VALORANT - Champions 2025: Paper Rex and DRX qualified for the top 4

On the final day of the VALORANT Champions Paris playoffs at the Arènes d’Évry-Courcouronnes, the momentum swung wildly as Paper Rex narrowly beat Team Heretics 2–1, and DRX took the win over MIBR in a tense three-map duel. From Jason "f0rsakeN" Susanto’s ace on Ascent to Cho "Flashback" Min-hyuk’s first ace of the year on Bind, the session delivered high-stakes clutches and disciplined adaptations. Both winning teams secured a place in the top four.

Paper Rex and Team Heretics opened the day on Ascent, Heretics' pick, and the start felt unmistakably EMEA. Heretics stunned PRX out of the gate, taking pistol and bonus with a string of lightning-fast A hits enough to suffocate PRX’s usual tempo. At 8–4 TH at the half, the game plan seemed to be working; but after the break, Khalish "d4v41" Rusyaidee won a momentum-swinging clutch, and PRX clawed back to 10–10.

Heretics briefly regained control of a mid-fight, then the map flipped in an instant. f0rsaken uncorked an ace to make it 11–11; PRX planted on the next, held the post-plant, and Patrick "PatMen" Mendoza closed a 1v1 against Ričardas "Boo" Lukaševičius. 13–11 for PRX, the series was underway, and the inertia had changed sides.

Bind initially looked like PRX’s playground. They won pistol, converted the bonus after a misread on the clear from Enes "RieNs" Ecirli, and f0rsakeN kept piling on multi-kills to maintain the lead. Heretics, however, did not collapse: Mert "Wo0t" Alkan’s duels steadied the scoreline, TH equalized at the side swap, pulled ahead with a thrifty, and seized control of the closing rounds. In the end, a razor-thin 1v1 from wo0t over Wang "Jinggg" Jing Jie sealed a 13–9 for Heretics and reset the series before the decider.

Lotus, finally, turned into a rout. TH took the pistol again, PRX denied the bonus and immediately reasserted control. PatMen delivered the round that pushed them ahead 5–4, d4v41 punished the aggressions, halftime arrived at 8–4 PRX, and Jinggg won the pistol duel against Wo0t on the restart. The bonus landed, the gap widened to 12–4, and this time PRX never let go: a crisp 13–4, 2–1 in the series, and Heretics were out. f0rsakeN finished Player of the Match with numbers that told the story of his impact with 1.22 rating, 53 kills, 245 ACS, 78% KAST, 153 ADR, alongside the emblematic Ascent ace.

Next up, DRX and MIBR faced off with elimination on the line. Sunset began as a Korean masterclass: DRX chose defense, sprinted to 6–0, and closed the half 9–3. But their attack fell silent, no first bloods, set plays read cleanly. The comeback arrived in waves before the finishing blow: four straight to end it 13–10 MIBR. Andrew "Verno" Maust delivered the dagger, and DRX left for the break visibly frustrated.

Back from the pause on Ascent, the second map became a tug-of-war where every defensive stand was gold. DRX steered MIBR onto a map that has been historically troublesome for the Brazilians in 2025, and it showed just five attacking rounds for MIBR before halftime. At money time, Erick "aspas" Santos ripped a monumental 4K with his Jett to force overtime; tension spiked, and the first converted defense in double OT proved decisive. Kang "BeYN" Ha-bin (24 kills), No "free1ng" Ha-jun (23 kills), and Flashback (20 kills) carried DRX to 15–13, sending the decider to Bind.

On Bind, it was 6–6 at the half after a proactive DRX defense around B Long that funneled MIBR into Flashback’s Operator sightlines. After the switch, DRX took pistol and rolled out a polished attack with their “mosquito comp”: Song "HYUNMIN" Hyun-min dash-in, TP-out, crosshairs shaken, trades landing their way. MIBR hung on and chipped back, but Flashback chose the perfect moment for his first ace of the year, putting DRX within sight of match point; despite a final Brazilian push, the door shut 13–10. aspas ended the series on 76 kills, heroic but not enough against a DRX trio of Flashback, free1ng, and BeYN all cresting 50. DRX secure a top four in Paris, book Bercy, and send MIBR home with credit intact.