Paper Rex

Origins and Foundation

Paper Rex was established in January 2020 by a group of four individuals with deep roots in gaming and creative industries. The founders were Harley 'dsn' Örwall, a former professional Counter-Strike player, Nikhil 'nikH' Hathiramani, the founder and chief editor of CSGO2ASIA, video game designer Matthew Djojonegoro, and creative director Gad Tan, a graduate of the University of New South Wales. The organization set up its base of operations at the Dreamcore Dream Centre, a 10,000 square foot esports, entertainment, and retail hub in Singapore that houses their training center and management staff.

The team's initial move into Valorant came on 19 July 2020 with the acquisition of members from the Singaporean team Vindicta. This first roster did not last, and by February 2021 all players had been benched or let go. A more significant strategic shift occurred on 8 February 2021 when Paper Rex transitioned its entire Counter-Strike: Global Offensive squad to Valorant. This new team included Kumaresan 'Tommy' Ramani, Aaron 'mindfreak' Leonhart, Jason 'f0rsakeN' Susanto, Benedict 'Benkai' Tan, Jorell 'Retla' Teo, and Khalish 'd4v41' Rusyaidee, with Alex 'alecks' Salle as coach, forming the core that would drive future success.

Building a Regional Powerhouse

The rebuilt squad quickly found its footing. After an early roster change that saw Tommy depart and Zhan Teng 'shiba' Toh join in May 2021, Paper Rex placed second in the Southeast Asia Stage 3 Challengers Playoffs. This result qualified them for their first international event, VCT Masters 2 Berlin, where they finished 13th to 15th. A key signing followed in September 2021 with the addition of Wang 'Jinggg' Jing Jie, a move that pushed shiba to a substitute role due to his compulsory military service.

The 2022 season marked Paper Rex's arrival as the premier team in APAC. They started by winning both the MY/SG Stage 1 Challengers and the APAC Stage 1 Challengers, earning the top seed from the region for Masters Reykjavík. There, they achieved a then-record fourth-place finish. They repeated this domestic and regional double in Stage 2, qualifying for Masters Copenhagen. At that event, they made history by becoming the first team from Asia and the APAC region to reach the Grand Finals of a VCT Masters event, finishing second to FunPlus Phoenix. Later in 2022, they also won the Valorant India Invitational.

Franchise Era and Global Challenges

On 21 September 2022, Riot Games announced Paper Rex as one of the 30 franchise teams selected for the 2023 Valorant Champions Tour, securing their place in the new VCT Pacific League. The 2023 season was defined by high stakes and roster drama. Midway through the Pacific season, they signed Russian player Ilya 'something' Petrov. The team then won the VCT Pacific League championship on 28 May 2023 with a 3-2 reverse sweep over DRX, immediately making something a permanent starter and moving in-game leader Benkai to an inactive role.

Their Masters Tokyo campaign was hampered by visa issues for something, forcing them to use substitute Patiphan 'CGRS' Posri. Despite this, they finished third. With their full roster at the 2023 Valorant Champions in Los Angeles, Paper Rex reached the Grand Finals again but fell to Evil Geniuses to place second. After the tournament, coach alecks confirmed that Jinggg would depart for compulsory military service. This led to the signing of Cahya 'monyet' Nugraha as his replacement and the official departure of Benkai.

Roster Flux and International Success

The 2024 season began with another twist. In March 2024, Paper Rex announced that Jinggg was medically unfit for military service and could return to competition, moving monyet to a substitute role. The team finished third at Masters Madrid and won the VCT Pacific Stage 1 title, qualifying as the top seed for Masters Shanghai where they placed fifth to sixth. They qualified for the 2024 Valorant Champions but were eliminated in the group stage, finishing 9th to 12th.

2025 presented new challenges. The organization failed to qualify for Masters Bangkok, their first missed international tournament since 2021. This prompted a roster change, with mindfreak moved to an inactive position and replaced by Patrick 'PatMen' Mendoza. The team rebounded dramatically, qualifying for and then winning Masters Toronto, defeating two-time champions Fnatic 3-1 to claim their first international trophy. They followed this by winning the VCT Pacific Stage 2 playoffs, but at the 2025 Valorant Champions, they finished fourth. After the season, both mindfreak and PatMen departed, with Adrian 'invy' Reyes joining from Team Secret.

Sustained Competition and Consistency

Paper Rex maintained its presence at the highest level into 2026. They qualified for Masters Santiago via the Kickoffs, eventually losing in the Grand Finals to Nongshim RedForce. In VCT Pacific Stage 1, they finished first in their group, won the regional Grand Finals, and secured a top seed into Masters London. There, they became the first team to qualify for Champions Shanghai via Championship Points after defeating Team Vitality, but lost in the Grand Finals to Leviatan.

Their Stage 2 performance was less dominant. After a 3-2 group stage record, they were knocked into the lower bracket of the playoffs by Nongshim RedForce and were eventually eliminated by VARREL, finishing tied for fifth place. Coach alecks noted in a post-game interview that the team's play had become a little bit lackluster and a bit slow, highlighting a dip in their season-long consistency.

Organizational Identity and Structure

Paper Rex operates divisions in Pokémon Unite and Teamfight Tactics alongside its flagship Valorant team. The organization's identity is firmly rooted in its Singaporean base and its modern training facility at the Dreamcore Dream Centre. Its management, led by the original founders from esports media, professional play, and creative design, has built a brand recognized for an aggressive, entertaining style of play.

Their journey reflects the specific challenges of operating in the APAC region, including managing player commitments like compulsory military service, which directly impacted key players like shiba and Jinggg. Their selection as a VCT partner team provided long-term stability, allowing them to build and adapt their roster while consistently representing their region on the global stage.