Paper Rex mentioned the possibility of the star player missing some initial matches in Masters Tokyo
In a Twitter announcement talking about benching Benedict “Benkai” Tan from the active roster, Paper Rex mentioned the possibility of Ilya “something” Petrov not being able to compete in the early part of Masters Tokyo due to his Japan visa still being processed.
🇰🇷 SEOUL, South Korea — In its continued effort to stabilize its VALORANT roster, Paper Rex has made the difficult decision to move Benedict ‘Benkai’ Tan from the starting roster to bench status.
Benedict has been with the team throughout the VCT Pacific season and contributed… pic.twitter.com/1V8gHk8og6
— Paper Rex (@pprxteam) June 4, 2023
“The management has been working closely with all the relevant authorities, including Riot Games in Korea and Japan to help expedite the process.” – the Singaporean roster said about working to expedite the Russian player’s travel documents. In case of visa issues, the talented Duelist player may not be able to participate in the Masters at all.
If something is not able to be with the team during the first few matches of the Playoffs, substitute player Patiphan “CGRS” Porsi will take his spot.
Can Paper Rex Survive the Playoffs without something?
Credit: Riot Games
With something on the roster, Paper Rex enjoyed a dominating run in the Pacific League with a 9-1 record, winning the tournament in a reverse-sweep series against DRX. The Russian Duelist has proven to become a talented asset for the squad as he helped them secure a Playoffs spot in the upcoming Masters Tokyo event.
As a new addition to the team, it’s understandable to see him not having a visa ready for the journey. However, not having the firepower of this member in the Playoffs sounds scary for fans of Paper Rex, and some fear the team to have an early exit from the double-elimination bracket.