After an overtime victory on Icebox, Fnatic dominated Version1 on Ascent to secure a 2-0 victory at VCT Masters Reykjavik. Version1 is out of the tournament in 5-6th place.
Day 5 Reykjavik lower bracket started with a much-awaited match between Version1 and Fnatic. The NA vs EU storyline in full swing, this match was also an elimination match and the stakes were high. Version1 had fallen to the lower bracket after 1-2 loss to Korea's Nuturn Gaming yesterday. Meanwhile, Fnatic has been in great form and has the momentum after a dominant 2-0 win over X10 esports.
Fnatic takes the overtime lead on Icebox
Fnatic started Icebox with a pistol round win and raced ahead to four kills. It was only in the fifth round that Version1 managed to bring one back. There was very little separating the two teams, although an interesting double kill by Penny helped Version1 get closer to Fnatic's five rounds.
The first half ended in an even 6-6 score but Version 1 took the second pistol round. As the lurker on the team, Jammyz had a big impact on these rounds and would always be a nagging though in Fnatic players' minds. Speaking of flanks, Fnatic's informational play on the B site during the 15th round allowed Jake "Boaster" Howlet to flank the unsuspecting Version1 players. He got two valuable kills hurting the V1 economy and winning the round for his team.
While Version1 was very successful in getting the spike planted but Fnatic's post-plant was on point. The European team managed two consecutive defuses, a rarity on Icebox. The teams traded rounds and the score was once again tied at 9-9. Version1 reached map point but an insane 3K by Derke saw Fnatic bring the game to overtime.
Version1's mind-games kept Fnatic always guessing about their plans for the round. With Vanity and Jammyz playing with Fnatic's understanding of the round, Version1 was able to pull ahead.
Doma and Derke power Fnatic to 2-0 win in lower bracket
Fnatic continued its momentun into Ascent where "BigDaddy" Domagoj "Doma" Fancev and Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev picked up the pace. After winning the pistol round, Version1's first gun round victory was in round 8. Meanwhile, Fnatic was ramping up its defense. Despite its best efforts, Version1 could never find its footing into the map allowing Fnatic to reach a 7-2 score.
The VCT Masters Reykjavik is the first international LAN event for Riot's FPS game. The tournament features the best teams from across the world and so far, North America and Korea look like the dominant regions. Valorant fans can catch the broadcast live on Twitch.
The D&D duo was a big reason for Fnatic's dominance as the duo played off each other to eliminate Version1 on multiple occasions. The first half ended with a 8-4 lead for Fnatic, still a respectable score for Version1.
Fnatic's deep playbook was instrumental in European team's dominance in the lower bracket match. Every time Version1 would find an opening, Fnatic's players would come up with something better. The European team was extremely dominant on Ascent and Version1 never had a chance on this map. Fnatic won Ascent with a 13-6 score and won the series 2-0.
With this victory, Fnatic advances to the lower bracket round 4 where the EU team will face the winner of Team Liquid and Vikings. Meanwhile, Sentinels and Nuturn Gaming will battle it out for a spot in the grand finals of the $600,000 LAN tournament.
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