The first match of the VALORANT Champions 2023 playoffs was a rematch of the grand finals from LOCK//IN, with Fnatic remaining the heavy favorites over LOUD. But after winning back-to-back international tournaments, the crown proved too heavy for Fnatic, as LOUD capitalized.
LOUD defeated Fnatic 2-0, delivering the EMEA super-team their first loss at an international tournament and second loss across all competitions in 2023. Despite the cohesion rumors surrounding LOUD, their two star players Erick “aspas” Santos and Felipe “Less” Basso returned to championship form in their toughest match of the year.
Not only was this win significant due to the dominance of Fnatic heading into Champions, but it was also redemption for LOUD after their shocking winless exit at VCT Masters Tokyo. There was some faith that LOUD was one of the few teams that could manage this upset, but mostly because of their LOCK//IN performance.
Everyone remembers those finals in São Paulo and the 11-3 choke on Icebox that LOUD fans still think about to this day. But, looking at that series from a larger perspective, LOUD was one of the few teams over the entirety of 2023 who took Fnatic to the brink.
Despite their form recently not being at that LOCK//IN level, they had to bring it back to get this crucial win, and that is what they got.
LOUD outplayed Fnatic on both Ascent and Lotus, something that almost no other team can say in 2023. While the focus was on shutting down Fnatic’s star duelist Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev, they couldn’t have done it without aspas returning to the white-hot form he hit in 2022 and Americas this year. He couldn’t beat Derke in first kills, as he finished with 6 to Derke’s 14, but the Brazilian superstar ended with 38 kills, leading the lobby, while Derke finished with an even 29 kills and 29 deaths. Where Derke was getting the first kill more, he was also dying first a lot more, giving his team a disadvantage almost as many times as an advantage.
Related: First major VALORANT offseason event could move up the roster change timeline
While aspas was fragging out, his teammate Less was doing the same while near-singlehandedly using utility and smart lurks to win crucial rounds, especially on Lotus.
There are so many Less moments to highlight, but the best example has to be round 18. Up 11-6, Fnatic gets access to C site and plants deep inside to try and win a three-vs-three scenario. However, they aren’t able to push Waterfall or backsite much due to smokes. Less then puts his Killjoy ultimate at Waterfall, locking down the entire site and even a good section of C main.
Unable to push to destroy it, the Fnatic team has to run away to near their spawn, while the spike is defused easily by LOUD because of the plant location. If it wasn’t for that spike plant spot, Fnatic might’ve been able to contest the defuse, but Less recognized that mistake and pressed one button to win a three-vs-three post-plant against the best team in the world, on top of getting two kills after it ended to secure the defuse.
In a post-match interview, Less talked about something that hasn’t been the case for LOUD this year that mattered for this match: the lack of pressure, and how that will help as they move through the upper bracket.
“Actually, being honest, I’m happy to be in that underdog role,” Less said on stage post-match, “as it takes the pressure off of us. Our team is very strong and I’m happy with the result.”
Nobody doubted how strong of a team LOUD could be. Even in their recent form, they still are the defending champions, and Fnatic got hit with that taste of reality in a match that almost nobody expected them to lose. In the post-match interview, Fnatic coach Jacob “mini” Harris talked about their expectations to win, but also was of the strong opinion that this wasn’t as bad of a loss as the score showed.
“It wasn’t like they were outclassing us, I don’t think,” mini said to the media. “It was just the little mistakes that we made today.”
Now, the EMEA team will have to grind through the lower bracket starting on Aug. 18 to keep their three-peat hopes alive.
