S'pore Gamer Proud To 'Fly All The Flags'

'Jinggg' only local in regional side Paper Rex, who finally win at Valorant Masters

- Samuel Tan

After a series of near-misses, Singapore-based e-sports team Paper Rex finally ended their wait for a major international trophy.

The team of mostly South-east Asian (SEA) players emerged victorious in the grand final of Valorant Masters Toronto, beating the formidable Fnatic 3-1 at the Enercare Centre on June 22 to claim the US$350,000 (S$449,000) top prize.

London-based team Fnatic, the 2023 Masters winners, had fought their way through the losers' bracket and put up a formidable challenge in the best-of-five final, before losing the tense 4½-hour battle in the popular first-person shooter video game.

Wang "Jinggg" Jing Jie, the only Singaporean player on the Paper Rex roster, could barely contain his delight after securing the long-awaited victory to make up for the disappointment of losing in the grand final of the 2023 Valorant Champions. The Champions tournament is a higher tier than Masters competitions.