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FNATIC win VCT EMEA Stage 1 Playoffs in reverse sweep
FNATIC have won the VCT EMEA Stage 1 Playoffs after a gruelling 5 map series against Team Heretics. Pressed to their limits, Heretics took the first two maps and found themselves on the cusp of greatness. However, Fnatic never faltered and took the next three maps to complete the reverse sweep.
This marks the first time Fnatic has won domestically since the inception of the international leagues back in 2023, the first time they have won a VCT tournament since VCT Masters Tokyo back in June 2023, and the first time they have won a tournament domestically since June 2022 back in the EMEA Stage 2 Challengers.
Fnatic Surge Back into Form?
Fnatic’s time thus far in 2024 has been mired with questions of missing form and past glory. The EMEA roster that dominated the landscape and conversation in 2023 was a far cry from what fans were treated to in the opening games of Kickoff and more so at the beginning of Stage 1.
Despite all that, Fnatic finally seemed to have found their footing as Stage 1 progressed into the later stages. Qualifying into Playoffs, they found themselves faced against a Liquid that were still finding their own way. They still lost a close Icebox against them, (Fnatic) winning the series 2-1 in the end.
Next up, Fnatic faced the French-side of Karmine Corp in a rematch from Kickoff. Last time, Karmine Corp was the one to eliminate Fnatic from Madrid contention. This time, Fnatic took them down 2-0 with incredible comebacks on both maps (9-3, 8-4). It seemed almost poetic then that this was the win that earned Fnatic their ticket to Shanghai.
Faced against Heretics next, Fnatic truly struggled to ever get into the series, losing a quick 0-2 to the Kickoff runners-up. Despite starting out strong on Lotus, Heretics recovered and Fnatic never seemed to come back properly into the series.
It was in the Lower Finals and Grand Finals where we finally saw some semblance of the 2023 Fnatic. Coming into these two series, it was characterized by their incredible mental resilience and the individual star powers showing up in a big way.
In the FUT series, Fnatic once more lost a close match on Icebox, but won out on maps 2-4. And as mentioned, Fnatic pulled off the reverse sweep on Heretics after being down maps 1 and 2.
Fnatic vs Team Heretics: Fighting for 1st Seed
With Riot’s recent announcement, earning 1st seed in the team’s region is incredibly alluring. Not only does the team skip the Swiss Stage entirely, but they are also afforded the luxury of selecting their first-round opponents, meaning that they come into Shanghai with an immense advantage.
Heretics objectively were the better team at this point coming into the finals. Their record looked better, their team more cohesive, and they were hot off just beating Fnatic in the Upper Finals. Moreover, they came from the Upper Bracket, which meant they got to select the two maps to ban. Which makes their loss all the more shocking.
Thanks to Heretics’ bans, Fnatic was finally forced to play Sunset for the first time in their official history. They proceeded to pull out the most unusual composition, consisting of Yoru and Deadlock. Despite the surprise, Fnatic failed to deliver, losing 13-7 to Heretics.
On Bind, the map was incredibly back and forth between the two teams. Both teams were extremely comfortable and proficient on the map, and it came down to minute details. In the end, Heretics managed to steal away Fnatic’s map pick, securing themselves series point in the Bo5.
Heading into Lotus, this was an old-tried and tested for Fnatic. In 2023, this was one of the best performing maps for this roster. Sure enough, Fnatic delivered with a clean 13-8 victory on Lotus, including an incredible Attack side that saw Heretics only take a single round.
Split was 100% the Alfajer show. Swapping over to Raze, the double duelist composition delivered in a big way for Fnatic. Fnatic closed out Split 13-5, taking their map pick in convincing fashion.
Heading into the decider of Breeze, Heretics clearly looked slightly rattled as Fnatic fired off to a quick 5-1 lead before Heretics properly responded. Despite that, Fnatic took an 8-4 half on the weaker Defender half, affording them an easy path to victory on Attack.
The VALORANT action will resume with VCT Masters Shanghai starting May 23. Follow Valorant Champions Tour on X/Twitter for all the relevant updates on the upcoming tournaments.
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Credit: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games
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