From Premier to VCT Champions: Nongshim RedForce Win Masters Santiago
Nongshim RedForce pulled off one of the most dominant Valorant runs in recent memory, as the squad didn’t drop a single series on their way to the VCT Masters Santiago trophy. They took down Paper Rex in an all-Pacific grand final to claim their first international title.
Nongshim RedForce Crush Paper Rex in One-Sided Grand Final
The storyline doesn’t get any better than this. Despite entering the tournament with a relatively low profile, Nongshim took down top opponents one after the other in the VCT Masters Santiago playoffs, taking down the likes of Gentle Mates, G2 Esports, and NRG to secure a fast pass to the grand final.
Their opponents were none other than their Pacific brethren Paper Rex. Even though both teams compete in VCT Pacific, the two had never faced each other in an official match before – which is something very hard to believe.
Despite all the build-up and hype surrounding the match, we weren’t necessarily treated to the banger we were promised. Nongshim swept the floor with Paper Rex, winning the series 3-0. They barely gave Paper Rex any room to work with, resulting in what may go down as one of the most dominant international grand finals in Valorant history.
Nongshim destroyed everyone in the tournament. (Image via Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games)
Undefeated in 2026
Throughout their VCT Masters Santiago campaign, Nongshim RedForce only dropped a single map, which came at the hands of G2 Esports in a series they won 2-1.
Though they didn’t lose a single series in Santiago, their win streak extends all the way back to VCT Pacific, where they also secured the top seed by mauling through every opponent they faced.
If we include their participation at the TEN Global Invitational 2025 tournament late last year, Nongshim are riding an 11-match win streak and are still yet to lose a match in 2026.
The Premier to Champions Journey
For those who still doubt whether Nongshim RedForce deserved this victory, it’s worth looking at the road they had to take to get to this point.
The team’s core of Dambi, Ivy, and Francis had to hustle their way into professional Valorant. The trio first competed through Valorant’s Premier system before earning a spot in the Valorant Challengers League.
From there, they had to battle through Valorant Ascension for a place in VCT Pacific before they could even think about qualifying for an international event like VCT Masters Santiago.
To put it into simple terms, Nongshim’s players had to go through the longest possible route to lifting an international trophy. And with how much work the players have put in, it’s hard not to feel happy that their years of effort have finally paid off.
This was also a big win for the team’s veteran, Rb. He was part of the first DRX roster that helped put South Korean Valorant on the map. Rb went through struggles, even relocating to China and finding little success there. However, he came back to South Korea, joined Nongshim, and helped turn this team of inexperienced players into world champions.
Rb is back to the top. (Image via Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games)
With how dominant they looked throughout VCT Masters Santiago, it’s really hard to call Nongshim RedForce’s run a fluke. Keep an eye on the team in VCT Pacific Stage 1 to see if they can keep their win streak alive.
Owen Harsono
Owen lives for competition, spending most of his gaming hours on Dota 2, CS2, and Valorant. A regular on the SEA Dota 2 leaderboards, he combines his first-hand experience with a deep passion for esports journalism, following the professional scenes of all three esports betting titles religiously. When he’s not writing, he’s most probably betting on esports and watching the latest events.
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