Filipino esports rising star Patrick “PatMen” Mendoza capped an incredible tour debut with Rookie and Initiator of the Year honors as PRX (Paper Rex) dominated the trophy haul in the 2025 VCT Pacific Awards last Dec. 7.
VCT (Valorant Champions Tour) is the official esports circuit for Valorant, a first-person tactical hero shooter video game developed and published by Riot Games.
Mendoza, in his first year in the big leagues, took home two trophies at the awards, living up to his “Mr. Consistency” moniker as a pivotal cog for the PRX train to run its course from a winless start in Stage 1 to seizing the team’s first-ever international trophy in Masters Toronto last June.
“[It’s] an amazing feeling; not everyone has the opportunity to win this kind of achievement,” the 24-year-old hotshot said upon accepting the Rookie of the Year award.
The awards were based on votes from broadcast talent, media and representatives from each of the 12 participating teams in the league. The players were judged for their performances throughout the whole season from the regional to the international stage.
Best performers
Mendoza and PRX closed a championship-laden season in strong fashion, bagging six out of the nine awards from the year-end selection of the best performers Pacific has to offer.
The Filipino put the entire league on notice with his ability in high-stakes situations, pulling off the third-most clutches at their Masters run. He said he was taken aback at being named the league’s top Initiator, beating the likes of veteran Ngô “crazyguy” Công Anh and standout Bryan “Kushy” Setiawan of Rex Regum Qeon (RRQ).
“I actually didn’t expect this [award], to be honest, because I know there are a lot of initiator players in Pacific, and I truly respect them,” Mendoza said. He thanked the squad for their support since he entered the main roster.
“I don’t have just a team, but friends and family,” he said.
Mendoza also said he owed PRX’s success to the fans who showed their support throughout the rollercoaster season. “Because of you guys, we’re able to get achievements, a lot of us got [these] achievements,” he said.
Other awardees
PRX In-Game Leader (IGL) Jason “F0rsakeN” Susanto was hailed as Pacific’s Player of the Year. It was his second individual award for 2025 after receiving the Finals MVP plum back in Masters Toronto where they took out European powerhouse Fnatic to claim the title.
PRX’s Ilia “something” Petrov was named Duelist of the Year, his second regional award claiming Finals MVP honors in VCT Pacific: Stage 2, where they dethroned RRQ for their third regional championship.
Other PRX awardees were veteran Khalish “d4v41” Rusyaidee and tactician Alexandre “alecks” Sallé, who were named Sentinel and Coach of the Year, respectively.
Heading to 2026, Susanto expressed the team’s goal of reaching the peak once more after a successful run. “I believe that me and my team are still hungry to win and I would say for next year, maybe another trophy and another MVP award,” he said.
While seen as the league’s top dogs, Sallé reiterated that a new season signals a fresh start on equal footing for everyone. “It’s just the way the league works. Every year we have to reset, we have to try again from zero,” he said, adding:
“I hope you guys are ready to work. We’re gonna have a long season ahead of us, but it’s gonna be fun.”
Two other teams found their way among the ranks of Pacific’s Best.
The duo of Myeong-kwan “MaKo” Kim and Hyun-min “HYUNMIN” Song from Korean squad DRX are this year’s Controller of the Year and Most Improved Player, respectively. Song led the squad in Average Combat Scores across all three regional tournaments.
DRX went on to win this year’s Kickoff against regional rivals Gen.G, 3-2, before rounding out their season with a third-place finish in Champions.
Rounding out the star-studded list is RRQ’s Anh, who was named In-Game Leader of the Year. Anh led the team to their first-ever regional trophy in Stage 1, knocking out a resurging PRX in a five-game thriller at the Lower Bracket Finals and upsetting hometown favorites Gen.G, 3-1, to complete the championship run.
