FNATIC Finally Secures Elusive International Trophy With VCT LOCK//IN 2023
After failing to secure a trophy in their several international appearances, FNATIC won VALORANT Champions Tour LOCK//IN 2023 after they defeated LOUD 3-2 in the best-of-5 grand finals.
Your #VCTLOCKIN Winners! pic.twitter.com/KzoT0CoZVy
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) March 5, 2023
Led by the only remaining player in their original roster, Jake “Boaster” Howlett, FNATIC finally secured their first-ever international title in VALORANT which eluded the team for so long. Prior to LOCK//IN 2023, the closest they came to lifting an international trophy was way back in Master Reykjavík 2021 where they got swept by Sentinels 3-0 in the grand finals.
The strongest EMEA representative in the tournament wasted no time and captured the first two games of the series, securing Game 1 on Ascent 13-8 and Game 2 on Fracture 13-7. In both games, Leo Jannesson led the teams in frags as the team’s initiator, finishing 23/12/13 on Ascent with his Sova and 23/11/3 on Fracture with his Fade.
Unfortunately, despite clinching the series matchpoint, FNATIC was then met by LOUD’s indomitable will to extend the series, losing Game 3 on Split 13-9 and Game 4 on Lotus 13-8. It was LOUD’s anchor Felipe “Less” de Loyola that prevented FNATIC from ending the series on either game as he recorded 24/14/5 on Split as Viper and 22/11/4 on Lotus as Killjoy.
With both teams tied 2-2 in the series, FNATIC then closed it out on the decider map Icebox, scoring 14-12 in overtime.
It started badly for FNATIC as they were down 9-3 prior to halftime and then lost the first two rounds of the second half. Fortunately, their call for a timeout at Round 15 paid dividends as it eventually started a nerve-wracking 9-round win streak, thereby silencing the once-thunderous LOUD crowd at São Paulo, Brazil. They, unfortunately, lost Round 24 but, with everything back to zero in overtime, they managed to snuff out LOUD and win the game and the series.
As the VCT LOCK//IN 2023 champions, FNATIC takes home USD $100,000 along with an extra slot at Masters 2023.
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