Fnatic get off to a winning start to their VCT EMEA 2023 season following a relatively easy win for them against Giants.
The VCT EMEA 2023 season has arrived at long last, and we begin with a banger in the form of Fnatic vs Giants. And you can follow all of the action here.
Team 1 | Team 2 | Map 1 | Map 2 | Map 3 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fnatic | Giants | Fnatic 13 - 3 (Icebox) | Fnatic 13 - 11 (Split) | N/A (Ascent) | Fnatic 2 - 0 |
Can Fnatic continue winning ways against Giants?
Fnatic are the talk of the town after their sensational performances at the VCT LOCK//IN tournament held in Sao Paulo last month; their first title in the VCT. While many have tipped them as early favorites to come out on top of the EMEA league they shall be faced with many tough tests throughout the season. Fnatic's road to Masters Tokyo has already been hit with setbacks as they will be without one of their star players in Emir Ali "Alfajer" Beder for the first week of matches while he deals with some Visa issues. Leaving Maks "kamyk" Rychlewski to fill in for him in the meantime.
They will be going up against a Giants team that were a bit of a mixed bag at LOCK//IN. While they were solid in their win over Detonation FocusMe, the inconsistencies they showed against NRG left much to be desired. Though they have had plenty of time since then to prepare themselves for what looks to be a grueling season for them, only time will tell if this Giants roster has what it takes to topple the heavyweights of the EMEA league, or if they will simply be a "middle of the pack" type of team.
Fnatic Roster:
- Jake "Boaster" Howlett (IGL)
- Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev
- Leo "Leo" Jannesson
- Timofey "Chronicle" Khromov
- Maks "kamyk" Rychlewski
Giants Roster:
- Emir "Rhyme" Muminovic (IGL)
- Adolfo "Fit1nho" Gallego
- Kirill "Cloud" Nehozhin
- Zygimantas "nukkye" Chmieliauskas
- Aaro "hoody" Peltokangas
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Fnatic makes quick work of Giants on Icebox.
The match begins with a return to Icebox for Fnatic. The site of their victory against LOUD in the LOCK//IN Grand Final. Both teams go for a near mirror match with their comps, with Nukkye opting to use Kayo instead of a sage. Fnatic opens up the map with four solid round wins. Prompting an early timeout from Giants. But it did little to stall Fnatic's momentum as they proceeded to pick Giants apart on their defense. Giants finally manage to a round win on the board, but the lead stands at 7 - 1 Fnatic.
The black and orange team take a commanding 10 - 2 lead into halftime. And manage to hit map point soon afterwards at 12 - 2. Giants manage to win their third round of the map and look as though they might win a fourth. But clutch plays from Boaster and Chronicle, as well as another fumble on Giants part are enough to secure Icebox 13 - 3 and take a daunting 1 - 0 lead in the series.
Map 2: Split
The match heads over to Split after a very one sided affair on Icebox. Fnatic opts to abandon their double-duelist composition and go with Derke on Raze and Chronicle on Breach. But the more interesting decision comes from nukkye as he opts to use the Raze instead of Fit1nho.
Giants wins the first pistol round and chain together three more of the back of that to give them their first lead in the series. Fnatic manages to get their first round on the board off of a 3k from Derke. And tie up the map at 4 - 4 in blistering fashion. Giants manage to stabilize but invest a lot of utility to do so. The teams go into halftime level at 6 - 6 in what has been a much closer affair between them than on Icebox.
Fnatic wins the second pistol to begin their attacking half. And they begin to pull away from their opponents with the lead building to 9 - 6. Fnatic hits double digits soon afterwards, and Giants find themselves staring down the barrel once more. Giants claw back two rounds of their own as they look to regain control of their map pick. The teams trade rounds with Fnatic hitting match point, and Giants retaining a sliver of hope that they can force the map into Overtime. It was a valiant effort from Giants all around, but alas they simply weren't able to overcome. Leaving Fnatic to take Split 13 - 11 and secure a 2 - 0 series win.
How to watch Fnatic vs Giants VCT EMEA
It is a new era for the VALORANT Champions Tour as we get set for the first season of Franchising. The VCT season will see 30 teams split into three region-based leagues of 10 teams, competing for the chance to secure a spot at both Masters Tokyo in June and Champions 2023 in August. Fans who wish to watch the Fnatic vs Giants match in the 2023 EMEA League may do so by heading to the VCT EMEA Twitch and Youtube Channels.
You can catch all the EMEA action and live results on our VALORANT EMEA hub.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for more esports news and VALORANT coverage throughout the VCT 2023 Season.
