Prelude;Masters
The year is 2022. The advent of the first Valorant Masters event in the 2022 circuit looms ever-closer. Twelve teams will compete over multiple weeks in heated matches for glory, for recognition, for a testament to their ability. They carry on their shoulders the weight of their entire region. A twelfth of this weight is laden on the shoulders of Fnatic.
Initial Lamentations
The 2022 VCT circuit saw Fnatic being a lock for qualification out of their initial group. Their performance in Champions of the year prior had finally settled any doubt surrounding their potential, especially that regarding the skill of their star duelist player - Derke.
They went undefeated in the group stage. Pitted against M3C, a scarily talented team, they won what can only be called a beautifully even match and qualified for Reykjavik '22. Arguably, this was the best they'd ever looked; fans were ecstatic.
That wouldn't last. Their path went awry, rapidly. Immediately after their game against M3C, they lost to FPX - the eventual winners of EMEA Challengers 1 - by a landslide. Not soon afterward, they lost 0-3 to G2 and were knocked out of the tournament. The hopes placed on them remained unyielding. "Seeding matches can't possibly be an indicator of skill" . Truthfully, these matches mattered a great amount - they allowed G2 to bypass the group stage and confirm a top 8 finish.
Still, naysayers remained low in number and spirits, high. A few seeding matches wouldn't change anything - their skill was unrivaled. Losing BraveAF, a player so instrumental to their success that he could singlehandedly be given the credit for their success against M3C due to a certain clutched overtime, hurt. Things were looking down. "Derke might not be able to go". Things were looking abysmal. "Derke tests positive". Things weren't.
A Second Breath
With chins down and dreams dashed, the once fanatical atmosphere had become one of desperatation. The team did what they could. Replacing irreplaceable players is a challenging task. By all rights, H1ber and Fearoth are talented, deserving players. But they hadn't clutched a 0.02 second defuse with everything on the line. They hadn't looked like the single most impactful duelist player in the world. Derke tested positive once again, on the deadline. The eight group stage teams flew out to Reykjavik. Fnatic did without Derke. Without Brave.
Expectations had changed to conform to the new Fnatic roster. "two stand-ins" was their defining phrase.
The 6th of April.
5 days before Fnatic's first match.
Derke posts an image of an object reminiscent of a pregnancy test. He wasn't pregnant.
It was a covid test. It was negative. He was negative.
Never has a duelist player been happy hearing that fated word, yet here it brought with it endless joy.
The Racetrack
Fnatic's first match is against Ninjas in Pyjamas. It will not be an easy match. Xand, Jonn, and the rookie, Cauanzin, are ferocious. Fnatic will win this match.
Their ticket out of the group stage will be punched with the casings of another hard fight against either DRX, the Korean titans, or Zeta Division - Japan's hope. Fnatic will win this match.
Next, playoffs. The staircase is one of four first seeds. APAC's mechanical Paper Rex, NA's disciplined Guard, Brazil's star-studded LOUD, or the familiar EU G2. Fnatic will win this match.
Upper Semifinals. Their opponent is unpredictable. At this point, they've played and won 3 series. They're warm. They have data on their enemy. Fnatic will win this match.
Upper Finals. The point at which they were knocked out by the then untainted Sentinels in Reykjavik '21. Fnatic is a different team. They are better. Fnatic will win this match.
At the end is the Grand Final. A grueling best of five series with everything on the line. The point they reached a year prior, falling to a rival no more. Fnatic will win this match.
Masters Reykjavik's Fnatic is a winner.
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