FNATIC Coach Speaks on VCT EMEA Grand Final Defeat

The length of the tournament played a part in breaking FNATIC’s long streak of victories

Before the VCT EMEA Grand Final game against Team Liquid, FNATIC enjoyed a 21-match winning streak, one of the longest in recent VALORANT history. After looking so dominant, the 1-3 defeat and leaving the stage without the trophy was a matter of surprise for the EMEA crowd, and FNATIC’s head coach Jacob “mini” Harris opened up the reasons behind this result in the pre-Masters Press Conference.

Talking about the Grand Final defeat, mini told ESTNN how the length of the Split played a role in the subpar performance facing Team Liquid. He also mentioned the fatigue of the squad from playing so long, as well as taking a day off right before the final Bo5 being a few of the reasons. 

Lastly, the coach touched on the fact that the team hadn’t changed its composition in the Grand Final series, which could’ve helped Liquid better plan their counter-strategy. 

Credit: Riot Games

Going into Masters Tokyo, FNATIC’s IGL Jake “Boaster” Howlett spoke to correspondents about how they “have been cooking” new strategies for the tournament. The roster remains one of the favorites to win the event, with players like Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev and Leo “Leo” Jannesson expected to continue their stellar forms seen in the EMEA League.