In a thrilling showdown between two top-tier teams in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, Fnatic and NAVI battled it out for the coveted top seed in the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) region on 17th May. With Fnatic's unbeaten record on the line, the team emerged triumphant with a dominant 2-0 victory, solidifying its position as the team to beat. With this win, Fnatic concluded the regular season with a perfect 9-0 record, while NAVI finished with a commendable 7-2 record. The outcome of the match maintained Fnatic's stronghold at the top of the table, securing their status as the top seed, while NAVI settled for second place.

VCT 2023 EMEA League: Fnatic vs NAVI Recap

In Map Veto, Fnatic banned Pearl and NAVI banned Haven. Following this, they picked Lotus and Split, respectively, and banned Ascent and Bind, leaving Fracture as the decider match.

Map No.1: Lotus

In the first half of Lotus, Navi started off strong, winning the first three consecutive rounds, before Fnatic could secure its first win. Both Fnatic and NAVI traded rounds back and forth, leading to an equal scoreline of 6-6 after the first half. However, it was Fnatic's superior duelist performance that ultimately sealed their victory on the Lotus map, with a final score of 12-9. Notably, Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev on Raze stood out with an impressive performance, leading the lobby with 21 kills. In contrast, NAVI's star player Mehmet "cNed" İpek on Jett struggled, ending the map with just 6 kills.

Map No.2: Split

The first half of Split started off with Fnatic taking an early lead, in contrast to the previous map. NAVI's decision to deploy Kyrylo "ANGE1" Karasjov as Yoru added excitement for fans, but Fnatic proved to be well-prepared for this strategic move with Emir "Alfajer" Beder picking Cypher. Fnatic concluded the first half with an 8-4 lead, putting NAVI in a challenging position. Despite a victorious pistol round on the attack, NAVI found themselves trailing by six rounds. The map concluded with a final score of 13-8, solidifying Fnatic's dominance with another 2-0 victory over NAVI in 2023.

Fnatic triumph over NAVI established it as the undefeated team in VCT EMEA Regular Season so far. It has also built a reputation as the team to watch in the VCT EMEA region. With their flawless record, Fnatic is poised for a strong playoff run, while NAVI aims to bounce back and make their mark in the upcoming matches.