The Battle for the VALORANT Champions 2022 Upper Bracket Final: LOUD Secures First Spot
The fight for the first spot in the upper bracket final at VALORANT Champions 2022 began today, and LOUD emerged as the victor. If LOUD can win their next match, they will advance to the grand final. This would mark the second time the Brazilian team has played in an international VCT grand final.
Close Match Between LOUD and DRX in the Upper Bracket Semifinal
During the upper bracket semifinal at VALORANT Champions 2022, LOUD faced off against Korean team DRX. The first map of the match ended with a tense 13-11 score in favor of LOUD. On Haven, LOUD exhibited their dominance and secured an easy 13-6 victory.
Potential Rematch: LOUD vs. OpTic in the Upper Bracket Final
If OpTic wins their match against XSET, the upper bracket final will be a rematch of both the upper bracket final and grand final from Stage One Masters Reykjavík 2022. During that event, LOUD remained in the upper bracket for the entire tournament. They defeated OpTic in the upper bracket final but ultimately lost to them 3-0 in the grand final.
DRX’s Journey and Hopes for Progression
DRX, a roster that transitioned from Vision Strikers earlier this year, has consistently placed in the top six in every international tournament they’ve attended, except VALORANT Champions 2021 where they placed top-12 as Vision Strikers. If DRX gets eliminated in the lower bracket, they will once again secure a top-six placement. However, this will deny them any progress in the international circuit ahead of franchising in 2023. So far, NUTURN Gaming is the only Korean team that has advanced farther than DRX.
Down but not out. @DRX_VS will continue their run in the lower bracket starting tomorrow. #VALORANTChampions pic.twitter.com/hL6rRzknl9
— VCT Pacific (@vctpacific) September 12, 2022
If DRX gets eliminated in the lower bracket, LOUD will move on to the upper bracket final against the winner of the NA semifinal match. DRX, on the other hand, will compete against EU’s Fnatic, who recently lost to XSET. The matches will take place tomorrow along with the battle between FunPlus Phoenix and the loser of the NA match. LOUD will have a few days to prepare for the upper bracket final scheduled for September 16.