VCT LOCK//IN 2023: 100 Thieves and Fnatic move to Quaterfinals

100 Thieves and Fnatic continue their winning way at the VCT LOCK//IN, defeating FUT and FURIA Esports in their respective matchups to enter the quarterfinals.

The VCT LOCK//IN 2023 Omega Group has reached the quarterfinal stage, with only four teams surviving out of the 16 competing teams in the group. Leviatán and Natus Vincere qualified for the first quarterfinal on Saturday, while four teams competed in two knockout matches on Sunday to clinch their spots in the second quarterfinal.

In the first match, the North American powerhouse 100 Thieves went against the Turkish team FUT Esports, and in the second, Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev’s Fnatic squared off against FURIA Esports. Here is a match summary of both matches:

100 Thieves eliminates FUT Esports to keep the North American hope alive

To begin the best-of-three series, the Turkish team selected the game’s newest map, Lotus. Although the squad appeared composed on the map and displayed a strong offensive performance, 100T largely dominated the first half as they swung through a 7-5 advantage.

FUT picked up the tempo after switching sides and destroyed the North American squad in five straight rounds to take control of the map with a 10-7 lead. Trying valiantly to stage a comeback, 100T managed to penetrate FUT’s defense in two more rounds before Konur “qw1” Şahin stormed in and sealed the map with a 13-9 victory for the Turkish side.

100T chose Haven to attempt a comeback, and this time, their tenacity seemed to be paying off as they gain a 7-5 lead in the first half. The North American team increased their advantage to 9-5, but the match swiftly turned in favor of FUT when Doukan “qRaxs” Balaban came to rescue the Turkish team with his outstanding fragging skills.

He helped the team to win five straight rounds and gain control of the match again. Their advantage was short-lived, though, as Brenden “stellar” McGrath stopped them in their tracks. He recorded 22 kills on the map to turn a 9-10 deficit into a hard-fought 13-11 victory and keep the North American team in the match.

As the series entered the deciding map Icebox, 100T’s Sean “bang” Bezerra came to life after being relatively silent in the first two maps. At the end of the first half, the North American squad held an 8-4 advantage thanks to the combined efforts of bang and Matthew “Cryocells” Panganiban.

Although qRaxs and qw1 were able to regain FUT’s lost momentum and enable the team to close the gap to 8-9, 100T came back and secure four more rounds to close the map with a thrilling 13-8 victory. With this heartbreaking defeat, FUT’s journey in Sàu Paulo came to end, while the North American team advanced to the quarterfinals, where they will face Fnatic.

Derke’s fragging prowess boosts Fnatic move to the quarterfinals

After a slow start, Fnatic managed to gain steam on the opening map of the series Haven. The European team decimated FURIA in seven straight rounds to go 8-4 up, pushing the Brazillian side to the backfoot. The Finnish Valorant prodigy Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev proved unstoppable on the map, displaying his fragging strengths and piling up double-digit kills to put Fnatic in a good position moving into the second half.

Despite the pressure, FURIA managed to break the resistance and find the momentum they require to penetrate the formidable European defense on their own map pick. Leonardo “mwzera” Serrat led the charge for FURIA as they slowly cover the gap and reduce the deficit to just one point. As the rounds went on, both teams traded blows, preventing each other from taking a clear lead until the score was tied 12-12 at matchpoint.

Fnatic appeared to have the upper hand early on in overtime, but mwzera’s outstanding play was enough to hold off Derke and the squad. The score remained locked at 16–16 as the two teams’ onslaught continued with equal fire and commitment from both sides. Despite taking the map down to the wire, the Brazillian team eventually lost the map 18-16 to Fnatic as they remained composed throughout the overtime action.

FURIA picked Ascent as the second map and quickly raced through a 4-1 lead, showing signs of a comeback. Fnatic, however, shifted the gear and went more aggressive round after round with Jake “Boaster” Howlett and Leo “Leo” Jannesson leading the team from the front and racking up multiple kills for themselves.

Furia, on the other hand, entirely lost their momentum and needed heroics to stave off the impending threat of elimination. After switching the side, Brazillian player mwzera tried to be that protagonist for Furia, helping the team secure four consecutive rounds.

Furia was able to tie the score thanks to mwzera’s assist, but they were unable to advance further as the rest of the team faltered in the late game. Boaster and Leo landed the final blows and sealed the map with a 13- 11 victory. The duo combined for 39 kills while providing excellent support to Derke, who added 19 more kills to his tally to end the series with a staggering 51 kills—the highest in the series.

Header: Riot Games