Fnatic doubles down, win second VCT EMEA trophy in a row

Fnatic has secured a dominant victory in the VALORANT Champions Tour EMEA Stage Two finals, claiming their second consecutive regional title and crushing Vitality’s hopes in the process.

While pre-match predictions buzzed with anticipation of a nail-biting showdown after Vitality’s recent playoff triumphs, Fnatic walked off stage after a complete dominance. With this victory, Fnatic heads to VALORANT Champions with the first seed representing the region and plenty of momentum. However, the international tournament kicks off on Aug. 1, leaving the team with less than two weeks to prepare for the global stage.

The grand finals unfolded dramatically; map one was a convincing victory for Fnatic, showcasing their defensive prowess. Derke and Alfajer with their duelists spearheaded the offensive onslaught, leaving Vitality with little room to breathe. Despite Vitality’s display of resilience in the second half of the game with four consecutive rounds, ultimately Fnatic’s early lead proved insurmountable.

The pattern continued on Ascent. Vitality mirrored Fnatic’s dominance on the attacking side in the first half, and although did score sporadic rounds, it was Vitality who won the second map. With the casters’ announcement of “a series in our hands” resonating in the Riot Games Arena in Berlin, the third map began. 

Lotus was the map, and Fnatic excelled on defense once again as their retake expertise shone brightly with a solid first-half start. Vitality refused to go down without a fight and clutched nine rounds for themselves, but it was not enough to put a stop to their opponents’ aggressive plays. 

As the match moved to the fourth map Bind, the audience in the Arena and at home hoped for a full five-game series—but Fnatic had a different plan in mind. With their eyes set on a much-needed rest before their boot camp in Korea ahead of Champions, Fnatic dominated Bind, giving the audience the impression the map would be closed before Vitality could even score one round.

But Vitality picked up the last two rounds of the first half of the map, moving to changing sides with a glint of hope in their sight. However with the second pistol of Bind going in favor of Fnatic, Vitality couldn’t simply find a way to turn the tables, losing the last map of the match for 13-3.

Fnatic’s victory projects them onto the international stage where they’ll have to redeem themselves after their performance at Masters Shanghai, but this time they have a secret weapon, their very own “hero.”

With Leo taking a break from competitive VALORANT until the end of the season, Fnatic has fielded the rookie Emirhan “hiro” Kat since mid-June, and the big-stage newcomer has yet to lose a match. With a newfound energy after the win and a fresh approach under the form of Hiro, Fnatic and their first seed at Champions promise to represent EMEA until the very end.