Paper Rex trialing up-and-coming Russian VALORANT player after early exit at VCT LOCK//IN

One of the best VALORANT players in Japanese Challengers this split has trialed for Paper Rex, multiple sources tell Dot Esports. 

The highest-rated player in the league, Russian player Ilya “something” Petrov, has practiced with Singaporean team Paper Rex. Despite his impressive statistics, something would likely join as a substitute player. Other changes to the roster may be made, but any further moves remain unconfirmed. 

Something has proved to be a star duelist in the Japanese league. He’s racked up a 1.42 rating, the highest in the league, paired with an average combat score of 305.0, according to data collected by VLR.gg.  He also has a large following on social media, accruing more than 100,000 followers on Twitter, which in large part can be attributed to his impressive skills on Jett. 

Related: Fnatic won the VCT LOCK//IN trophy, but it didn’t make it home in one piece

In an interview with Dot Esports on Feb. 27, Something said that he dreams of playing in North America at the highest level, but he understood that it’s a long way to the top. Perhaps a start in the Pacific league could boost his chances. 

Paper Rex had a disappointing run at VCT LOCK//IN, the first international VALORANT tournament of the year. In the first round, Cloud9 sent Paper Rex home, with the Singaporean team leaving without winning a single map.

Teams in the partnership VALORANT leagues across the world have a few weeks to conduct changes before the start of the international leagues, which begin later this month. 

Paper Rex is set to compete in the Pacific international league, which will begin on March 26.