FUT Esports Defeats Team Vitality to Win Valorant Convergence 2023
The international bout comes to an end.
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Valorant Convergence 2023 has concluded following an exciting grand final between FUT Esports and Team Vitality. The overseas contenders were the best teams coming into this tournament and proved their worth by claiming top spots in their respective groups.
FUT Esports defeated Gen.G Esports and True Rippers. At the same time, Team Vitality achieved victory against Global Esports and FURIA Esports.
The two teams advanced directly to the best-of-five grand final held earlier today on 17th December and played an intense series of Valorant which ended with a 3-1 scoreline favoring FUT Esports.
FUT Esports is Crowned the Champions of Valorant Convergence 2023
After an exciting three days, the grand final was held today on LAN at the Manpho Convention Center in Bangalore, Karnataka, India, in front of a live audience who was treated to a fantastic match of Valorant between two top-tier sides.
Yet again Team Vitality brought its fearless game style to the front and successfully gained an advantage in the first half across multiple maps. However, they failed to convert these starts into meaningful victories with FUT Esports making some epic comebacks in the latter half of the games.
Here is a quick roundup of how the series played through.
Map 1: Ascent | 13-11 | Team Vitality Wins
Team Vitality started on a strong note by winning their opponent's map pick Ascent. They started on defense and managed to squeeze a two-round lead in the first half.
There was slight pressure on FUT Esports to hold the fort and required them to be a bit cautious. They tried their best but Vitality rolled ahead with momentum on their side and maintained their lead till the very end.
Emil "runneR" Trajkovski was the player that stood out on this map with his prolific skills on Jett setting up the tempo on most rounds. HIs confidence kept building with each passing round as he carried his team to victory.
Map 2: Sunset | 13-11 | FUT Esports Wins
The scoreboard remained unchanged but this time it was FUT Esports who was on the winning side, snatching a win on Vitality's map pick Sunset.
FUT was down by four rounds going into the second half but did not lose hope, turning things around on attack with its aggressive executes that were simply unstoppable.
Doğukan "qRaxs" Balaban was the player who turned things around for FUT Esports with other members of his team rallying behind his exquisite KAY/O performance. He consistently set the round for them to convert into wins which resulted in a great comeback.
Map 3: Lotus | 13-11 | FUT Esports Wins
FUT Esports was brimming with confidence going into their second map pick Lotus. However, Vitality was quick to shut them down with their dominating attack which allowed them to win 10 rounds in a row.
It seemed as if Vitality would wrap this up quickly and take the lead again but FUT gave them a dose of their own medicine with an equally aggressive counterattack.
They won 11 rounds in a row, taking the score from 2-11 to 13-11, leaving everyone shocked and impressed at the same time.
After two dull maps, it was the star player Mehmet "cNed" Yağız İpek who pulled through for his side with an incredible performance on Raze.
Map 4: Haven | 13-8 | FUT Esports Wins
Vitality was stunned but were still very much in the fight. They were looking to equalize the score by winning their second map pick Haven but they could not pull through.
For the first time in this series, FUT was not behind at the hallway stage of the game with the score reading 6-6. Both teams gave it their all but FUT came out on top after switching to attack and ran away with the map.
Once again it was cNed who played his heart out on Jett. He had found his groove and it was enough for him to rain havoc with his blades against Vitality.
The new FUT Esports lineup looked in good shape and so did the revamped Team Vitality roster. Both delivered quite the series for the fans to enjoy and also gave a preview of what to expect from them in VCT 2024.
This was FUT's second tournament since VCT 2023 following a 3rd-4th place finish in the Red Bull Home Ground #4 which had taken place last month in November.
Talking about the event, it attracted more than 10,000 attendees who came to witness all six Valorant teams in action over four days, while being streamed to millions of viewers globally.
Sukamal Pegu, Esports Lead, India and South Asia at Riot Games said, "We are thankful to the players, teams, sponsors, partners, and especially our Indian fans for making Convergence 2023 an unparalleled success. The passion displayed by our fans is our driving force and serves as a constant source of inspiration. Congratulations to FUT Esports for their exceptional performance and to all participating teams for their dedication and sportsmanship. Convergence will be back with a bigger and more exciting edition in 2024."
Convergence 2023 also met all their objectives concerning viewership, production quality, competitive standards, and fan engagement, which included achieving the remarkable feat of organically trending as the number one topic on Twitter in India for two consecutive days.
Arun Rajappa, Country Manager, India and South Asia, Riot Games said, "Convergence was the perfect finale to a year of exciting initiatives in India and South Asia, from celebrating VALORANT's anniversary with fans at gaming cafes, to cheering on teams at the VCSA, to giving back to the community at Harbor's anniversary event. We were also thrilled to bring amazing influencers together at Radiant Retreat. It's been a fantastic journey, and we can't wait to bring even more games and experiences to our players in the region in 2024.”
The event also featured various engaging activities for attendees, including fan meet-and-greets, exclusive merchandise stalls, and community-driven initiatives, creating a memorable experience for gaming enthusiasts.
