VCT Champions 2023 Lower Semi Final Elimination: FNATIC vs. LOUD Result

Things have been heating up at the VCT Champions 2023. This year the tournament takes place in Los Angeles, home to Valorant and Riot Games. And while the pressure is on for teams to shine on this ever-important stage, for FNATIC and LOUD it was make or break.

The two teams both drew in some impressive crowds for the Lower Semi Final Elimination. For LOUD it was there proving ground to hold onto their 2022 crown. For FNATIC, it was their chance to go from strength to strength following Masters Tokyo. With what promised to be an incredible game, would it be EMEA or Americas that made it to the finals? As it turned out, this year, it was LOUD who took the Lower Semi Final victory, heading into the Lower Bracket Finals.

LOUD Wins VCT Champions 2023 Lower Semi Final Elimination

Match 1 saw the two teams take on Split - a FNATIC pick. While the European team were likely hoping for the landscape to work in their favor, it was LOUD that took the early lead. The Brazilian team kept the lead up until Round 4, where FNATIC finally scored their first point with a 1 - 3 Thrifty. By Round 10, LOUD had doubled their score, leading with 3 - 6. The Brazilian team was just too aggressive for FNATIC to break through, Saadhak especially proving to be a force to be reckoned with. And with LOUD hardly missing a single beat, the team took an amazing 4 -13 victory.

With Match 1 tied up, the teams took to Ascent for Match 2. For FNATIC it was more important than ever to bring it back - failure to do so meant elimination. But the odds were stacked against them. Ascent was a LOUD pick, and a strong map for this Brazilian team who continued their aggressive play by securing the first point. It wasn’t until Round 4 that FNATIC got a point of their own, bringing the score to 1-3. By Round 5, FNATIC had started to find their footing and brought the match to a 3-3 draw by Round 6. 

But LOUD were just to in-sync, and too aggressive, for FNATIC to take a clear lead. With elimination hanging over their heads, both teams were hungry for victory and the scores remained close. It wasn’t until Round 15 that FNATIC finally took the lead at 8-7. Despite a LOUD Clutch in Round 18, FNATIC kept hold of that lead, eventually claiming a dramatic win with 13-9.

It came down to the decider - Match 3, Haven. Taking an early lead was LOUD, with a fire lit underneath them after FNATIC’s comeback in Match 2. But it didn’t take long for FNATIC to get the shots in, taking the score to 2-1 in Round 3. By Round 8, the teams were sitting at 3-4, with LOUD still taking the lead but not without a strong fight from FNATIC. In a bid to widen that gap, a succession of four more points put LOUD in a more comfortable spot. By Round 17, the score was sitting at 6-19, with LOUD still far in the lead. It was all to play for, and both teams sure knew it.

Despite making drastic improvements over the Match 1 performance, FNATIC sadly fell short this game. The aggression from LOUD took the team that little bit further, ending Match 3 with an overall victory and a final score of 1 - 2.