Battle for the EMEA Throne: Fnatic faces Natus Vincere at the VCT LOCK//IN São Paulo 2023 Omega Group Finals
After a close Alpha Group finals where LOUD took down DRX, the second day of the VCT LOCK//IN will feature the Omega Group Finals. One of the most consistent EMEA teams in Natus Vincere will take on the newly made superteam in Fnatic. The match will kick off in a few hours and will be one of the most interesting Valorant series. Let's look at the history of both the teams and what rest's on their shoulders going into the fixture.
CIS FPS Goats - Natus Vincere:
Introduction:
Credits: Valorant Esports - VCT LOCK//INNatus Vincere is one of the biggest names in CIS Esports. With such a huge fan following, they secured a Valorant partnership. The organisation secured the FPX core in Ange1, Shao, Suygetsu and Zyppan with coach Doombr0s. The team brought in cNed, the Turkish superstar, to fill the vacancy left by Ardiis. The NaVi roster is the only team with all five members being previous champions.
The squad comprises some of the best players in their respective roles. The strength lies in clean executes and discipline. The team also has some of the best aimers in the game. Starting with one of the best operators in cNed, three strong support in Shao, Suygetsu and Zyppan. Ange1 leads the squad and is one of the smartest IGLs in mid-rounding currently in competitive Valorant.
NaVi at VCT LOCK//IN:
NaVi is currently looking super clean with a strong 6-0 record. The team defeated KRU Esports, Team Secret and Leviatan, with a team getting at most 10 rounds against them. All five players of NaVi currently boast a +ve KDR and a minimum ACS of 190 on Suygetsu.
VCT LOCK//IN stats for NaVi:
- Pistol Round Win: 66.67%
- Second-Round Conversion (After Pistol Round Win): 87.50%
- Second-Round Win (After Pistol Round Defeat): 25.00%
- Bonus-Round Conversion: 42.80%
- Attack win: 80.00%
- Defence Win: 52.63%
- Round Win: 66.67%
- Most Banned Map/s: Haven
The EU Superteam - Fnatic:
Introduction:
Credits: Valorant Esports - VCT LOCK//INFnatic has been a consistent name in international competition. But the roster has gone major changes. But one good thing about the team is that Fnatic looks good after every roster change and has been looking dominant since the recent roster change. The Fnatic retained the core in Derke, Boaster and Alfajer and added VCT Masters Berlin 2021 Champion in Chronicle and Guild's Leo. Chronicle and Leo are two of the strongest F/A's on the market and are a few of the most flexible players in the EU.
Despite not getting any titles, Fnatic is surely one of the strongest teams in Valorant Competitive and has always been a danger to face. A big part of the team's success lies in the innovative set plays and executes created by mini and Boaster. Not to take away from the fact that Derke is one of the game's best and most consistent Duelists/Operators. This, paired with talented support in Alfajer, Chronicle and Leo, Fnatic is one big EU superteam, created to dominate the competition.
Fnatic at VCT LOCK//IN:
Like NaVi, Fnatic took down the competition without dropping a single map. Fnatic's flexibility and Boaster's leading especially shone when they faced Furia's unconventional composition. Apart from the Furia game, Fnatic also easily took down the Americas' superteam in Sentinels and the Young stars in 100 Thieves. Derke currently leads the competition in terms of ACS, KAST and KDR. Leo and Chronicle are also among the best-rated players in the tournament.
VCT LOCK//IN stats for NaVi:
- Pistol Round Win: 50.00%
- Second-Round Conversion (After Pistol Round Win): 100.00%
- Second-Round Win (After Pistol Round Defeat): 0.00%
- Bonus-Round Conversion: 40.00%
- Attack win: 63.07%
- Defence Win: 62.68%
- Round Win: 62.87%
- Most Banned Map/s: Pearl
Head-to-Head:
In 2022, the Fnatic and NaVi cores took on each other six times with the record 4-2 in favour of Fnatic. Fnatic has since received major upgrades in Chronicle and Leo, replacing Mistic and Enzo. Natus Vincere themselves changed Ardiis with cNed. Throughout the tournament, we've seen Fnatic show some insane set plays and strategies, including the half-shield buy, allowing them to buy more consistently. Additionally, there were some interesting utility combinations from Fnatic.
NaVi, on the other hand, relies heavily on discipline and perfectly executing plans. The mid-round calling and adjustment from Ange1 and the anti-strating from doombr0s have greatly helped Ex-FPX and NaVi succeed a lot. NaVi follows simple plans and relies on perfect execution to achieve success. They also boast the strongest mechanically talented trio in Shao Suygetsu and Zyppan, who shred apart the enemy defence with aim alone.
The winner of today's match will be decided by which team makes the least mistakes. Both teams have great captains and coaches and will be ready with anti-strats against each other. We have already seen how well Fnatic adjusts in the Furia game. It will be interesting to see what both teams come up with to outplay each other.
Map Veto Predictions:
Both teams have a single perma-ban in Haven for NaVi and Pearl for Fnatic. Fnatic looks super strong on Haven, which means NaVi will most likely keep the same perma-ban in Haven. On the other hand, We have not seen Pearl from Fnatic, but they had a decent Pearl with the same core. They still need to play the map, but it won't be a surprise if Fnatic throws a curveball and bans Ascent, NaVi's stronghold. But the most likely map veto will be the five maps without Haven and Pearl.
The clash for the throne of EU between Fnatic and Natus Vincere will kick off in a few hours. The winner of the fixture will determine the top dog of VCT EMEA and the team to beat in the upcoming League.