OpTic VALORANT Roster Saves the Day with a 2-0 Victory
OpTic’s Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker and Jimmy “Marved” Nguyen delivered a heroic performance at VCT Masters Reykjavík, pulling their team back from the brink of elimination with a dominant 2-0 series win over Latin America’s KRÜ Esports. This victory sets up the North American second seed for a crucial rematch against XERXIA.
The series kicked off on the map Bind, making its first appearance at the tournament. In the first half, OpTic took a commanding lead as they capitalized on KRÜ’s lackluster use of utility and peeking. Yay’s impressive 18 kills in the first half gave OpTic an 8-4 advantage. The team extended their lead to an insurmountable 11-4 after winning the second half pistol round, anti-eco, and bonus round, with yay delivering more incredible shots. OpTic secured a dominant 13-5 victory on KRÜ’s map pick.
Moving on to Ascent, KRÜ started strong on defense, but OpTic stayed close thanks to Marved’s strategic lurks and decisive rotations. OpTic claimed late rounds, narrowing the KRÜ lead to 7-5 at halftime.
OpTic relied on Marved’s heroics to make crucial plays, while yay and crashies struggled to defend the B site against KRÜ’s attacks. A clutch defuse, enabled by Marved’s exceptional playmaking skills, sparked a series of successful rounds for OpTic. Yay also stepped up late in the game, securing OpTic’s 13-10 victory on Ascent.
With this victory, OpTic keeps their playoff hopes alive. However, they will face a tough challenge in their upcoming rematch against XERXIA, a familiar opponent who previously stunned OpTic in the opening round of the group stage. In a previous matchup as Envy and X10 at Champions 2021, the Thai roster eliminated OpTic from playoff contention. The rematch is scheduled for 12pm CT on Wednesday, April 13.