The Lower Bracket Finals of the VCT 2021: Stage 2 Masters - Reykjavík was an exciting affair as Fnatic and NUTURN Gaming went all out, giving their best possible performance to put on a spectacular show. Unfortunately, the Korean representatives NUTURN despite having a grand run so far could not seal their victory against a hot Fnatic, who were coming into this match not having dropped a single map in their lower bracket run. The series went down to a third game as NUTURN really tested Fnatic, pushing them to their limit. But despite the pressure, Fnatic won the final map and made their way into the grand finals, all ready to go up against Sentinels in an EU vs NA revenge match.
RELATED: Fnatic Eliminates Liquid From VCT Masters Iceland 2021
Fnatic Eliminate NUTURN ‘2-1’, Secures Grand Finals Slot
Fnatic has successfully made its way through the lower bracket into the grand finals of VCT 2021: Stage 2 Masters - Reykjavík. They won four consecutive do-or-die matches, dropping just 1 map in the process to set up a revenge match against Sentinels for an EU vs NA faceoff.
NUTURN Gaming on the other hand came into this tournament with little to no expectation, so a third-place finish is absolutely brilliant, putting Korea as a region to look out for going ahead. They took down some really good teams like Sharks Esports and Version1, to reach this far in the tournament. Other teams also appreciated their tactical gameplay and the numerous set-pieces that they had developed across multiple maps, this was truly a wonderful run for NUTURN.
Results: Fnatic Defeats NUTURN ‘2-1’
The first game took place on Bind which was Fnatic’s map pick as they went on to dominate NUTURN with a superb attacking side, giving away only 4 rounds in the first half. NUTURN hit back in the second half winning 4 consecutive rounds but soon ran out of steam to lose by a ‘13-8’ scoreline.
Ascent was the map picked by NUTURN and they proved to be quite the force to reckon with, hitting Fnatic hard with some disciplined attack. This time it was Fnatic who only managed to win 4 rounds, with the game soon coming to an end as NUTURN bounced back with a ‘13-8’ victory this time.
The decider took place on Haven, a map on which NUTURN did not have a good track record. However, this time a grand finals slot was at stake and this motivated them to pull off their best performance on the map this tournament. Unfortunately, it was not enough to topple Fnatic who were quite efficient on the map, for the third time winning with a ‘13-8’ scoreline.
Bind | |
Fnatic - 13 | NUTURN Gaming - 8 |
Ascent | |
Fnatic - 8 | NUTURN Gaming -13 |
Haven | |
Fnatic - 13 | NUTURN Gaming - 8 |
Fnatic defeats NUTURN Gaming - 2:1 | |
Stats
- Derke was the man of the series with 60 kills registered under his name with an insane ADR (Average Damage per Round) of 190.3 and an individual headshot accuracy of 31%.
- Despite the loss NUTURN put up quite the fight with Lakia and allow being their standout performers, registering 55 and 51 kills under their name respectively.
- The average headshot percentage of Fnatic was 27.4% while that of NUTURN was 25%, the difference might have been slight but this often makes all the difference when clutching a round or when you find yourself in a tight situation.
Highlights
Peri and MAGNUM in a 1v1 situation try to outplay each other. What looks like a 100 IQ play by Peri initially, soon turns into a 200 IQ play by MAGNUM as he correctly predicts his rotate and catches him from an off angle.
Peri and Lakia on the back of a 200 IQ play make Fnatic players run behind them in circles, distracting them well enough to prevent the defuse.
Allow gives his team the entry into the site on the back of a fearless play that grants him a triple kill in the second map Ascent.
Derke cornered but not beaten, almost pulls of an 1v4 clutch against NUTURN on Ascent using his Blade Storm.
Lakia takes an incredible triple kill on the back of an impressive spray control while playing the last map Haven.
Interview: Mistic Talks About How Fnatic Dealt With 2 Consecutive Matches
In the post-match interview, Mistic expressed how good they feel about having reached so far and are super excited for the grand finals. He went on to talk about how Fnatic managed to deal with 2 different opponents on the same day, saying that
“Oh we obviously have less time, that is the big factor. Like in-between the Liquid game and the NUTURN game we got coach mini just whipping out his phone and going like we got 10 minutes to do this, this, this, this, and we are just all there chewing dinner trying to stay focused on what he is saying to us all.
So yeah, it is definitely hard and I would say we were a little less prepared for our second game but we worked it out in the end, didn’t we. We got the win.”
RELATED: Sentinels Beat NUTURN to Reach Grand Finals of VCT Masters Iceland 2021
