OpTic edge past DRX to set up grand final rematch with LOUD
The end of VALORANT Champions draws near, as only LOUD and OpTic remain standing.
TURKEY – OpTic have eliminated DRX in third place after coming out on top of a five-map consolidation final 3-2 (Bind 13-8, Breeze 13-5, Fracture 8-13, Ascent 6-13, Haven 13-10) to book a spot in the grand final. The grand prize of US$300,000 will be to play for in the best-of-five championship decider between LOUD and OpTic, which kicks off tonight at 10:00 PM SGT (UTC+8).
Kim "Zest" Gi-seok and his men will soon return to the Korean Peninsula with their heads held high, having finished the VCT 2022 season with the team’s and region’s highest placement ever after taking down other top international contenders like 100 Thieves, FunPlus Phoenix twice, and Fnatic before their elimination at the most prestigious tournament this year.
It seemed that OpTic would make quick work of the Korean side after DRX did fall flat on Bind and Breeze, but DRX rebounded and took the following two maps, Fracture and Ascent while pushing OpTic to their limits on Haven. Ultimately, the North American side managed to overcome everything DRX threw their way and take the series after denying the Koreans’ comeback attempt in the final half of the series, with Victor "Victor" Wong stepping up massively in the fragging department using Phoenix.
Overall, Jaccob "yay" Whiteaker was instrumental in preventing DRX from continuing their curse-free run at Champions, finishing the series with a 245 ACS and 157 ADR while using Chamber and Jett.
When talking about numbers outside of the server, the match between the Korean powerhouse and the NA giant drew more than one million viewers, surpassing any previous match in the tournament and making it the fourth most watched match and the first non-grand finals to exceed a million mark in VALORANT history, according to Esports Charts.
Following this victory, OpTic will play LOUD in a best-of-five final in a repeat of the Masters Reykjavik grand final, which the North Americans triumphed 3-0.
It will be an important occasion for OpTic because they could become the first VALORANT team in history to lift two international trophies and break the curse. Meanwhile, LOUD will have their second chance at winning a tournament this year after finishing runners-up at Masters Reykjavík.
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Cover photo courtesy of Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games