.”

Outstanding and remarkably consistent throughout the tournament, Neon once again showcased the full extent of his talent across all five maps of the grand final. Whether playing Controller or Duelist, he delivered exceptional performances in both victory and defeat, serving as the driving force behind Leviatán’s historic championship run. At just 19 years old, he succeeds another rising star, Lee “Dambi” Hyuk-kyu, who claimed the MVP award at Santiago.

In a tournament filled with promising young talent poised to shape the future of VALORANT, Neon managed to distinguish himself as the competition’s standout performer. Given the level he displayed throughout the event, it would be no surprise to see him competing for more international titles in the years ahead. The player himself made his ambitions clear when accepting the MVP trophy on stage: “This is only the beginning. We’re going to win Champions.”