Yesterday was a big day for the VCT Champions 2022! In the lower bracket matches, DRX reached the top four in an international tournament for the first time!
At yesterday's lower bracket matches, FunPlus Phoenix and DRX fought their way up into the VCT Champions top four! Both matches were super intense and the crowd was going crazy!
DRX vs Fnatic
Man… let me tell you, this game was insane! Just one day before, DRX had lost against LOUD, which added even more tension to this game. DRX has always struggled to climb high in international tournaments, but yesterday they turned the table and finally made it to the top four.
It started off wonderfully for Fnatic, who won 7-5 in the first half as offense and then, directly after the switch, won four rounds in a row. They won that match with a final score of 13-7.
The second map Ascent was chosen by DRX, who started the game well by winning the first two rounds, but then losing the first half to Fnatic with a 4-8. Whatever insane thing happened to DRX in the second half, they should do it again. Because they absolutely crushed Fnatic in the second half and took one win after another, finally beating Fnatic 14-12.
CRUCIAL OVERTIME 1v1 WIN @Buzz_kr | #VALORANTChampions pic.twitter.com/aCWC8MtkwD
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) September 13, 2022
The final match was super intense. Not only for the teams, but for the audience as well. Especially in the last few rounds, everyone was hyped. It started off pretty good for DRX with a 6-1 in round 7, but then Fnatic caught up and won 5 rounds in a row, which led to a draw in the first half. In the second half, Fnatic only managed to win three rounds, ending up with a score of 12-9 in round 21 – Not looking good for Fnatic.
In the end, during round 22, it was up to Alfajer to win a 4-1 in order to save his team. He managed to kill three of DRX, and then it was only left to him, Stax and Mistic, who was downed as KAY/O. While reviving him, Alfajer got killed by Stax and shortly after Mistic was back on, he lost against Stax in a super close fight. DRX won 13-9 and with that saved their spot in the top four. Next up, they'll face FunPlus Phoenix on the 16th of September.
| DRX | Fnatic | |
| Icebox | ||
| First half | 5 | 7 |
| Second half | 7 | 13 |
| Ascent | ||
| First half | 4 | 8 |
| Second half | 14 | 12 |
| Fracture | ||
| First half | 6 | 6 |
| Second half | 13 | 9 |
XSET vs FunPlus Phoenix
The second game of the day was between XSET and FunPlus Phoenix, who already competed against each other in the group stage.
XSET had a good start in the first two rounds but then lost the first half 5-7, but after the switch they got the upper hand as defense, winning the first match 13-1.
In the second Match on Bind, FPX didn't have a great start, as XSET won the first four rounds. But after that, they immediately got back on track and got the lead with 6 wins in a row. Then the two teams battled it out back and forth to a 10-10, but from here on, FPX went straight for the victory with 13-10.
CHASING THEM DOWN @suygetsu_ | #VALORANTChampions pic.twitter.com/ppZtrH56s1
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) September 13, 2022
The last match of the series was intense, to say the least. Both teams fought until the bitter end. Due to a Killjoy Turret bug, they had to replay round 24 of map 3 that FPX had won with 13-11, but managed to win again after a tough fight in the replay! And with that, FunPlus Phoenix got one of the top four spots in the VCT 2022 and will be competing against DRX on September 16th!
| XSET | FunPlus Phoenix | |
| Pearl | ||
| First half | 5 | 7 |
| Second half | 13 | 11 |
| Bind | ||
| First half | 5 | 7 |
| Second half | 10 | 13 |
| Ascent | ||
| First half | 5 | 7 |
| Second half | 14 | 16 |
Madness.