London-based Fnatic have held on at the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Masters Toronto, after defeating Rex Regum Qeon to stay in the tournament.
The team bounced back after losing to Gen.G Esports in their first match to fall into the lower bracket and possible elimination.
They now have an uphill battle, as they are forced to fight throughout the lower bracket, where one mistake will see them out of the tournament.
Fnatic fall to Gen.G Esports
Fnatic (FNC) were left to go up against the undefeated Gen.G Esports (GEN), who had come up through the Swiss Stage of the tournament.
GEN were first on the board in the first map, Haven, after taking the first two rounds.
However, it was FNC that took the early lead to dominate the first half, 8-4.
All seemed to be going well for the team until GEN fought back hard in the second half.
GEN would take control of the half and eventually take the first map in a close 13-11.
Moving onto the second map, Split, it was the attack side that saw the most success.
Amidst the chaos was a power outage within the arena, forcing the match to be paused for almost an hour.
With their backs against the wall, FNC sprang into action, taking round by round to push the map into overtime.
Working together as one death squad, FNC were able to take the second map 14-12.
Ultimately, their efforts weren’t enough as the team headed onto Sunset.
GEN would hold on to each advantage to easily take control of the game, ending the first half 8-4.
Despite FNC taking the pistol round in the second half, GEN were able to close out the map and series, 13-6.
Fnatic would be knocked down into the lower bracket to face Pacific’s first seed, Rex Regum Qeon (RRQ).
Resurgence against Rex Regum Qeon
Despite losing to Paper Rex, RRQ were a formidable opponent for FNC and proved to be quite the challenge on the first map on Lotus.
FNC were able to quickly bounce back to comfortably take the map, 13-5.
Not to be outdone, RRQ snapped back at FNC, after taking the first half on Haven, 10-2.
Having only taken two rounds in the entirety of the first half, FNC looked lost as they tried to find their footing in the second half.
Stubbornly, FNC attempted to hold every site as if they had nothing left.
Ultimately, this didn’t work out for FNC, as RRQ took the second map, 13-6.
It all came down to the final map as both teams faced elimination.
In a bold move, FNC picked Chamber and Vyse, making for an aggressive team composition alongside Yoru.
Turkish star, Emir ‘Alfajer’ Beder, became the star of the show, going as far as to secure three 4k’s for himself.
The match soon moved towards FNC’s favour, which they were able to capitalise on to slowly edge closer to victory.
Their lead soon became too much for RRQ, as FNC closed out the series in comfortable fashion.
Fight for survival
Fnatic will continue to fight in the lower bracket, hoping to reach the finals of VCT Masters Toronto.
For the team, every round will count as each lost map is one step closer to elimination.
Their next match will be tomorrow at 8pm BST, where they’ll face the loser of tonight’s Paper Rex vs Sentinels.
Paper Rex took many by surprise after they took down the Americas’ first seed, G2 Esports.
Proving themselves to be a formidable force, they now face fellow Swiss Stage team, Sentinels.
Sentinels are currently undefeated as they head into this matchup, having only dropped one map in the tournament to China’s Bilibili Gaming.
Despite this, in the post-match press conference, Fnatic were keen to face Sentinels in their next match.
Covers: League of Legends, Valorant, UK esports, and global esports and gaming news.
Throughout my career, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and working with many incredible individuals who continue to humble me to this day. Because of them, I’ve had the energy to turn a hobby into a career. I work to honour those who have given me a chance and thrive thanks to the community.
Email: [email protected]
