by The 2022 Valorant Champions Tour Copenhagen Master has been played to a conclusion, and FunPlus Phoenix have emerged as champions. In what was a riveting best-of-5 grand final, they bested the Paper Rex to clinch the title.
Although PRX were the favorites to win with moneyline odds of $1.67 with the top esport betting sites, the underdogs stole the series. FPX ($2.12 Moneyline) won the series 3-2 after about four hours of play.
The grand final started on Bind, which was PRX’s map pick. FPX started with an astonishing 11-0 run, ending the first round 11-1. Although it was the longest map (62 minutes) it was the most dominating, ending 13-3 in favor of FunPlus.
PRX returned the favor on Icebox, which was FPX’s pick. After jumping out to a 9-3 lead in the first round, they closed the map 13-7. PRX’s Jing Jie “Jinggg” Wang was exceptional in that map, dealing the most damage per round (188) and had the best average combat score (290).
With the series tied 1-1, the game headed to Fracture. After 40 minutes of back-and-forth, FPX won the map with a second-round takeover.
Jinggg led the charge once again to guarantee PRX stayed in the tie. In another map that was decided in the second round, PRX got some separation after ending the first round 7-5. They built on their lead, finishing Haven 13-7 to force game 5.
Breeze was a map of runs, as both teams went on incredible runs. FPX started the game with three wins while PRX responded with five straight. The Chinese team took back control of the game, closing the first round with four victories to finish the round 7-5.
To start the second round, the Asia-Pacific team won four straight to take the lead. However, it was their last win as FPX closed out the series with six consecutive wins. The map ended 13-9, giving FPX their first international win this year. They ended PRX’s perfect run against EMEA teams in the tournament.
After an outstanding display in the EMEA Stage 1 Challengers, FPX were scheduled to participate in the Stage 1 Masters – Reykjavik. Unfortunately, they could not make it to the LAN event due to visa issues.
They faced the same issue at the Copenhagen Masters but on a lighter scale. Dmitry “SUYGETSU” Ilyushin also had visa issues, but he joined up with the team later in the tournament, which started their lower bracket run.
The Russian was announced as the tournament’s MVP after a scintillating playoff run. Although Andrey “Shao” Kiprsky had a better individual performance in the grand final, SUYGETSU’s leadership made the difference.
FPX has some time to rest before the start of the final tournament in the 2022 VCT. The Valorant Champions will commence on September 2, with 16 teams fighting for a piece of the soon-to-be-disclosed prize pool.
So far, only ten teams have guaranteed spots in the event. the remaining six will be decided through regional Last Chance Qualifiers.
