VCT EMEA League: Fnatic crush KOI, Giants take down Vitality

Fnatic trounced KOI 2-0 to maintain their perfect record in the VCT EMEA League. In the second match of the night, Giants Gaming took down Vitality to secure their fourth win in the league. Here is how the matches unfolded: 

Fnatic vs KOI

Fnatic, who came into the game with a perfect 6-0 record, continued their invincible playing against KOI by cruising to an early 4-0 lead on the opening map of the series Lotus. While KOI won two straight rounds to put an end to the carnage, Fnatic didn’t give them much space to build on that momentum.

Emir “Alfajer” Beder led the assault for Fnatic as the team extended their lead to 10-2 with a swift six-round streak. In an attempt to mount a comeback, KOI won the second pistol round of the map to kick off the second half. Nevertheless, they were only able to add more rounds to their total before Fnatic came back to claim the map 13-4.

Following a disappointing showing on Lotus, KOI made a strong comeback on their own map pick, Ascent. Under the strength of Berkant “Wolfen” Joshkun’s exceptional play, the squad destroyed Fnatic’s defense and sailed to a commanding 6-0 lead. Ake “Boaster” Howlett and the team stopped KOI’s momentum in round 7 and won three more rounds to reduce the lead to a manageable 6-4.

In the second half, Fnatic continued the assault, hitting KOI back and forth for seven rounds in a row. Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev, who was quiet on the first map, came to life in the second half of Ascent, recording 22 kills and averaging 176 damage per round to help Fnatic win the game 13-9.

Vitality vs Giants Gaming

Giants Gaming picked Lotus to open the best-of-three series, and despite encountering some pushback, they were able to take a commanding 7-3 lead. Before halftime, both sides gained one round to their totals, but still, the Giants were up 8-4.

Giants also won the second pistol round, but Vitality swiftly retaliated by registering two rounds for themselves, bringing the score to 6-9. However, Vitality’s courageous effort was ultimately their last on Lotus as the Giants recovered and secured four straight rounds to end the game 13-6.

In an effort to turn things around, Vitality picked Split and established a decent 7-5 lead at halftime. Giants made an attempt to stop Vitality’s momentum by going on a four-round winning streak, but the firepower provided by Michał “MOLSI” Łącki was enough to propel Vitality to a 13-10 win.

Taking advantage of their momentum, Vitality quickly took a 3-0 lead on the third map Ascent, but this time, Giants were able to stop their onslaught in time. Both teams put on a fierce performance in the second half, but it was Giants Gaming, who ultimately came out on top on Ascent with a close 13-10 victory. 

Header: Colin Young-Wolff/ Riot Games