It’s a headline that will delight Fnatic fans around the world: Fnatic win VCT Lock In to secure their first major international Valorant trophy, in an incredible last-minute comeback.
Fnatic’s UK Valorant star Jake ‘Boaster’ Howlett wept tears of joy on stage after the win, his emotions the consequence of a rollercoaster final.
Fnatic win VCT Lock In in dramatic style
It was a final series for the history books – and one that dreams are made of.
London-headquartered esports organisation Fnatic had gone into the grand final of the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Lock In LAN in Brazil without dropping a single map.
They beat Sentinels, Furia, 100 Thieves and Navi with straight 2-0s (and Navi 3-0), while their final opponents, Brazilian organisation Loud, beat Gen.G 2-0, Karmine Corp 2-0, NRG 2-1 and DRX 3-2.
Fnatic started the final incredibly well, winning two straight games, before Loud evened the series 2-2.
In the final map, Icebox, it looked like Fnatic had let it go at the last hurdle. It looked like Loud were about to pull off an impressive reverse sweep.
Fnatic were 11-3 down, but then something magical happened.
Against the odds, Fnatic came back to beat Loud 14-12 – on their home ground – in a stunning result for European Valorant esports.
Fnatic win VCT Lock In, and at the same time secure their first major international trophy in Valorant.
It was also the first major Valorant trophy earnt for Boaster and his Finnish teammate Derke, while Russian player Chronicle became the first player to have two Valorant titles.
Fnatic’s Valorant team also includes Turkish player Alfajer, Swedish player Leo (who was named MVP in the final) and Polish substitute player Kamyk.
The Brazilian fans were left stunned, and back in London, Fnatic held viewing parties for delighted fans on home soil.
Fnatic took home the $100,000 top prize, while Loud received $60,000. The tournament had a $500,000 prize pool overall.
Aside from Boaster, other UK talent at the tournament included soulcas on Team Liquid, dephh on Sentinels, event host (and Boaster’s partner) Yinsu Collins, as well as casters Pansy, Hypoc, Tombizz, Bren and Sideshow, and Ireland was also represented by caster Mitchman.
The VCT grand final had a peak viewership of 1.4m+ according to Esports Charts, with average viewers of some 432,000.
The VoD of the final on Twitch has also been watched 3.2m+ times so far.
An emotional Boaster breaks down on stage after Fnatic win VCT Lock In
Fnatic Valorant IGL Boaster wept tears of joy in a post-match interview on stage.
He said: “Half an hour ago we were 11-3 down, and I was thinking ‘oh no, I’m gonna finish second again!’
“But, my teammates are really good and we somehow pulled rounds out of the bag…
“I don’t know why I’m crying. [I’m a] little baby! It was just a really good series – I love Valorant mate! I think I’m gonna get grey hair in like one year!”
Boaster, after Fnatic win VCT Lock In
Boaster added on Twitter after the win: “I thought we were going to lose another final there! My teammates didn’t let that happen though. Loud are a great team! So happy to finally lift a trophy and flex my big muscles! Thank you for all the support and sorry for the stress levels increase.”
He also said in the post-match Lock In grand final press conference: “Obviously it feels amazing. Even when we were 11-3 down, I looked up and saw the lights and the crowds chanting, and I thought, even if we lose, this is sick, I’m still happy and appreciative of being here. [the comeback] was insane.”
In terms of where his emotions and tears came from on stage after the win, Boaster explained: “My emotions were from remembering all my previous losses and the idea of people I love are watching, and I thought they might be proud, and I started crying.”
It’s a huge win for the UK IGL – Boaster targeted his first major Valorant trophy after extending his contract with Fnatic last September, saying: ‘I think we’ve got what it takes to be winners’.
Turns out he was right.
A UK esports legend was realised last night, his potential deservedly fulfilled.
Take a bow, Boaster – you’ve earned it.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
