VCT Masters Tokyo: Why Paper Rex Used Cgrs Instead of Something or Benkai?
Was it the only option that they had?
Cover-Credits:
Paper Rex, champion of the VCT 2023 Pacific League directly qualified for the playoffs of the VCT 2023 Masters Tokyo, playing its first game of the tournament against DRX on 17th June.
Not many expected to witness a duel between these two teams in the upper bracket quarterfinals of the tournament, having just played against each other in the grand final of the regional international league on 28th May.
While DRX sought revenge, it was not the day as Paper Rex outclassed the team to walk away with two consecutive 13-10 victories, despite playing with its second substitute, Patiphan "CigaretteS" Posri (Cgrs).
During the entire series, there was a lot of chatter amongst the viewers for the reason behind competing with Cgrs instead of Ilya "something" Petrov and Benedict "Benkai" Tan.
Well, to answer all the repeated queries and quell the confusion that the public might be facing, here is why Paper Rex was playing with Cgrs in its active lineup in place of the other players.
Why was Paper Rex playing with Cgrs in place of Something and Benkai against DRX?
Many thought that DRX would be able to claim a comfortable victory against Paper Rex in its first playoff match, but that was not the case. Despite fielding a rather uncommon playing five, the Pacific champion was able to put on a beautiful performance, playing with a smile on their faces and a nothing to lose attitude.
It was Cgrs who played the role of an initiator for Paper Rex with agents like Skye and Gekko. While he did his best in the limited time that he got to practice with the team, it was more than enough to take them past the finish line, at the same time it left many viewers confused as to why he was playing with the team instead of something, the top player for the side during VCT 2023 Pacific League, or Benkai, the former mainstay who used to adorn the role of an initiator.
To remove all doubts, here is the current status of the two players in relation to Paper Rex and why they were not able to compete with the team in Tokyo.
Why is Something not competing with Paper Rex in VCT 2023 Masters Tokyo?
The talented player from Russia, something, was signed by Paper Rex right before the VCT 2023 Pacific League and was inducted into the active lineup during the course of that tournament. The 21-year-old quickly proved that he is one of the best players in the world, especially on Jett, blowing everyone's mind with the way he moved around the map and tore through the enemy defenses with surgical precision.
Growing with each passing match, something was named the MVP of the grand final between Paper Rex and DRX, attaining an ACS (Average Combat Score) of 241 along with a K/D/A of 95/64/25.
On 4th June, something had revealed that there may be a chance that he could end up missing the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) 2023 Masters Tokyo due to visa issues.
In a further detailed update provided by Paper Rex on 4th June, the team announced that they were preparing for a scenario where Cgrs could substitute something because his Japan visa application was still being processed.
The organization tried its best to expedite his travel documents, working closely with relevant authorities, hoping that something is able to reach Japan for the latter part of the playoffs, in case they were able to make a deep run in the tournament.
On 13th June, Nikhil "nikH" Hathiramani - CEO of Paper Rex, further clarified that something was still in Singapore and that his case was very complicated and takes multiple steps due to his unique situation.
This is why something is not with Paper Rex in Japan at this point in time and there is no guarantee that he might join them during the course of this tournament. Everything depends upon when his documentations get approved and how deep the team ends up going in the playoffs.
Why is Benkai not competing with Paper Rex in VCT 2023 Masters Tokyo?
One of the original players to join Paper Rex's second Valorant team which was basically its former CS:GO team switching over to the new title. Benkai played as part of the team's active lineup for more than two years before being benched on 4th June 2023 ahead of the VCT 2023 Masters Tokyo.
In a detailed announcement made by Paper Rex, the team outlined that it was getting tough for them to keep rotating roles and agent compositions for different Valorant maps, as it was impacting the team's roster stability and also because other teams in the league were improving much faster.
Apart from this, it became a challenge for the organization to rotate more than six players and hold meaningful training. Hence a decision was taken to bench Benkai who is no longer a part of the active six man lineup.
This is why both something and Benkai are not currently part of Paper Rex's playing five and Cgrs has stepped up to complete the team's lineup and fulfil the role of an initiator.
Paper Rex has won its first match of the tournament by handing a clean 2-0 defeat to DRX and will be taking on Fnatic next in the upper bracket semifinals on 19th June.
