São Paulo silenced: Fnatic win VCT 2023: LOCK//IN over Brazil's LOUD
Fnatic denies LOUD their second international VALORANT title as they stun the Brazilian squad in São Paulo, Brazil, after a close 3-2 victory.
Heading into this series, Fnatic was the undisputed frontrunner after qualifying for the Grand Final without dropping a single map. Viewed as the "EMEA superteam", Fnatic went into every series at VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo with a confident swagger that felt unrivaled by any other team at the event. After taking down their EMEA rivals, Natus Vincere, in the semifinals yesterday.
For LOUD, even they did not expect to make it as far as they did. After their VCT Champions 2022 victory in Sept. 2022, the Brazilian team lost both Bryan "pANcada" Luna and Gustavo "sacy" Rossi to the Sentinels, forcing them to bring on two new players to the team in 2023. However, LOUD proved all throughout VCT 2023: LOCK//IN that the magic was still there. Time and time again, LOUD showcased their strong level of play as they stood against some of the tournament's top contenders like DRX and NRG to reach the VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo Grand Final.
That, unfortunately, was not enough to stop the EMEA superteam of Fnatic from early dominance in the Grand Final.
Fnatic bring it to series map instantly
Fnatic were undefeated at VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo
Fnatic was in top form throughout the first two maps on Ascent and Fracture as Leo "Leo" Jannesson was an unstoppable force looming over LOUD in front of their home crowd. Leo amassed a total of 46 kills throughout the first two maps as his utility usage on Sova kept track of every attempted push from the side of LOUD. Notably, Fnatic's performance on Ascent held LOUD's star duelist Erick "aspas" Santos to a 0.55 Rating as he was constantly countered at the start of every round.
The LOUD house: LOUD's near reverse sweep electrifies crowd
Down 0-2, LOUD completely shifted their level of play. Instead of a dominant 3-0 sweep from Fnatic, we saw LOUD rise to the occasion as the São Paulo crowd started to grow louder and louder. Maps three and four on Split and Lotus saw Felipe "Less" Basso handle the pressure of being down with ease. His 46 kills on the two maps led LOUD to a fifth and final game on Icebox, where the team's dominance would continue.
The São Paulo crowd erupted as LOUD's dominance from maps three and four continued on Icebox as the Brazilians ended the first half up 9-3 over Fnatic. Shortly after, they collected two more rounds to bring the map to 11-3 as Fnatic were on the brink of letting another championship slip through their fingertips.
Fnatic stun LOUD to win first VCT title
Down eight rounds, Fnatic slowly inched their way back on the attack side of Icebox. As each round passed, so did the Brazilian's chances of being able to win their second international VALORANT title. Soon after, Fnatic did the impossible as they climbed their way out of a 3-11 hole and brought the series to overtime at 12-12. There, Fnatic finally put the closing seal on their most dominant performance as the EMEA superteam became the first champions of VCT 2023.
Following Fnatic's victory at VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo, teams will have a short period of rest before the regional leagues begin on March 26, 2023. There, teams will be competing for a spot at VCT Masters Tokyo and eventually, VCT Champions 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
You can watch the action unfold on VCT's Twitch and YouTube channels.
