Fnatic wins VCT LOCK//IN in front of LOUD Fans
| Tags: Riot Games, Valorant
| Author David Hollingsworth
Fnatic finally grabs the title of world champion against LOUD in the most epic showdown in Valorant history. Two years after the loss against Sentinels in Masters Reykjavík, Boaster’s crew beat the Brazilian giants with “home turf advantage” in front of a massive crowd in São Paulo.
The start of the final was looking bad for the Brazilian fans, as Fnatic gained a 2-0 lead, almost being unbeatable without a single match dropped throughout the whole tournament. However, the match took a massive turnaround, something out of a heroic movie scene, as LOUD leveled the playfield with two of their own wins. The 5th map on Icebox was starting to look like a victory for the Brazilians, as LOUD took a lead of 11-3. Unbelievably, the match went into overtime, and Fnatic won the series and grabbed their international trophy in front of a quiet crowd and emptying venue.
Fnatic finally win a Valorant title
With Fnatic's triumph at VCT LOCK//IN, Timofey ‘Chronicle' Khromov scripted history by becoming the first player to achieve two VCT trophies. The Russian star previously tasted success with Gambit, who won the VCT Stage 3 Masters in Berlin in 2021.
VCT LOCK//IN Brazil, the first curtain-raiser event of the 2023 Valorant Champions Tour, showcased 30 partner teams from EMEA, Pacific, and Americas international leagues, along with two Chinese invited teams. Hosted by Riot Games, it was the most significant Valorant event to date and provided a glimpse of the teams that are set to dominate this new era of esports.
From February 13 to March 4, VCT LOCK//IN Brazil thrilled Esports enthusiasts at the iconic Ginásio do Ibirapuera in São Paulo. This state-of-the-art arena, which can seat up to 10,000 people, has previously hosted a range of esports events, including the second split finals of CBLOL 2022 and the LATAM last-chance qualifier for Valorant Champions 2022.
The 32 teams competing in the event were placed in a single-elimination bracket, and the first three rounds were played in a best-of-three format, while the semi-finals and grand final were best-of-five matches.
Riot Games employed a random draw to ensure that the opening round of matches included as many cross-regional matchups as possible. They split the 16 pairings evenly between the Alpha and Omega sides of the bracket to increase the likelihood of second-round matchups between teams from different regions.
VCT LOCK//IN Brazil witnessed the participation of 30 partner teams who have joined hands with Riot Games for VCT leagues in EMEA, Asia-Pacific, and the Americas. Alongside them were two Chinese teams, FunPlus Phoenix and EDward Gaming, who marked their debut in this international tournament. This event was particularly significant for FunPlus Phoenix's newly-formed team, which had previously competed as an academy roster for the organization.
David has written for games media outlets for the last ten years. With his first major esports role being with Esports News UK covering mostly UK League of Legends. David is also a member of the British Esports Association and is an advisor to them on World of Warcraft Esports. More recently David has worked for Esports Insider and Red Bull as an esports journalist.
David later became Editor at ESTNN and now leads the current team.