Paper Rex and Evil Geniuses in Grand Finals, LOUD's bid for a repeat championship ends

In a thrilling match from start to finish, Evil Geniuses secured their spot in the VCT 2023 - Champions Grand Finals. The team will face off against Paper Rex tomorrow (26) to determine who will claim the title of World Champion.

Evil Geniuses vs. LOUD

VCT 2023 - Champions

Evil Geniuses

3

X

2

LOUD

Lower Bracket Final, Best of 5 - August 25, 2023 - 7:00PM

14

Ascent

12

13

Lotus

4

8

Pearl

13

7

Split

13

13

Bind

8

Evil Geniuses

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

Demon1

1.32

257

101/81/23

+20

1.25

78.6%

174.9

41%

59%

13

9

Ethan

1.11

192

68/72/65

-4

0.94

83.9%

127.4

24%

38%

5

8

jawgemo

1.04

221

82/80/18

+2

1.03

70.4%

132.7

15%

45%

10

12

Boostio

0.95

194

69/77/26

-8

0.90

76.7%

126.7

23%

57%

16

12

C0M

0.86

166

61/72/36

-11

0.85

73.7%

110.0

20%

30%

6

14

LOUD

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

aspas

1.17

252

95/81/14

+14

1.17

78.5%

164.2

25%

53%

18

16

Less

1.16

238

91/77/22

+14

1.18

79.6%

156.8

21%

59%

13

9

cauanzin

1.03

201

70/80/46

-10

0.88

77.3%

133.6

23%

55%

11

9

Saadhak

1.02

198

67/74/53

-7

0.91

74.9%

127.6

20%

48%

10

11

tuyz

0.87

154

58/69/49

-11

0.84

70.4%

100.5

25%

38%

3

5

Starting with Ascent, the clash was intense until the last round. EG's chosen map showcased a closely contested match that went into Overtime. However, the resilience of the North Americans prevailed, securing the first point in the series with a 14-12 score.

Moving to Lotus, a map where LOUD had performed strongly after a decisive victory against FNATIC, the Brazilian team seemed a bit lost at times. They couldn't contain the momentum of Evil Geniuses, who clinched a 2-0 series lead without much trouble, finishing the map 13-4.

With their backs against the wall, LOUD needed a comeback to recover the situation. And they did just that on Lotus, EG's chosen map. LOUD delivered an excellent first half, leading 9-3. Although EG managed to score in the second half, it wasn't enough to seal the series. LOUD won the map 13-8.

The story repeated itself on Split, with LOUD once again gaining an advantage in the first half and preventing EG from regaining their footing on the side swap. LOUD's aggressive playstyle led them to a 13-7 victory, tying the series 2-2 and taking the decision to the final map, Bind.

In the first BO5 of the competition, the fifth map was decisive. Bind became the battleground where everything would be settled. EG took an early lead, but LOUD managed to recover and score, ending the first half trailing 5-7. The second half saw LOUD's attempted comeback fade as Evil Geniuses closed any chances of a recovery. Unlike their mistake against PRX, the North American team held firm, concluding the series with a 13-8 score. This result sent the Brazilian team home earlier than anticipated with a 3-2 series score.

Check out our VALORANT Champions event page for stats, the bracket, and schedule of the event.

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