Welcome to EGamersWorld.
The VALORANT main event of the year, Champions 2023, is heating up in Los Angeles. There are 8 teams left in the $2,250,000 world championship. But that number will begin to dwindle as early as today.
We open the finals of the VALORANT Champions 2023 play-offs. We open it with a very unexpected match - a clash between Fnatic and Paper Rex.
Unexpected match first of all because no one expected to see Fnatic in the first round of the play-offs. But still, they are here and now they have no margin for error.
Let's see if the main favourites for the VALORANT Championships will use their last chance or if another sensation awaits us.
Let's go.
Fnatic uniforms
We start the match analysis with Fnatic's form. In this match the team will play as clear favourites.
Bookmakers continue to believe in Fnatic no matter what. The odds for the victory of the best team in the EMEA region are at 1.1.
The figure is not surprising, because before Long Season VALORANT Champions Fnatic were the main contender for the Champions Cup. In fact, they are still in the lower grid, because their results this year are unbeatable.
Fnatic had a top-3 finish at VCT 2022: EMEA Stage 1 Challengers and then a win at VCT 2022: EMEA Stage 2 Challengers. It wasn't bad on the international stage either: Top 4 at VCT 2022: Stage 2 Masters - Copenhagen and then Top 6 at Champions 2022.
All of the aforementioned results only multiplied in 2023. Fnatic managed to play 3 events this season, and all of them were more than successful.
The year started with a top-1 finish at VCT 2023: LOCK//IN Sao Paulo, continued with a top-2 finish at VCT 2023: EMEA League, and before travelling to Los Angeles, Fnatic triumphed at VCT 2023: Masters Tokyo.
- Fnatic roster: Boaster, Leo, Derke, Chronicle, Alfajer, Kamyk .
The latest addition to the lineup was Kamyk. The Pole played with Fnatic at VCT 2023: EMEA League, but he is not a regular player.
Fnatic's first opponent for Champions 2023 was the Japanese from ZETA Division. The Asian club failed to offer Fnatic anything on two maps and lost with the score 6-13 and 5-13.
Next, Fnatic played another representative of Asia, but this time from China. Bilibili Gaming couldn't give Fnatic any resistance: 13-2 to Haven and 13-8 to Lotus brought Fnatic to the VALORANT Champions 2023 play-offs stage.
In the first match of the main stage of VALORANT Champions 2023, Fnatic faced the reigning world champions LOUD. Being the favourites to advance, Fnatic lost 0-2, thus ending up in the lower play-offs.
Fnatic Mappool
The most popular map for Fnatic is Lotus. Fnatic have played on it 13 times and have a 92% win rate.
Next are Haven and Split. Both have played 8 games each and have 88% wins each.
There's also Bind, Ascent, and Fracture. Each have 6 games each, but the former has 83% wins and the other two have 67% wins.
Fut Esports Form
We continue our match breakdown with an analysis of Paper Rex's match form. In this match, the team is playing in the status of an outsider.
Bookmakers do not believe in the Turkish club. The odds for Paper Rex to win are at around 9.
Such a total gap is due to the year-long form of Fut Esports. They have been showing a good game at home, but things have been so-so at the international level.
The first tournament for Paper Rex, like everyone else this year, was LOCK//IN Sao Paulo. There, Fut made it all the way to the top 16.
Next was the long EMEA League with a final top-3. They were knocked out by the future champions of the European league, Team Liquid, who left the World Championship early.
Prior to the VALORANT Champions 2023, the team played at Masters Tokyo, where they got there thanks to their success at the EMEA League 2023. The Tokyo majors ended with FUT Esports in the top 10, which, again, was not very good.
- FUT Esports roster: mojj, qRaxs, qw1, MrFaliN, ATA KAPTAN .
At Champions 2023 we got into Group B, where the only serious competitor was EG. The latter were ranked in their quartet TOP-1, while Fut finished on the 2nd line, having made it to the play-offs.
In the main stage the first opponent of FUT was Paper Rex. The Turks put up a fight on the first map (10-13 Ascent), but on the second map they frankly fell apart, beating Pearl 4-13.
FUT Esports Mappool
The most successful map Liquid - Ascent (75% wins in 8 matches). Next is Split (9 matches, 67% wins).
On Bind, Liquid has 60% wins in 5 games. On Fracture 57% winrate with 7 matches.
Head-to-head history
The teams have faced each other twice during the EMEA League 2023. Both times Fnatic won.
Predicted result of the match Fnatic vs FUT Esports
FUT Esports will be able to pull off a miracle in this match. I realise that Fnatic didn't come to Los Angeles exactly as they expected and getting to the bottom of the table spoils their image as a future winner, but they should have no problems against FUT.
Bottom line: 2-0 win for Fnatic.
