FNATIC vs LOUD Champions LA 2023: LOUD decimate FNATIC 2 – 0

Ready for war? FNATIC and LOUD will kick off the playoff stage of VALORANT Champions LA. Will the Brazilians manage to get their revenge for their defeat in the LOCK//IN Grand Final, or will they be just another obstacle for Fnatic to clear? Find out along with us as we shall be bringing you all of the live scores and updates from this blockbuster matchup.

FNATIC come into this matchup off the back of a couple of near-flawless performances in Group C against Bilibili Gaming and Zeta Division. The EMEA giants look poised to make another deep run at a tournament this year, with everyone of their players put up some impressive numbers to top their group.

Especially effective is their main Sentinel player, Alfajer, who currently holds the highest average K/D at Champions with a 1.85; with his teammate Leo coming in at second with a 1.60. The Turkish sensation also currently leads the way in terms of his first kills per round ratio of 21 percent, which is particularly impressive given that he is the only one in the Top ten of this category that hasn't used a Duelist character. by all accounts, it would appear that FNATIC are destined for greatness at Champions. But a familiar foe now stands before them, determined to make sure that does not happen.

The reigning VALORANT Champions, LOUD, continue to look for glory. The Brazilian side have had a rough go of things so far in LA. But, since losing their opening match of Group D to DRX, LOUD have looked far more like the team that dominated the Americas League this season. Especially effective has been Less, who was the standout player for his side in their struggle to make it out of the group stage. Which could spell disaster for FNATIC, as well as anyone else who dares to face them right now at Champions.

FNATIC may have robbed LOUD of a chance of winning a tournament on their home soil when they defeated them in the LOCK//IN Grand Final. But now, the Brazilians have been given a golden chance to avenge that loss and give themselves a platform to elevate their title defense.

The match begins with a trip to LOUD's stomping ground of Ascent. And we are treated to an instant mirror-match as both sides go for the tried and true double-initiator composition.

LOUD take the first pistol round as well as their anti-eco to get things going on their attack half. And they clean things up on their bonus as well as in the first proper rifle round to give themselves a 4 - 0 lead. FNATIC manage to get themselves onto the board, as Alfajer and Leo start to heat up in the kills department. The match grinds to a halt as both sides opt for a slow, drawn out type of battle. So much so that the half ends with the teams tied at 6 - 6, with neither side looking like they are in control of the game.

Aspas comes up with a 3k to give the LOUD the second pistol round to put them back in the lead. The Brazilians are also able to convert their second anti-eco before falling short on their bonus round. A big clutch from Alfajer and Leo provides FNATIC with a springboard back into the map, but an equally good play from Less keeps the game tied up at 9 - 9. LOUD break the double digit mark as they punish FNATIC's indecisiveness and put themselves onto map point at 12 - 9. Alfajer and Boaster come up with two big multi-kills to give FNATIC hope of getting this to overtime. But their hopes are thoroughly dashed by Saadhak and Cauanzin who enable LOUD to close out Ascent 13 - 11 and give themselves a 1 - 0 lead in the series.

After their strong showing on Ascent, LOUD head on over to FNATIC's map pick Lotus for game two of the series. Both teams go with a double-controller composition for this game. With the key difference in this matchup being Boaster's Astra pick and Tuyz's selection of Omen.

LOUD take the opening pistol round as well as their anti-eco to kick things off on their attack side. And they are able to convert on their bonus as well as in the first rifle round as LOUD take a 4 - 0 lead. Fnatic are able to get themselves onto the board but LOUD remain in the drivers seat at 6 - 1. The Brazilians continue to pile the pressure onto Fnatic with their patient approach to their attack with FNATIC being faced with an uphill battle. The Europeans are able to get a couple more rounds to keep things respectable, but LOUD are able to take an 8 - 4 lead into halftime.

FNATIC secure the second pistol round as well as their anti-eco as they draw close to LOUD's lead. But LOUD stand firm on their defense to break the double-digit mark on the map. It doesn't take the Brazilians long to reach match point as they continue to to pile on the pressure with their exceptional post-plant setups. And with the snap of their fingers, LOUD take Lotus 13 - 6 to win the series 2 - 0 and deal FNATIC their second loss of the entire season.

We are at the business end of the 2023 VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) season. Sixteen of the best VALORANT teams from around the world have come together in the city of Los Angeles as they fight for the right to be called Champions. Fans who wish to watch the FNATIC vs LOUD match may do so by heading to the VALORANT Twitch and YouTube channels.

You can also tune in via the embedded stream link down below if you don't wish to click off of this page.

Head on over to our VCT 2023 hub for all of the latest news from across the tournament.