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Paper Rex put on a clinic against LEVIATAN on Ascent, winning 13-1 in what can only be described as a warm-up round disguised as a playoff match. The upper bracket quarterfinal at VCT Masters London 2026 was over almost before it started.
The match took place on June 12, 2026, as part of the Valorant Champions Tour’s premier international LAN event in London. It was the first map of a best-of-3 series, with Lotus and Split still remaining on the slate.
What happened on Ascent
LEVIATAN, representing Latin America, had earned their spot in the upper bracket after defeating Global Esports 2-1 earlier in the tournament. That win made them look like legitimate contenders. This map made them look like they’d wandered into the wrong lobby.
The esports-crypto gap keeps widening
Neither Paper Rex nor LEVIATAN currently maintain any identified cryptocurrency sponsorships, token partnerships, or blockchain integrations. The tournament itself runs on traditional sponsorship models.
Compare that to the 2021-2022 era, when exchanges like FTX were slapping their logos on everything from League of Legends broadcasts to team jerseys. That wave receded, and nothing equivalent has replaced it.
What this means for investors watching esports and crypto convergence
Traditional sponsors, from peripheral makers to energy drink brands, continue to dominate the space. Fan token projects largely failed to deliver meaningful utility. NFT integrations felt forced. Exchange sponsorships were subsidized by unsustainable venture capital rather than genuine product-market fit.
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