ASE vs FUT Masters Tokyo 2023: FUT clutch up against ASE to keep their Masters hopes alive

It's elimination day here at the Tipstar Dome Chiba as we get ready for a tense match in the form of ASE versus FUT here at Masters Tokyo. We are here to bring you all the action, so make sure you keep an eye on this page.

The fate of two regions rests in the balance in this crucial matchup between ASE and FUT. Both sides were fairly disappointing in their opening matches of Group B, and will be in need of a swift response if they wish to fight another day here in Tokyo.

FUT Esports were dealt a crushing defeat at the hands of Evil Geniuses in their first match of the Group Stage. While they certainly had their moments against the Americas league side, especially in Map 2 of that series, they looked far from the team that wowed fans throughout the EMEA League. With their tournament and Champions 2023 hopes on the line in this series, we have to wonder if we will see a more resilient FUT performance today, or if we will be singing the Turkish side's swan song by the end of this match.

Attacking Soul Esports found themselves in a similar situation to FUT in their opening match, losing 2-0 at the hands of DRX. While it was a fairly straightforward win for DRX in that match, we saw a few glimpses of promise from this ASE squad, especially from their star duelist Life, that would suggest that they will be more than a match for FUT today. Although the stakes aren't quite as perilous for ASE as they will be for FUT, they will still be hopeful that they can push further on into this tournament in what would be a great moment for the Chinese VALORANT scene as a whole.

We begin the match with a trip to Haven, curtesy of FUT, for Map 1 of this series. Both sides opt to go for a double initiator setup, however we see a slight adaptation come in from the side of FUT as qRaxs opts to go with Gekko instead of a traditional Sova.

ASE wins the opening pistol round as well as their anti-eco with relative ease. And they are able to secure a couple more rounds before FUT are able to get themselves on the board. But that does little to disrupt ASE's momentum as the Chinese side continues to ramp up the aggression on their defensive side. A playstyle which unnerves FUT quite a bit as ASE dismantles their slow, methodical approach. FUT are able to get themselves a couple more rounds on their attack side, but it is ASE who go into halftime in full control with a 9 - 3 lead.

FUT are able to take the second pistol round as they attempt to salvage some pride on their map pick. However, ASE are able to take the eco round as well as their bonus round to increase their lead to 11 - 4. A desperate 4k from ATA KAPTAN gives the Turkish side a slim chance of redemption. But, an equally impressive play out of Life, coupled with another blunder from FUT, puts ASE on match point and FUT's economy in the dirt. Yet with their backs against the wall, FUT finally make their presence known as the cut into ASE's lead. But it ends up being a story of too little, too late for them. Leaving Attacking Soul Esports to walk away with a 13 - 8 win on Haven to give themselves a 1 - 0 lead in the series.

Attacking Soul Esports bring us to Ascent for the second map of this series following their impressive performance on Haven. This time around we get a full mirror match in terms of the team comps as both sides opt to go with the traditional double-initiator setup.

FUT are able to hold in the first pistol round to give themselves their first lead of the match. And they manage to chain together their anti-eco and their bonus rounds in a much improved performance from the Turkish team early in this map. ASE responds with two strong pushes on their attack to cut the lead to 3 - 2. But a huge 4k from MrFaliN allows FUT to put a dent in any sort of momentum ASE were hoping to muster. The lead continues to grow for FUT as their defensive setups are able to stifle ASE's attack side aggression. But a slight blunder from the Turkish side on round 11 gifts ASE with a couple more rounds. But, FUT maintain a narrow 7 - 5 lead to take with them into halftime.

A heroic display from qw1 enables FUT to take the second pistol round on Ascent. And they are able to once again chain their anti-eco and bonus rounds together as they cross the ten point mark on the map. FUT's round streak stretches to five in a row as they reach map point at 12 - 5, with ASE still unable to find much of an answer. And with one final flawless round out of FUT, the Turkish side are able to put their opponents away on Ascent 13 - 5 to tie up the series and keep their tournament hopes alive.

With the teams all tied up we head down to Lotus for third and final map of this series, with one team departing Tokyo at the end of it. FUT opt to go with their trusty double-controller composition. Whereas ASE elects to stick with a double-initiator setup.

FUT takes the opening pistol round to set themselves up for early success on their attack side. And they get their anti-eco but are unable to convert the bonus as Life springs into action for ASE. This does little to disrupt FUT as they begin to bulldoze their way through ASE's defensive setups as the game looks to be getting out of hand for the Chinese side. Though ASE are able to get a few more rounds on the board, they are unable to prevent FUT from taking a sizeable 8 - 4 lead into halftime.

A big 1 v 2 clutch from FUT IGL MrFalin enables them to snatch the second pistol round away from ASE. And the Chinese side goes for a desperate force-buy in rounds 13 and 14 in an attempt to keep themselves in the game. Only to be met by a wall of bullets on the side of FUT as they crack the double-digit mark. ASE are able to get their fifth round on the board. But as the rounds continue to get scrappy, the more it begins to favor FUT. The Turkish side hit match point at 12 - 5 which puts ASE in an even more desperate state of mind than before. And with one final bit of brilliance, this time from qw1, FUT manage to close out Lotus 13 - 6. Giving themselves a 2 - 1 series win to keep their Masters and Champions hopes alive and kicking.

VCT Masters Tokyo is here at long last. Ten teams representing each of the three leagues, as well as two invited teams from China, are set to battle it out in Japan for a chance at Masters glory. All of the matches will be streamed live from the Tipstar Dome Chiba on the VALORANT Twitch and YouTube channels. Those of you who wish to watch the Attacking Soul Esports versus FUT match at Masters Tokyo may do so by clicking the links above or by tuning into our embedded live stream window down below.

Check out our VCT Masters Tokyo results article for all of the latest information regarding this tournament.

Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest VALORANT news and updates.