Fnatic survive one more day. But their next match is against 100 Thieves and Boaster has already thrown a challenge.
The Group stages are coming to an end at VCT Champions Istanbul. Fnatic and FURIA faced each other in the Group D elimination match, the loser going home, the winner getting another chance of qualifying to the playoffs. Today, Fnatic emerged victorious, earning their well-deserved spot in the playoffs. The Fnatic players and coach Mini spoke to the press in the post-match press conference, explaining their composition on Icebox and mentality going into the game.
Fnatic picked up a comp without any duelist on Icebox. When asked in the post-match press conference about the agent composition, Coach Jacob "mini" Harris felt having a duelist is not necessary on Icebox.
Not on Icebox. I think Jett and Raze both have value on Icebox. But I think the Chamber version of the comp is the strongest. We’ve dabbled with Derke going Jett instead of Chamber. I dont think it’s a map that need a Duelist. It’s not a map that you need to dash out onto sites. The theory is Jett’s good on offense and Chamber on defense. But what’s the value on Icebox where you don’t actually need the Dash to go up. So it doesn’t really matter that much - not having a duelist.
Icebox started off with FURIA taking a huge lead winning the first four rounds. They had the aggression and the correct read on Fnatic’s movements across the map. While Fnatic did bounce back, five rounds on the attacking side was just not enough. FURIA had more than enough on the attacking side, emerging victorious. There were multiple individual clutches by the FURIA members with both dgzin and nzr stepping up for the team. Despite Fnatic’s Mistic putting up a strong showing, it wasn’t enough for them.
While the Fnatic players looked morose in Map 1, the second map saw the players bounce back not only in-game but also in their energy on stage. The EMEA squad looked charged and ready to go. Their performance on Breeze highlighted how they were able to get their mental reset after Map 1 and bounce back. Fnatic won Breeze with a 13-9 score, Alfazer and Boaster stepping up.
For Fnatic fans, watching the duo step up when Fnatic needed them the most is a welcome sign. Watching the Fnatic roster provide a well-rounded performance with frags and impact was a positive sign for Fnatic fans.
Fnatic continued its form into Map 3, Haven, although it was much closer than Breeze. There were multiple occasions where individual performances helped Fnatic secure crucial rounds. Towards the end of the map, Enzo was particularly impressive when it came to clutch situations.
Enzo pulled off quite a few clutches towards the end of Haven. He also won the final 1v1 to secu
I think I had control because the way the spike was planted he had to come and fight me. I knew that. As soon as I saw the Sage wall half-broken and I can hide from it. I knew I could play around it. I was like I could just seize him and if I seize him he would be low HP and that worked out. [...] He had to come to me and fight me and I knew it. Everything was in my hand. That’s why I was patient and won the round.
Fnatic's coach Mini also praised Mistic's performance in the match. Mistic had a splendid showing in the elimination match with a 248 ACS and multiple impact fragsm throughout the series.
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What’s next for Fnatic?
Fnatic is not out of the tournament yet, but they haven’t qualified for the playoffs either. Their next challenge is against 100 Thieves in an elimination match.
With Boaster having already thrown the challenge for 100Thieves in their next match, it will be interesting to see how the two teams match up against each other.
As for FURIA, they captured Valorant fans’ imagination and put up a very strong challenge. FURIA did not have a strong performance against DRX, and they almost secured the series against Fnatic. It was a close series, but FURIA can hold their heads high, proud of what they’ve accomplished so far.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest Valorant news and updates.
