- FunPlus Phoenix are the winners of Masters Copenhagen after a 3-2 slugfest of a grand final against Paper Rex. The second seed from Europe, Middle East and Africa has won their first international trophy and the third for their region.
FPX went undefeated at Copenhagen after Dmitry “SUYGETSU” Ilyushin joined in the lower bracket of the playoffs.
“To be honest, I have no words,” SUYGETSU said during the post-match celebration. “I didn’t even trust a few weeks ago that I’d be here because of visa problems.”
Overall, FPX played more rounds at the tournament than any other team at a VALORANT Champions Tour Masters event. Their route to the win was extremely difficult, but FPX had the grit and the determination to get it done.
“I feel f*cking amazing,” Ardis “ardiis” Svarenieks said.
For their part, Paper Rex made history by becoming the first Asia Pacific team to reach a grand final. They pushed FPX to the brink, but it wasn’t enough.
FPX become winners in Copenhagen
Previous Masters grand finals have rarely delivered, with one team often brushing aside their competition. That was not the case in Copenhagen. Whatever else the grand final was, it was close. Both FPX and Paper Rex played hard and gave up nothing.
All that said, Map 1 was definitely one-sided. Paper Rex’s signature Yoru pick on Bind did not deliver the results they needed. It was all FPX and the game ended 13-3, the most dominant win in the match.
Paper Rex’s amazing mental was in full effect as the team immediately bounced back on their opponent’s map pick of Icebox. The map was closer, but a few backbreaking rounds from Jing Jie “Jinggg” Wang were enough to even out the series 1-1 after a 13-7 victory.
Unlike Bind and Icebox, which defied expectations, both Paper Rex and FPX were considered strong teams on Fracture. Map 3 was close, but Dmitry “SUYGETSU” Ilyushin went absolutely nuclear with 22 kills, netting FPX the 13-7 win.
By the time Map 4, Haven, rolled around, the series was well and truly a close contest. And, like Fracture, the map ended 13-7. That meant that both teams had won both of the other team’s map picks as they traded wins back and forth.
The final map of the series was Breeze, a map that hasn’t seen much play at Masters Copenhagen. Paper Rex brought out a risky team composition: Fade, Astra, Breach, Yoru and Neon. It was a massive gamble on a map where agents like Viper and Sova seem almost requisite.
It was game five that the fans deserved; the match constantly teetered in the balance, with both teams struggling to find advantages. Finally, late in the second half FPX finally found their edge. The lead grew and the EMEA team was able to close it out 13-9 and become the winners of Masters Copenhagen.
“I can’t describe what it means to me,” FPX’s in-game leader Kyrylo “ANGE1” Karasov said. “I want to say thank you to everyone who came here.”
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