VALORANT Masters Copenhagen: FunPlus Phoenix beat OpTic 3-1 to face PRX in finals

A new VALORANT Masters champion will be crowned at Copenhagen.

FunPlus Phoenix (FPX) became the second grand finalists of the 2022 VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) 2022 Stage 2 Masters tournament in Copenhagen, Denmark after they defeated Masters Reykjavik champions OpTic Gaming, 3-1, in the lower bracket finals on Saturday (23 July).

OpTic were one of the favorites in Copenhagen, where many expected them to raise a second-straight Masters trophy.

They started their campaign in Group A in the group stage, where they fell to Guild Esports in their opening match but bounced back to qualify for the playoffs with a victory over KRÜ Esports.

OpTic then swept regional rivals XSET and outlasted South Korea's DRX, 2-1, to face Singaporean juggernauts Paper Rex in the upper bracket finals.

Paper Rex defeated OpTic in a heated 2-1 series to advance to the grand finals and drop the Masters Reykjavik champions to the lower bracket finals.

FPX also started in the group stage, defeating Thailand's XERXIA in the opening match of Group B before falling to South Korea's DRX in the Winner's Match. FPX then defeated Japan's Northeption in the group's decider match to qualify for the playoffs.

FPX had a rough start to the playoffs, as they got swept by regional rivals Fnatic in the upper bracket quarterfinals. They then bounced back and eliminated Guild Esports and DRX to get a rematch with Fnatic in the lower bracket semifinals.

FPX outlasted their regional rivals in a 2-1 thriller to advance to the lower bracket finals against OpTic.

Game one: Split

As the lower bracket finals started, the North American Green Wall immediately took the opening pistol and eco rounds to get an early lead against FPX.

Unfortunately for them, FPX had other plans, as the team went on an early five-round streak to quickly gain some significant distance.

In particular, a 5v5 B-site showdown on round 7 showcased how well FPX can work together to pick off enemies one-by-one.

To top it off, FPX finished the first half at 9-3, something OpTic had already faced twice during their previous match against Paper Rex.

To close the gap, OpTic took the pistol and eco rounds again during the second half to deal damage in FPX’s economy.

Unfortunately for them, FPX still managed to win the bonus round, before winning the two succeeding gun rounds as well.

Pinned to the edge, OpTic made one final attempt by winning round 18, before FPX closed the map right after at 13-6.

Game two: Icebox

OpTic started strong in game two at Icebox, taking the lead with a 4-round streak. At their helm is Jimmy “Marved” Nguyen, Victor “Victor” Wong and Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker, who pulled off 2ks to help OpTic make an early comeback.

As a response, FPX decreased the score by also going on a four-round streak to tie match, before trading rounds to finish the first half with a 6-6 tie.

Once again, FPX had other plans, and with a swift 3k from Ardis “ardiis” Svarenieks during round 7, the team won the second pistol round.

FPX also converted the eco round, before OpTic responded with a round of their own. Then, in what’s quickly becoming classic FPX fashion in this matchup, the team went on another 4-round streak to widen the gap.

OpTic was once again pinned to the wall, before Marved clutched a 1v1 against Dmitry “SUYGETSU” Ilyushin to give the team another score.

But, just like in the previous map, however, FPX would close the map again during the next round, winning the Icebox at 13-8.

Game three: Bind

Two rounds down, OpTic needed to wake up quickly, which is fortunately what they did on Bind.

As OpTic’s best map on the pool, the North American squad easily took the three opening rounds, before Austin “crashies” Roberts pulled off a fantastic 4k to win round 4 as well.

After another round, OpTic was in the lead at 5-0.

FPX took their first score by round 6 to stop the bleeding, before trading rounds that mostly went in OpTic’s way.

By halftime, the score was once again at 9-3, but in favor of OpTic this time.

The second half was no different in terms of trading rounds. OpTic took the second pistol and eco rounds, before FPX responded with a round of their own.

OpTic hit back with a round of their own, and FPX tried closing the gap by winning the next two rounds. By round 19, however, OpTic would close the map at 13-6, setting the stage for game four.

Game four: Fracture

FPX started off Fracture strong, winning the pistol and eco rounds.

Then ardiis would stop yay in a 1v1 by round 3, claiming another score for FPX.

The rest of the team would then follow that with three more rounds, putting FPX at an early lead of 6-0.

OpTic would respond by winning rounds 7 and 8, with yay coming alive on his El Diablo.

Unfortunately for them, FPX would once again string three rounds together befor OpTic could take another round, finishing the first half at yet another 9-3 in favor of FPX.

Come the second half, FPX would band together to win the pistol round, before OpTic retaliated by converting the eco and bonus rounds.

FPX answered by another two rounds of their own, and OpTic did the same.

By round 13, however, FPX would ultimately close the map at 13-7, defeating the North American Squad and sending them straight to the grand finals stage.

With their victory, FPX secured at least a Top 2 finish as well as US$120,000 and 750 VCT circuit points.

They will be facing Paper Rex in the best-of-five grand finals on Sunday (24 July) for the Masters Copenhagen championship and the grand prize of US$200,000 and 1,000 circuit points.

Meanwhile, OpTic Gaming fall well short of a second-straight VALORANT Masters title as they bow out in third place and with US$85,000 and 500 circuit points in consolation.

For everything you need to know about Masters Copenhagen, check here.

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