VCT Masters Two Reykjavík Reaches Grand Final
After six action-packed days of VALORANT, the VCT Masters Two Reykjavík is coming to an end with the grand final set for championship Sunday. Fnatic has advanced out of the lower bracket, defeating Korea’s NUTURN Gaming, and will face Sentinels in the final series. It’s a showdown between North America and Europe once again.
Fnatic got off to a strong start on Bind in the series, leading 8-4 at half-time. However, NUTURN came back into the match thanks to the playmaking abilities of allow and Lakia. Fnatic missed out on the usual output from Derke, who had a quiet series against Team Liquid. Despite this, Fnatic held off NUTURN’s comeback attempt, punishing their slow playstyle and securing map one with a clutch play from Boaster.
NUTURN needed to win their own map pick, Ascent, to stay alive in the series and the tournament. They answered Fnatic’s opening pistol with six rounds of their own and ended the half leading 8-4. NUTURN punished Fnatic’s aggression in the second half pistol. Although Derke started to perform better for Fnatic, NUTURN still won the map 13-8.
With a spot in the grand finals on the line, the series moved to a final map on Haven. NUTURN has struggled on Haven throughout the tournament. They adopted the composition used by Sentinels, swapping out Breach and Raze for Cypher and Phoenix. Lakia had 17 kills at halftime, but NUTURN still trailed 8-4 after their defensive side. Losing another pistol round and force buy sealed the deal for the Korean team. Fnatic dominated on Haven with a 13-8 victory to close out the series.
Fnatic’s back-to-back wins today are even more impressive considering Derke’s absence at the top of the scoreboard in previous matches against Liquid and the opening match against NUTURN. However, the team’s ability to win without Derke’s stellar performance is a positive sign for European fans. Derke’s impact was evident in the matches on Ascent and Haven.
In the grand finals, Fnatic aims not only to defeat Sentinels for the first time but also to become the first team in Reykjavík to take a map off the North American powerhouse. Sentinels has shown a dangerous mix of individual skill and excellent teamwork, and they previously sent Fnatic to the lower bracket. This rematch in the grand finals will be Fnatic’s toughest challenge yet.
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