On Day 9 of the VALORANT Champions Tour 2022 Stage 2 Masters tournament, both Fnatic and FunPlus Phoenix won their lower bracket matches; this development sets up the fifth series between them in Stage 2.
ANOTHER WIN FOR EMEA! #VALORANTMasters @FPX_Esports claim the last spot in the Final 4⃣ pic.twitter.com/kPs6qeNHmQ
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) July 18, 2022
The EMEA teams get through
The first series of the day was between Leviatán and Fnatic, the top seeds of their respective regions. As the first map began on Fracture, the signs of a close three-map series were there. A 7-5 half, forced overtime and a clutch win from Fnatic put them in the lead 14-12 and 1-0 in the series. On the second map of Ascent, Leviatán fought back after a tied 6-6 half to win 13-10. It all came down to Bind, with another 7-5 lead at halftime for Leviatán. Off the back of a great Jake “Boaster” Howlett performance on Astra, Fnatic took the lead. Despite that performance, a mistake from Boaster during the defuse cost Fnatic the win in regular rounds, forcing an OT.
The first overtime was saved by a big clutch from Enzo “Enzo” Mestari, and the second was another draw. The third started with a Boaster operator 4k but got evened out. In the fourth overtime, Enzo got the kills needed to win it all for Fnatic, 17-15 and the series 2-1.
The second series of the day was FunPlus Phoenix versus DRX, a rematch with both teams’ tournaments on the line. On the first map of Ascent, the teams kept the map close, hitting halftime tied 6-6. After DRX won the first two rounds of attack, they lost six rounds in a row. That was it for the map, losing it 13-9 after going up 8-6. Going into Fracture, DRX weren’t able to start strong. FPX entered the half up 9-3. DRX didn’t put up much of a fight as FPX just continued their form, winning the map 13-5 and series 2-0. Their record of never winning an elimination match on an international LAN continues.
Play of the day
Enzo getting the 3v1 clutch on top of proving that the saying that pros don’t fake is true.
ICE COLDDDDDDDD @FearothVAL | #VALORANTMasters pic.twitter.com/RVaqzcPx74
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) July 18, 2022
Day 9 Stage 2 Masters Copenhagen MVP
With how tense the series was, it has to go to the player who secured the final map for Fnatic in Enzo. He got play of the day with his 1v3 clutch defuse, but he was crucial in almost every overtime round that Fnatic faced on Bind. He tied with teammate Emir Ali “Alfajer” Beder for the highest KAST in the lobby on Bind, at 84%. Along with very good stats, what doesn’t show on paper was his clutch factor in getting Fnatic that win. Fans can rewatch that quadruple overtime and see how important Enzo was to that win and keeping Fnatic’s hopes alive on day 9 of the Stage 2 Masters Copenhagen tournament.
