Fnatic vs LOUD set for VCT LOCK IN grand finale after brutal NAVI takedown

VCT 2023 - LOCK//IN being the first VALORANT Champions Tour event of 2023 went above and beyond its expectations despite the slightly controversial single-elimination format it featured. Each matchup had immense stakes riding on it furthering the anticipation and entertainment value it produced. The penultimate day of the event featured two EMEA giants, Fnatic and Natus Vincere (NAVI), going head-to-head for a grand finals spot in a best-of-five map series.

VCT 2023 - LOCK//IN

Natus Vincere

0

X

3

Fnatic

Semi Final, Best of 5 - March 3, 2023 - 5:00PM

11

Haven

13

4

Lotus

13

11

Fracture

13

Natus Vincere

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

SUYGETSU

0.99

213

47/48/13

-1

0.98

69.4%

153.1

44%

78%

7

2

Shao

0.92

173

41/42/20

-1

0.98

77.7%

109.4

42%

60%

6

4

cNed

0.85

200

42/53/11

-11

0.79

69.6%

137.3

19%

59%

10

7

Zyppan

0.82

149

38/46/22

-8

0.83

64.3%

107.2

30%

46%

6

7

ANGE1

0.62

127

28/52/17

-24

0.54

58.2%

86.9

38%

44%

7

9

Fnatic

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

Leo

1.13

210

51/33/18

+18

1.55

85.5%

136.3

13%

80%

4

1

Chronicle

1.08

180

46/38/30

+8

1.21

79.1%

118.9

32%

20%

2

8

Alfajer

1.06

215

50/38/13

+12

1.32

72.1%

137.2

24%

44%

4

5

Derke

1.04

235

50/45/14

+5

1.11

75.2%

157.4

24%

38%

10

16

Boaster

1.01

201

44/42/20

+2

1.05

76.6%

122.1

17%

60%

9

6

Fnatic’s rampage continues

So far the tournament has witnessed some of the best teams in the world get toppled over by their counterparts in quite a destructive fashion, but no team did it better than Fnatic, who came into this matchup without dropping a single map and continued that trend against NAVI too putting the match to bed in less than three hours of gametime.

NAVI make Haven a difficult take

Proceedings for the matchup commenced on Haven, where Fnatic had proven themselves on multiple occasions in the event, but NAVI were yet to try it in a public match. NAVI started off strong, effortlessly securing the first two rounds but Fnatic, led by Leo "Leo" Jannesson’s efforts, quickly regrouped and launched a fierce counterattack eventually taking the lead with a score of 7-5 at halftime.

NAVI weren’t too bothered with the two-point deficit until Fnatic managed to regain their first half momentum and elevate their lead to 12-8 lurking one point away from gaining a 1-0 lead in the matchup. Pontus "Zyppan" Eek’s effort plays breathed a new life into the team and helped NAVI take three consecutive rounds to 13-11, a round from forcing decider. Unfortunately for them, Leo’s counters proved too much to handle and Fnatic walked away once again with a win on Haven.

Fnatic walk through Lotus

Despite being NAVI’s map pick, Lotus was Fnatic in control of the map’s momentum from the get-go. After taking the pistol round, they essentially became unstoppable taking six rounds in succession before the resistance from NAVI was successful; only briefly though, as Fnatic continued hammering down NAVI’s defensive line to post a 10-2 lead at halftime.

NAVI was almost done for but they still retaliated when teams switched sides and they came out on Offense. Following a couple of close rounds to NAVI, Fnatic decided to put an end to it all with three back-to-back defusals taking a 2-0 lead in the series. A familiar narrative seemed to be emerging as LOUD had managed to get a 2-0 lead and then surrendered the next two in rapid succession. Fortunately, however, Fnatic had Leo and Timofey "Chronicle" Khromov for their rescue.

Fnatic execute a clean sweep

Motives for both teams coming onto Fracture differed, but they shared a similar goal: win the map. NAVI had higher stakes riding on its outcome, whereas Fnatic did not want to delay their win any longer than necessary. The map began with NAVI with a newfound attitude on defense, which was seemingly more cautious than before. They were first to populate the scoreboard and build a lead of 5-1.However, Andrey "Shao" Kiprsky had his efforts rendered futile shortly afterwards as his teammates couldn’t hold onto the momentum and faltered allowing Fnatic to retaliate and even up the scores by halftime at six apiece.

To make matters worse for NAVI, the second half pistol round fell to Fnatic allowing them to widen the gap between the scores to 12-8 almost in the same way as they did on Haven. Once again, NAVI fought back valiantly and graciously managed to reach a score of 11-12. Just when they saw the possibility of Overtime on the horizon, Chronicle pulled of an elegant defusal to secure Fnatic’s grand finals spot and send NAVI back home.

MVP: Leo

NAVI came into this matchup with a similar record as Fnatic having lost no map in the tournament, which meant that they would be significantly more challenging than any other competitor Fnatic faced thus far. However, courtesy of Leo’s effort plays and unmatched demonstration of skills, they were able to emerge victorious with a 3-0 score. His efforts were particularly noticeable on Haven as well as the Offensive end of Lotus, both of which were crucial and must-win phases for Fnatic. He finished the matchup with an average 1.13 rating on 210 ACS with a 1.55 KD.

Remember to check out our VCT Hub for all information about the VCT 2023!

Featured image courtesy of Riot Games