Images: Riot Games
The Pacific contingent includes two of the biggest contenders for this year's world championship: Gen.G Esports and Paper Rex.
With just half a month to go before VALORANT Champions 2024 kicks off on August 1 in Seoul and Incheon, South Korea, more and more teams have claimed their spots in this year's VALORANT world championship tournament.
The VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Pacific League is the first regional league to determine its four representatives in VALORANT Champions, namely South Korea's 
Gen.G Esports and 
DRX, Singapore's 
Paper Rex, and Thailand's 
Talon Esports.
Gen.G, DRX, and Paper Rex earned their spots by virtue of securing a Top 3 finish in the ongoing Pacific League Stage 2 Playoffs while Talon punched their ticket to South Korea by earning the most Championship Points in the Pacific League among the rest of the league's eligible teams.
Here's how the Pacific League's representatives each found their way to VALORANT Champions 2024:
Gen.G Esports
Gen.G have staked their claim as the best team in the world in the second half of the season, and they can cement that title by raising the trophy on home soil at VALORANT Champions.
The South Korean juggernauts' ongoing run of dominance has seen them finish in the Top 2 of all tournaments they've competed in so far. They started the year by raising the trophy at the Pacific Kickoff in February, followed that up with back-to-back 2nd place finishes at Masters Madrid in March and the Pacific Stage 1 Playoffs in May, and then claimed another championship in Masters Shanghai last month.
Gen.G are also guaranteed a fifth-straight Top 2 finish as they are the first team in the grand finals of the Pacific Stage 2 Playoffs. And when looking at their current form, it's very likely that they'll win their third championship this season there too and enter VALORANT Champions on a hot streak.
An interesting facet of Gen.G's performance throughout this season is how they've seemingly amped up their game when the stakes are high. To the surprise of some, they only finished fourth in the overall standings of the Pacific League with a 6-4 record off a mixed 3-3 outing in the Stage 1 Group Stage and an improved 3-1 standing in Stage 2.
But don't let Gen.G's ho-hum Group Stage performances fool you, this team has proven to be nigh unstoppable on the big stage. And with the biggest stage this year being hosted on their home turf, it's looking like VALORANT Champions 2024 will be Gen.G's to lose.
DRX
While Gen.G is the South Korean team that have taken the spotlight this year, DRX have nonetheless shined even in the shadow of their countrymen. While everyone would like to be their region's top team, DRX have made a solid case to be in the Pacific's Top 3 all season long, and that's not a bad place to be at all.
DRX have two Top 4 finishes under their belt this season, including a 3rd-4th place finish at the Pacific Kickoff and a 4th place outing at the Pacific Stage 1 Playoffs. Missing out on podium finishes does mean that DRX didn't get to compete in any international tournaments this year, however.
But where DRX have shined has been in the Pacific's Group Stages, where they finished second overall with an 8-2 record. They had a perfect 5-0 start in Stage 1 and only suffered their two losses in the five matches they played in Stage 2.
DRX are currently in the lower bracket finals of the Pacific Stage 2 Playoffs, having previously lost to Gen.G in the upper bracket finals. They will be facing Paper Rex for the right to a rematch with their countrymen in the championship round. If DRX can upset the Top 2 teams in the Pacific en route to claiming the Pacific Stage 2 title, then they will have the privilege of being the South Korean team in the spotlight heading into VALORANT Champions.
Paper Rex
If there is one team we can consider to be Gen.G's rivals over domination in the Pacific and the rest of the VCT, then it is undoubtedly Paper Rex. The two have faced off in plenty of battles so far this season, with Gen.G beating Paper Rex in the Pacific Kickoff grand finals before the Singaporean powerhouse got their revenge in the Pacific Stage 1 Playoffs.
Paper Rex have also produced solid results in international competitions, including a third place finish at Masters Madrid and a Top 6 placement at Masters Shanghai.
While Paper Rex have not put on the form they had last season, it's worth considering that they have gone through their fair share of roster shakeups this year.
The team started the season with Cahya “Monyet” Nugraha taking over for Wang Jing “Jinggg” Jie after the latter was forced to temporarily leave the competitive scene for military service. While Paper Rex did score Top 3 finishes in the Pacific Kickoff and at Masters Madrid with Monyet, he was still booted from the team as Jinggg returned to the team in March after being declared medically unfit for military service.
Paper Rex have been playing themselves into form since then, starting with a lot of promise with their victory in the Pacific Stage 1 Playoffs before coming back down to earth in Masters Shanghai.
But even in the midst of their roster issues, Paper Rex have been peerless in the Pacific Group Stages. They finished atop the standings with a 9-1 record, 4-1 in Stage 1 and 5-0 in Stage 2, with their only loss coming from a surprising 2-0 upset to a then-struggling 
Team Secret.
Paper Rex are still far from the world beaters that they were last year, as evidenced by their recent loss to Gen.G in the Pacific Stage 2 Playoff upper bracket semifinals. They will next face DRX in the lower bracket finals for a second go at Gen.G with the Pacific Stage 2 title at stake.
If Paper Rex can bounce back and return to the form they had last year, they just might capture that world championship title that eluded them last year.
Talon Esports
As the Pacific's fourth representative in this year's VALORANT Champions, Talon earned their spot by earning the most Championship Points among the teams in the region outside of the Top 3 in the Stage 2 Playoffs. While they have looked shaky at times this season, they came through when it mattered to punch their tickets to South Korea.
After being a backmarker in the league last season, Talon have steadily improved over the course of this year to get in position for a spot in VALORANT Champions. They started the season with a 7th-9th place finish in the Pacific Kickoff, improved to 5th-6th in the Stage 1 Playoffs, and then finished fourth in the Stage 2 Playoffs.
While Talon bowed out of the Stage 2 Playoffs after getting swept in back-to-back series by DRX and Paper Rex, they played well when it mattered in their Knockout Round matchup with a resurgent Team Secret. By sweeping their Filipino opponents, Talon got the edge they needed to get to South Korea after both teams finished with 7 Championship Points.
Talon will be entering this year's VALORANT Champions as a dark horse. Still, opponents would do well not to underestimate them. They have improved over the course of the season and were clutch when it mattered, who's to say they can't cause a few upsets in the battle for this year's VALORANT world championship?
