GE Ends Historic Losing Streak to KRX as Nongshim Sweeps Paper Rex in Pacific Stage 2 Playoffs

Wednesday's VCT Pacific Stage 2 playoff action delivered two results, but the box scores tell a sharper story than the scorelines alone. Nongshim RedForce swept Paper Rex, and Global Esports beat KIWOOM DRX (KRX) for the first time in franchise history — and in both series, one player's statline did most of the heavy lifting.

Francis was named MVP off a 9.60 rating and 247 ACS across the two maps, but the number that stands out is his +6 kill-death differential — the only Nongshim player to finish net-positive in that category by more than +2, and the swing factor in a lineup where every other starter finished within a tight band. Dambi actually out-fragged him on raw kills (41 to 37) with the series' single highest ACS at 254, but it was Francis's clutch conversions — five 1vX rounds resulting in +6 impact on 3-of-13 flagged clutch attempts — that the "The Catalyst" honor (awarded to Rb, 23 assists at 79% KAST) doesn't fully capture.

f0rsakeN's 217 ACS was the strongest individual number on the losing side, but Jinggg's line is the one that explains the sweep: a 5.50 rating, -13 differential, and 19% first-blood rate on a Waylay/Neon duelist role that needed to be generating space, not absorbing deaths. Paper Rex's issue wasn't a single bad performer — it was that its supposed engine finished last on the server.

Global Esports makes history — on the back of one enormous statline

xavi8k's series line is difficult to overstate: 9.60 rating, a series-high 56 kills, 30 assists, and a +13 differential — nearly double the next-closest player's net impact on either roster. The IGL's 78% KAST means he was involved in the outcome of more than three out of every four rounds GE played across three maps.

The KRX side wasn't outclassed individually — HYUNMIN (9.30, 225 ACS) and yong (9.10, 222 ACS) both graded above every Global player besides xavi8k, and HYUNMIN's dominant Ascent (KRX won 13-8) shows the team competed hard for two maps. But KRX's MaKo, playing Omen, finished with a 76% KAST and 28 assists yet a -7 differential — a support-heavy statline that couldn't offset the deficit GE's decider-map anti-eco created on Abyss.

Autumn's -22 differential on Yoru/Veto was the outlier on either roster — the widest deficit of the day — but GE's win came anyway, which is itself the story: xavi8k's ceiling was high enough to cover a genuinely rough map from a teammate.

What's next: two streaks, one collision

Both winners move on, but the more immediate storyline sits in the lower bracket. Per editorial reporting, both BuZz and MaKo have never missed a VALORANT Champions appearance — and with KRX (MaKo's team) now facing T1 in the Lower Round 1 after Wednesday's loss, the two are on a collision course for Friday. One keeps a perfect record intact. The other misses Champions for the first time. MaKo's 76% KAST and 28-assist output on Wednesday suggests he's playing within KRX's system, not chasing individual numbers — which will matter against a T1 side he'll need to out-execute, not simply out-frag.

The Stage 2 playoffs continue Thursday in the upper bracket:

• Gen.G vs. Nongshim RedForce (Upper Semifinals)
• VARREL vs. Global Esports (Upper Semifinals)
• Paper Rex vs. ONSIDE GAMING (Lower Round 1)
• KIWOOM DRX vs. T1 (Lower Round 1)