LOUD, Paper Rex send Fnatic and FUT to Lower Bracket at VALORANT Champions

VCT 2023 - Champions is back. And with it, the playoffs stage of the event. The double elimination bracket format saw two teams drop to the lower bracket, with two advancing forward, inching closer to the grand finale. August 17 saw the following matches take place in Los Angeles:

• LOUD vs. Fnatic
• FUT vs. Paper Rex

Here is what happened on the day and who were the standout players.

LOUD vs. Fnatic

One of the most-awaited matchups of the event saw the EMEA giants Fnatic take on LOUD, Americas' juggernauts.

VCT 2023 - Champions

Fnatic

0

X

2

LOUD

Upper Bracket Quarter Final, Best of 3 - August 16, 2023 - 7:00PM

11

Ascent

13

6

Lotus

13

Fnatic

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

Alfajer

1.00

222

33/28/7

+5

1.18

73.2%

158.7

23%

60%

3

2

Derke

0.93

211

29/29/6

0

1.00

60.7%

141.7

15%

58%

14

10

Leo

0.91

171

29/28/10

+1

1.04

73.8%

116.8

20%

0%

0

2

Boaster

0.81

162

21/30/18

-9

0.70

61.8%

103.7

16%

44%

4

5

Chronicle

0.69

141

19/34/19

-15

0.56

63.8%

98.9

18%

33%

1

2

LOUD

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

aspas

1.18

234

38/25/9

+13

1.52

79.1%

147.2

27%

75%

6

2

cauanzin

1.16

220

35/25/13

+10

1.40

75.3%

139.8

26%

83%

5

1

Less

1.03

223

34/25/5

+9

1.36

67.5%

145.8

31%

45%

5

6

tuyz

0.87

136

20/24/26

-4

0.83

74.9%

93.7

31%

25%

2

6

Saadhak

0.76

166

22/32/20

-10

0.69

64.9%

110.2

14%

25%

3

9

Arguably the most anticipated match of the entire competition, the rematch of the VCT LOCK//IN Grand Finals saw LOUD and Fnatic kick off the first day of playoffs. On the map chosen by the Brazilians, Ascent, we witnessed a highly balanced match. Neither team managed to take the lead in the first half, which concluded with a tied score of 6-6.

LOUD secured both Pistol Rounds and started the second half with an advantage, which was quickly reclaimed by Fnatic. The match continued with back-and-forth action until the Brazilian team reached map point. They eventually closed out the match with an incredibly tight score of 13-11.

The match saw a very neck and neck Ascent, pick of LOUD. Despite yet again Emir "Alfajer" Ali Beder's best tries, LOUD's duo of Cauan "cauanzin" Pereira and Erick "aspas" Santos saw LOUD take their map pick.

FUT vs. Paper Rex

The second match of the day saw yet another 2-0 unfold as the Turkish FUT put up a good fight on the first map, but failed to match the firepower

On the map chosen by and dominated by Fnatic, Lotus, things took quite a different turn. LOUD started off strong, scoring and scoring heavily. The Brazilian team managed to establish a 6-0 lead on the scoreboard before Fnatic secured their first point. With solid performances from Felipe "Less" Basso and Erick "aspas" Santos, the Americas' representative concluded the first half with an 8-4 score.

Fnatic threatened a comeback by winning the Pistol Round and the Eco Round in the second half, but that's as far as the EMEA team managed to go. LOUD regained their momentum, winning rounds consistently and not letting up until the match concluded with a 13-6 score. In an unexpected 2-0, Fnatic are sent to the Lower Bracket. LOUD march on and get closer to that sought-after final.

PRX vs. FUT Esports

VCT 2023 - Champions

Paper Rex

2

X

0

FUT Esports

Upper Bracket Quarter Final, Best of 3 - August 16, 2023 - 9:22PM

13

Ascent

10

13

Pearl

4

Paper Rex

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

d4v41

1.53

262

35/21/25

+14

1.67

95.7%

157.0

31%

100%

4

0

f0rsakeN

1.30

268

36/28/13

+8

1.29

82.5%

176.7

27%

75%

3

1

something

1.29

260

39/22/5

+17

1.77

77.4%

165.0

30%

63%

10

6

Jinggg

0.93

186

30/27/7

+3

1.11

64.2%

118.8

21%

36%

5

9

mindfreak

0.68

118

19/19/7

0

1.00

73.0%

73.0

26%

50%

1

1

FUT Esports

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

MrFaliN

1.01

228

31/33/8

-2

0.94

69.3%

170.6

31%

50%

3

3

qw1

0.93

198

28/33/5

-5

0.85

66.5%

127.0

23%

54%

7

6

ATA KAPTAN

0.80

181

21/31/14

-10

0.68

61.3%

120.4

23%

33%

4

8

qRaxs

0.71

146

19/32/16

-13

0.59

72.3%

115.1

27%

0%

0

3

MOJJ

0.61

135

18/30/6

-12

0.60

58.4%

92.6

21%

50%

3

3

For the second match of the day, PRX faced off against FUT in a rather unconventional game. On FUT's chosen map, Ascent, the Pacific team opted for a composition that deviated from the norm, picking Reyna and Harbor. These choices didn't yield much success on the attacking side, as the Turkish team managed to conclude the first half with a comfortable 8-4 lead. However, losing the Pistol Round and the Bonus Round caused this advantage to dissipate rapidly.

PRX's players seemed to be everywhere on the map, and the decision to go with Reyna appeared to be worth the try. Ilya "something" Petrov managed to secure 24 kills for his team, spearheading PRX's comeback. They only dropped 2 rounds in the second half, ultimately sealing the map with a 13-10 victory.

On Paper Rex's chosen map, Pearl, the Pacific competitors showcased a completely one-sided game. They managed to conclude the first half with a dominating score of 11-1 and only dropped an additional 3 rounds in the second half. Led this time by a strong performance from Khalish "d4v41" Rusyaidee, PRX comfortably wrapped up the series 2-0 with a comfortable score of 13-4.

With this result, Paper Rex and LOUD are set to be opponents in the next stage of the playoffs.

For the schedule, stats, and matchups, make sure to check out our VCT Champions event page to be up to date!

Featured image photo credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games