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The big VALORANT celebration is getting ready to reveal to the fans of the shooter from Riot all its maps. The VALORANT Champions 2023 play-offs are getting ready in Los Angeles, where the top 8 teams from the group stage of Champions 2023 will compete for the championship title and the 1,000,000 cash prize.
The Shrine Expo Hall will once again host the first matches of the main stage. Opening the main stage will be Fnatic and LOUD and this match is the Quarter International essence of Champions 2023.
Fnatic are the champions of LOCK//IN and Masters 2023, while LOUD are the reigning champions of Champions. Both teams are clearly focused on maintaining their status and improving their performance, and the first step to realising all of that will be to win this match.
Let's try to figure out which of the Champions 2023 contenders will continue their way to the championship on the top play-offs grid, and who will have to play in the losers' grid after this Bo3, with no margin for error.
Let's go.
Fnatic uniforms
We start the analysis of the first play-offs match with the analysis of Fnatic's form. In this match the European club will play in the status of favourite.
Bookmakers are clearly on the side of the "orange". The odds for their victory are at around 1.2.
Fnatic has a total advantage and it appeared for a reason. All year the European club demonstrates a benchmark game on the international stage, and in general, the team is as capable as possible.
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 on Haven and 13-8 on Lotus brought Fnatic to the VALORANT Champions 2023 play-offs stage.
Fnatic Mappool
The most popular map for Fnatic is Lotus. Fnatic has played it 13 times and has 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.
LOUD form
Let's move on to a review of the playing conditions of the reigning world champions. In this match LOUD will play in the status of an outsider.
Bookmakers are not ready to move against Fnatic. The odds on the success of the Brazilians from LOUD are at around 3.7.
The odds are very high for such a top match. It hints at a significant gap between the teams in terms of game play, all because of Fnatic's performance, which in 2023 is unbeatable.
LOUD were top flight during the 2022 season. They played five championships in the past year, of which they won 3.
The list of triumphs includes VCT 2022: Brazil Stage 1 Challengers, VCT 2022: Brazil Stage 2 Challengers, but most importantly last year's VALORANT Champions 2022.
LOUD have maintained their ability this season. They started it with a top-2 finish at LOCK//IN Sao Paulo, and followed it up with a win at their home, the VCT 2023: Americas League.
Before Champions 2023, LOUD attended another international event. That was VCT 2023: Masters Tokyo, where the 2022 World Champions failed to reach the top. Their journey at the Tokyo Masters was interrupted by EDward Gaming, knocking LOUD out of the event at the Top 8 stage.
- LOUD lineup: aspas, Less, saadhak, cauanzin, tuyz .
The "newcomers" of the lineup are cauanzin and tuyz. The Brazilian duo replaced pANcada and Sacy in November last year and since then have been representing The International heresa LOUD on the international and domestic scene.
In the first match of VALORANT Champions 2023, the reigning world champions faced South Korea's first team DRX. The tense match ended in favour of the latter with a score of 2-1.
Next, LOUD had to play for survival against Liquid. The Brazilians outclassed their European counterparts and closed the series 2-0, defeating Liquid 13-2 and 13-8.
After a solid win over Liquid, LOUD met another EMEA resident of the region, NaVi. Born to win fought fiercely, but after three lengthy maps 13-11 to Pearl, 11-13 to Ascent and 11-13 to Bind, Natus Vincere Ledgeili, putting LOUD through to the play-offs.
LOUD's Mappool
LOUD's most popular maps are Split and Ascent. Both maps have been played 11 times, where the former has a 64% win rate and the latter has a 73% win rate.
In addition, they love Pearl. There in 9 matches LOUD has 56% winrate.
The worst is at Lotus, where the Brazilians managed to win 3 matches in 3 matches.
Do not play Breeze.
History of head-to-head meetings between Fnatic and LOUD
The only official game between the teams took place on Sao Paulo LOCK//IN. Then, in a full-fledged Bo5, Fnatic pulled out a victory, becoming champions of the first international event of the renewed League of Legends ecosystem.
Predicted result of the match Fnatic - LOUD at VALORANT Champions 2023
Considering the overall level of the teams, this match should be the jewel of VALORANT Champions 2023. Add to that a very dramatic storyline and we have a rehearsal for the Grand Final, no different.
From this match I expect a vigorous fight and creative solutions from both sides, but I still choose Fnatic as the winner. The Europeans looked too ultimates in the group, even though it was simpler than LOUD's, and on top of that has some boost at major tournaments. I'm sure LOUD will put up a fight, but I don't believe in their victory here.
Bottom line: Fnatic wins.
