OpTic Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix advance to the playoffs - Copenhagen Masters 2
After a fourth and final day of competition, the group stage of the Copenhagen Masters 2 is now over. With the victories of FunPlus Phoenix andOpTic Gaming, all teams qualified for the playoffs are known. The qualification of these two teams implies the elimination of the Japanese roster of Northeption, but also of the LOUD players.
FunPlus Phoenix topples Northeption (Group B)
Of all the teams in the group stage, it goes without saying that Northeption was the challenger. After a defeat against DRX, the Japanese team managed to beat XERXIA Esports to stay in the tournament. Unfortunately for the roster, the FunPlus Phoenix players did not do them any favours in this decisive match.
Northeption wanted to start this match on Fracture. The first half was particularly intense. Neither team really got the upper hand on the other, and each had to call a timeout to stay focused and break the other's momentum. There were a few good moves, such as the 4K clutch by Shao At the changeover, FPX was narrowly ahead, 7-5. The European players did not hold this lead for long, as Northeption took the pistol-round and then the second round to come back to the score. The next round, in favour of FPX, was only the first of 5 successive winning rounds. In the end, Northeption lost 13-9.
The confrontation continued on Ascent, on whichboth teams showed strong performances . In total, spectators were treated to four different 4Ks, three from Northeption, and one from Shao, in the first round. With this very good start, FPX took the lead, and won the next round. Northeption quickly responded by taking 3 successive wins. Note the superb clutch of xnfri in the fifth round. While this great move put Northeption ahead, it was not for long. FPX were determined to finish, and went on to win the next seven rounds. At the start of the second half, the Japanese were trailing 3-9. They still managed to take 4 more rounds, but thanks to two 4Ks from Meteor1 and JoXJo, in the end, they lost again. FPX won the map with a final score of 13-9.
With this victory, FunPlus Phoenix secured their playoff slot in the Copenhagen Masters 2, thus closing the group B matches. Northeption, on the other hand, went out for good. Despite a small disappointment, one of the players, BlackWiz, said that this first LAN was exciting:
I really wanted to seek revenge against DRX so it's very disappointing that we lost to FPX. But as this was our first international tournament, I believe that we really had fun.
BlackWiz - Northeption player
KRU Esports loses to OpTic Gaming (Group A)
The final match of the group stage was between KRU Esports and OpTic Gaming. With these two big teams competing, it was expected to be a close match. Nevertheless, it was a close game, OpTic Gaming players were more than solid, and finished the two maps quickly.
However, things did not start well for them on Split. KRU won 7 out of 12 rounds in Defence. As a result, OpTic was 2 rounds down at the changeover. That's when everything changed. The North American players were simply unbeatable, and came out winners 8 rounds in a row. The map ends with a score of 13-7.
According to NSF, the captain, OpTic had prepared the defence particularly well on this map. The team knew what they had to do, and the work paid off:
I made it very clear what I wanted to do on the defense side. We had a very clear game plan and went straight from it.
FNS - OpTic Gaming
The battle on Haven was even more expeditious. With an efficient Attack and precise actions, Optic Gaming won 5 successive rounds, twice. They lost the first round, but the North American players got their revenge in the second round. KRU Esports was two points from defeat, but did not let it get them down. The team won four more times before falling to the enemy for good. OpTic Gaming wins the card, 13-6, in just 37 minutes.
Marved, who finished the match with a KDA of 48/24/13, having played Astra and Omen, spoke about his match. The player says he felt comfortable throughout the match. Nobody will say otherwise!
I felt like whatever angle I was holding, as long as I was confident, I would get the kill. It was like that most of the time. I was playing a little bit more aggressive than I usually do just because I was feeling it but other than that.. Yeah, it felt good.
Marved - OpTic Gaming
By winning this match, OpTic Gaming has joined the playoffs. For their first match they will face XSET. The match is scheduled to take place at the end of the day, around 8pm CEST.
To follow the playoffs of the Copenhagen Masters 2, go to official Twitch channel of Valorant.
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