Have the LAN monsters found their groove online in 2022? Fnatic get a win in the books on the first day of VCT Challengers One Main Event.
Fnatic narrowly came out on top over G2 Esports in a tight three-map series in their first match of the 2022 EMEA VCT Challengers One main event.
In game one, Fnatic got off to a strong start on Icebox very early. On their map pick, they climbed up to a 4-0 lead on the attacking side. But G2’s impressive defense in part to some clutch rounds had G2 with a 7-5 after halftime.
Fnatic was able to tie the game back at 7-7, following a triple kill from their newest member BraveAF in the second half pistol. G2 was able to only grab one singular round in the second half as Fnatic then went on to win the rest of the rounds off the back of really strong Jeyy play from Fnatic’s Derke.
Game 2 on Ascent once again began with an early lead for Fnatic and were able to lead the first half 9-3. However, G2 immediately bounced back when they grabbed the first four rounds as the two sides went back and forth until the game was tied at 11-11. Fnatic attempted one final desperate anti-eco push down mid before keloqz shut that down on his Jett.
Fnatic close out game 3 in first EMEA VCT series of 2022
In the final game deciding game, it was a battle between duelists as keloqz and Derke took the lead. This time, it was G2 who got the early head start before Fnatic brought the first half back to a close 6-6 scoreline.
However, it was Fnatic in the end who were able to take control of the second half due to Derke’s crafty Raze utility. This led to Fnatic being able to create crafty fake pushes to throw G2 off. This resulted in the final map going the side of Fnatic as they closed out Split 13-8.
An important win for Fnatic
This is a massive win for Fnatic, who was struggling with bouts of inconsistency online in the past. While they are able to showcase strong performance on LAN, online play is where the team has faltered before, and only qualified for VCT Champions 2021 in December because of their impressive second-place finish at VCT Masters Reykjavik.
Now, it appears 2022 could be a different story as Fnatic have taken a big first step in their journey towards Masters 1. They will look to improve their record against BBL Esports as G2 takes on SuperMassive Blaze.
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