Vitality vs Fnatic VCT EMEA: Fnatic scrape together a 2 – 0 win over Vitality.

Week 6 of VCT EMEA kicks off with a huge match in the form of Vitality vs Fnatic. One side can clinch their spot in the playoffs today, whereas another could see their prospects start to dwindle. So stay tuned to this page as we look to bring you all of the action as it happens.

Fnatic have continued to grow from strength to strength so far in the EMEA League. They currently sit at the top of the table at 5 - 0 and have only dropped one map thus far in the league. They have had some close encounters across these five weeks, but have looked pretty dominant for the most part. A win today will guarantee their spot in the EMEA Playoffs, no matter where they finish. But at the rate things are panning out for them, Fnatic could very well go undefeated across the whole of League play. But Vitality will likely have a thing or two to say about that.

Vitality, in contrast to Fnatic, have been on a bit of downward spiral in their past few matches. Their losses against BBL Esports and NAVI in Weeks 4 and 5, have left cast an ominous cloud over the teams chances of securing a spot in the Playoffs. A win against Fnatic today would go a long way on getting Vitality back on the right track for the remainder of League Play going forward. Whereas a loss would see them drop out of the Top 6 for the first time this season. With pressure continuing to mount on Vitality, we have to wonder what kind of performance they can muster against the league leaders today.

We head to Haven for Map 1 of this series curtesy of Fnatic. Both sides opt to use a double initiator, double controller setup, with the only key difference being BONECOLD on Omen versus Boaster's Astra.

Fnatic take the opening pistol round curtesy of an early ace for Derke. And he continues his hot start as Fnatic also take the anti-eco. Vitality hit back at them with three rounds of their own, as the Golden Hornets opt to lean into their retake ability. But Fnatic manage to work their way around that plan as they retake the early advantage at 5 - 3, with Derke picking up his second ace of the map. Yet Vitality come out of this first half in the lead at 7 - 5 after three bizarre blunders from Fnatic.

Fnatic takes the second pistol round of the match as they attempt to regain some control on their map pick. And they proceed to tie things up in the anti-eco, but Vitality regain the lead with their first attack round of the half. Two big plays from Boaster and Derke on their eco round allows them to keep things level. The game continues to be a scrappy affair, which continues to unnerve Fnatic as Vitality hits the double digit mark at 10 - 9. Fnatic reach 10 points themselves following a much needed timeout. And they manage to hit map point following a late blunder from Vitality in round 21. But again Vitality manage to regain control of the map. Forcing the game into Overtime.

Fnatic put themselves back onto map point with a well orchestrated attack round. But this time, Vitality weren't able to grind things out as they had done in regulation. Leaving Fnatic to come out on top of this brawl on Haven 14 - 12 to give themselves a 1 - 0 lead in the overall series.

After coming out on the losing side of the scrappy affair on Haven, Vitality brings us to Bind for Map 2. This match marks the first time that Bind has appeared in VCT EMEA since it was brought back into the map pool. And while both teams go for a near mirror-composition, Vitality goes for the unusual decision to place Twisten on Sage. An agent which he has never played before in a competitive match.

Vitality takes the opening pistol round of the map thanks in part to another bizarre play from Fnatic in this match. Bonecold gets a 4k to net Vitality their anti-eco round. Fnatic respond with two rounds of their own to get things going on their attack. But Vitality spring back in front off of big clutchs from BONECOLD and ceNder, who are proving to be a handful for Fnatic. Prompting Fnatic to use their first timeout of the map. But Vitality continue to play to their strengths as their lead stretches to 6 - 3, with Fnatic really struggling to make much of dent in their opponent's defense. Fnatic dig deep to string together a few more rounds to tie the map up at 6 - 6.

Boaster clutches up for Fnatic in the second pistol round to give themselves their first lead on Bind at 7 - 6. Vitality punch back in with an eco round, but Fnatic flip the script with a Thrifty win. Enabling them to start creeping away with the lead at 10 - 7. Prompting Vitality to use their first timeout of the map. It remains a chaotic affair, but Fnatic continues to grow their lead as they eventually reach match point at 12 - 8. Vitality certainly had the advantage in the first half where their initial setups seemed to give Fnatic a hard time. But as the orange and black side looked much more put together on their defensive half. And that ended up being the difference maker as Fnatic managed to take Bind 13 - 8 to take a 2 - 0 series win over Vitality.

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 Vitality vs Fnatic 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.