Welcome to our VALORANT Champions match ratings. As the tournament gets in full swing, Upcomer will rate every match of the first world championship so fans can easily tell which matches they need to watch and remember from the tournament. The matchups from Day 3 of the VALORANT Champions group stage include Vivo Keyd vs. Acend, Vision Strikers vs. Fnatic and Team Envy vs. X10 CRIT in a full slate of VALORANT action.
Our rating scale
From one (lowest) to five (highest) stars, here’s what each star rating means in layman’s terms:
* Boring. Utterly skippable and something no one will remember by tomorrow
** Watchable. Possibly recommended based on your rooting interests
*** Good. Something I’d recommend checking out, even if you’re not a fan of either team
**** Must-watch. A game or series that you need to watch if you have any interest in VALORANT
***** An all-time classic. This perfect rating is only achievable if a game or match is at the highest level of entertainment, gameplay and will go down in the lexicon as a moment no VALORANT fan will ever forget
Let’s get started
Who will be the first team to make it to the #VALORANTChampions playoffs? Join us for an action packed day with 4 teams making their Champions debut and a can’t miss fight between @Fnatic and @VisionStrikers.
Watch live at https://t.co/io2c23tsMd pic.twitter.com/7vNSBPe8gN
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) December 3, 2021
Day 3 will see the final first round matches as Group A will slot teams into the upper and lower brackets. In between those matchups is the most anticipated game of the day in Vision Strikers vs. Fnatic. The two squads have not crossed paths at LAN before and should be a clash of two strategic-minded squads looking to lock in a spot in the knockout stage. The VALORANT Champions group stage matches today are greatly anticipated, but will they live up to the hype?
Acend vs. Vivo Keyd: Icebox
**1/2 stars
European teams can’t catch a break on Icebox. Vivo Keyd showcased their superior aim and each team had individual moments. I’d find this hard to watch, though, because this map is tedious to watch unless you’re personally invested in either team.
Acend vs. Vivo Keyd: Bind
* stars
Acend stomp another team on Bind. If you’re a connoisseur of Bind, this may be a fun one to watch. Otherwise, fast forward to Map 3.
Acend vs. Vivo Keyd: Breeze
** 1/2 stars
Watching Olavo “heat” Marcelo and his friends win every individual aim duel is a pleasing experience. Acend’s game plan is usually focused around individual plays so, at times, this game turned into team death match. Brazil is quickly becoming the region to watch at Champions.
Fnatic vs. Vision Strikers: Icebox
**** stars
You know a game is close when teams are saving guns in a 3v5. Two of the best teams at the tournament traded blows and it was wildly entertaining, if only it weren’t on Icebox. While some teams need a map to warm up into a series, these teams look like they rolled out of bed ready to kick each other in the face — especially Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev.
Fnatic vs. Vision Strikers: Haven
**** stars
Vision Strikers take their map pick in what feels like another classic series from Fnatic. Some of these rounds were decided in defenders spawn and others were drawn out post-plants with 1v1 endings. All we want after this series is more; five stars could be incoming.
Fnatic vs. Vision Strikers: Fracture
** stars
Fnatic might just be the best Fracture team in the world. Vision Strikers looked defeated after going down early. A whimper of a map to end the series, Derke is just too good.
Envy vs. X10 CRIT: Breeze
* 1/2 star
X10 CRIT started out strong but fizzled out quickly as Envy came into their own. While the map ended with a respectable scoreline, 13-8, this game was largely boring and looked more like both teams were going through the motions.
Envy vs. X10 CRIT: Ascent
* stars
Maybe it’s because we’ve had two three-game series beforehand, or that X10 never felt like they had a foothold in the game, but this map felt like more of the same. Not a bad performance from either side, but a skippable match in a skippable series.
This post will continue updating throughout the day.
