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Paper Rex have done it again. The Southeast Asian powerhouse have claimed the Radiant International Invitational 2025 title, defeating Gen.G 3-1 in the Grand Final and securing back to back championships at the international VALORANT event.

It caps off a strong end to the year for Paper Rex, who continue to look every bit a world class contender heading into the 2026 season.

A stacked international field

The Radiant International Invitational brought together six teams from across three VCT regions, giving fans an early look at how new 2026 rosters are shaping up.

Representing China were FunPlus Phoenix, Nova Esports, and Bilibili Gaming. The Pacific League featured Paper Rex and Gen.G, while G2 Esports represented the Americas.

For Paper Rex, the event was also notable for the debut of new signing Adrian Jiggs Reyes, better known as invy, following the departure of PatMen.

A shaky group stage start

The tournament opened with a round robin group stage, where each team played four matches, with the top four advancing to playoffs.

Gen.G emerged as the clear standout early on, finishing the group stage undefeated at 4-0, with their closest contest coming against Paper Rex. FunPlus Phoenix followed closely behind at 3-1, fuelled by the return of sScary, picking up surprise wins over both Paper Rex and G2.

Paper Rex’s own group stage was far from smooth. A convincing win over Nova Esports was followed by narrow losses to FPX and Gen.G, leaving fans wondering how quickly the new lineup would gel. A crucial win over Bilibili Gaming saw PRX finish 2-2, just enough to scrape into the playoffs alongside G2.

Playoffs ignite Paper Rex’s run

The playoffs used a gauntlet style bracket, with Gen.G seeded directly into the Grand Final, FPX placed into the semifinal, and Paper Rex facing G2 in the quarterfinal.

Paper Rex opened their playoff campaign by once again getting the better of G2, their third victory over the North American side this year. The first two maps were tightly contested 13-10 affairs, before PRX completely took over on the decider, with Wang Jing Jie Jinggg putting on a dominant Phoenix performance.

Momentum carried straight into the semifinal rematch against FPX. This time there was no upset, as Paper Rex swept the series 2-0, with strong showings from Jinggg and Jason Susanto forsaken. While invy was quieter statistically, he still posted a respectable 18/14/10 KDA across the series.

Grand Final revenge against Gen.G

The Grand Final set up a familiar rivalry. For more than a year, Gen.G had consistently had Paper Rex’s number, winning all six of their previous meetings. That trend looked set to continue early, as Gen.G convincingly took the opening map on Abyss.

From there, however, the series swung decisively. Paper Rex hit back with a dominant 13-5 win on Split, before completely taking control on Haven. A blistering 9-0 start left Gen.G scrambling, and PRX closed the map 13-3 with ruthless efficiency.

Bind threatened to be closer, with a 7-5 first half in Paper Rex’s favour, but once rifles came online, PRX surged ahead to seal the map 13-9 and the championship.

At the heart of it all was Khalish Rusyaidee d4v41. Outstanding on Chamber throughout the event, he finished the Grand Final with 65 kills across four maps and was deservedly named tournament MVP, repeating his feat from Paper Rex’s 2024 victory.

Eyes already on 2026

With another international trophy secured, Paper Rex’s form looks as sharp as ever. The team appear to have lost none of their edge from a successful 2025 season, and with VCT Kickoff just a month away, expectations around the squad are sky high.

If this tournament is anything to go by, Paper Rex are once again ready to challenge the very best on the global stage.