In 2021 VCT Reykjavik, FNATIC lost without taking single map against Sentinels in the championship match of the inaugural Valorant international tournament. Now, in 2023, FNATIC is the first team to win two international trophies, having won two grand finals.
Up until the grand final, FNATIC has maintained a spotless record. Despite LOUD having an 11-3 advantage at LOCK//IN, nearly reverse sweeping FNATIC, the team fought back to win their first ever international championship, posting one of the greatest comebacks in the history of Valorant. Their performance at Masters Tokyo was even better, only dropping one map in the entire competition and defeating Evil Geniuses 3-0 in the Grand Final to win their second international trophy.
Also read: Evil Geniuses Take Down Paper Rex In The VCT Masters: Tokyo Lower Bracket Final
Valorant Champions Tour 2023 Grand Final Recap
FNATIC gained two map veto bans as a result of the upper bracket advantage, which they used to ban both Pearl and Fracture from the pool of players. Evil Geniuses had a 5-0 win record on their strongest map of Fracture, which was tactically removed by FNATIC. FNATIC picked Lotus first since they had just demolished EG on it in the upper bracket final. Despite a shaky start, FNATIC easily conquered Lotus. To win the map 13-8, they would win seven of their nine defensive rounds. Alfajer and Leo both contributed 45 kills and a +23 kill differential, which was a major factor in FNATIC's triumph.
Moving on to the next map, EG took the fight to Split, the map where they nearly advanced to OT the last time they faced FNATIC. Unfortunately for EG, history repeated itself, and despite their best efforts, they were unable to defeat FNATIC, losing 13-11. Even though EG tied the game at 11-11, Derke's 4K during the final round of regulation gave FNATIC the advantage once again and dealt EG's economy a fatal blow.
FNATIC were now just one map away from picking up the trophy on Bind. Evil Geniuses' unconventional Reyna-Chamber combo helped them make a solid start on the offensive side. Since Bind had been one of EG's permabans during the entire tourney, Boostio said that agent selections were made more out of convenience than any strategic considerations. Before FNATIC was able to win three of their own, EG had a commanding lead of 10-4. At 12-7, EG still had match point, but FNATIC was able to win seven straight rounds to win the map in overtime at 14-12.
With this win, the EMEA super squad has made history as the first team to win two Valorant majors. Over the course of the event, Leo had only dealt first blood twice. Another first for the tournament-winning team was Derke not playing Jett at all. As the only player to have participated in the finals of four distinct competitions and to have won three different international Valorant trophies, Chronicle also established a new record. With the exception of Alfajer, who voted for Leo, the entire FNATIC team picked Alfajer as the team's MVP.
Even though Evil Geniuses' Cinderella run did not result in a trophy, the team were happy with their effort. On their way to the championship game, they had eliminated the top seed in every franchised region. Every player on the team was able to showcase their championship potential, and ultimately, EG can leave with their heads held high.
The EMEA League teams now have another spot at Champions thanks to FNATIC's triumph. The top two teams that advance from the LCQ will now compete in Champions 2023. If FNATIC can win the final trophy at Champions, they position themselves to sweep this year and a forge a legacy that has not been seen in Valorant.
