Fnatic at VCT Champions 2022: Istanbul - Analysis, upcoming matchups, and more

Fnatic at VCT Champions Istanbul 2022: How good is the team
Fnatic at VCT Champions Istanbul 2022: How good is the team's track record? (Image via Sportskeeda)

VCT Champions 2022 is set to commence today, over a month after the Last Chance Qualifiers concluded. The ultimate Valorant tournament in VCT 2022 will begin with a group stage, followed by a bracket stage, and lastly, the grand final.

Sixteen of the best-performing Valorant teams worldwide will collide for the ultimate title. The introductory group stage is extremely important as only eight teams will seed on to the next stage. The teams will have to give their best against the competition in their respective groups to proceed to the bracket stage.

Unlike 2021's state, VCT Champions 2022 will be held offline for most of its duration. Fans can grab tickets for the tournament's bracket stage and grand finals, which are being held at Istanbul's Volkswagen Arena.

Fnatic is one of the qualifying teams for VCT Champions 2022 with a very deserving EMEA lineup. Considering the team's true potential, fans wouldn't be surprised to see them lift the trophy this time. This article will shed light on Fnatic's participating roster, analysis of the players' statistics, and more.


A detailed analysis on Fnatic's roster just ahead of VCT Champions 2022

Fnatic is one of the biggest names in Valorant esports and has been popular among fans for a long time. Considering their true potential, one wouldn't be surprised to see them lift the trophy this time. However, they are yet to face many promising teams on the circuit.

Fnatic performed consistently in both the VCT EMEA Challengers and subsequently landed in Masters Reykjavík as well as Masters Copenhagen. While Reykjavík turned out to be a mess, the team made it to the top four in Copenhagen.

Fnatic qualified for the two EMEA slots at Champions 2022 via circuit points, alongside FunPlus Phoenix. The third slot for EMEA in the tournament was via Last Chance Qualifiers, and Team Liquid grabbed it for good.

It would be interesting to see how Fnatic tackles rising international competition in Valorant Champions 2022.


Team Analysis

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Fnatic's Valorant roster was created back in early 2021 when the popular esports organization acquired one of the finest teams in Europe, SUMN FC. The original roster consisted of Boaster, Doma, Mistic, Moe40, and tsack. Over the months, the roster underwent massive renovations, leading to many player changes.

Currently, only Boaster and Mistic remain from the original SUMN FC. The current Fnatic Valorant roster consists of Boaster, Mistic, Derke, Enzo, and Alfajer, each in their prime form.


Jake "Boaster" Howlett

Boaster's individual stats ahead of VCT Champions 2022 (Image via Twitter/yickostatistics)
Boaster's individual stats ahead of VCT Champions 2022 (Image via Twitter/yickostatistics)

Boaster is the IGL of Fnatic and is extremely popular for his intricate and successful strategies. He is undoubtedly one of the best in-game leaders to look out for in VCT Champions 2022.

Earlier, Boaster played the role of an Initiator for his team but made the switch to a more supportive role from EMEA Challengers Stage 2. He presently plays the role of a Controller, picking Viper, Astra, Brimstone, or Omen wherever necessary.

Jake was also a professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player before switching to Valorant via SUMN FC. He has become one of the most valuable players in Valorant esports' EMEA circuit.


James "Mistic" Orfila

Mistics's individual stats ahead of VCT Champions 2022 (Image via Twitter/yickostatistics)
Mistics's individual stats ahead of VCT Champions 2022 (Image via Twitter/yickostatistics)

Like Boaster, Mistic is an over-achiever from Britain and is the only other player from the original SUMN FC roster. Formerly a Fortnite player, Mistic quickly adjusted to the mechanics of Valorant and went on to showcase some of the finest plays in VCT 2022.

Mistic switched roles with Boaster after Fnatic decided to bench Magnum and remove BraveAF. Mistic now plays the role of an Initiator and has been extremely consistent with his performances in VCT 2022. His impeccable utility usage paves the way for Alfajer and Derke to make their killer moves.


Enzo "Enzo" Mestari

Enzo's individual stats ahead of VCT Champions 2022 (Image via Twitter/yickostatistics)
Enzo's individual stats ahead of VCT Champions 2022 (Image via Twitter/yickostatistics)

Hailing from France, Enzo is an Initiator main for his team and has consistently amazed fans with his utility usage. He also plays the role of a Controller as and when required. Enzo joined Fnatic in May 2022 alongside Alfajer. Like others on his team, he was a former professional Counter-Strike player.

Presently, Enzo mains Fade and Sova and sticks to Viper when playing as a Controller. He has been an inevitable part of Fnatic's impressive performances in EMEA Challengers Stage 2 and Masters Copenhagen.


Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev

Derke's individual stats ahead of VCT Champions 2022 (Image via Twitter/yickostatistics)
Derke's individual stats ahead of VCT Champions 2022 (Image via Twitter/yickostatistics)

One of the most powerful and promising Duelists to look out for in VCT 2022 is Derke, who mains Chamber and Raze. He is impeccable with his firepower, which often proves heavy on his opponents. Derke was a former professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player before switching to Valorant in 2020.

The popular powerhouse joined Fnatic back in 2021, alongside Magnum, right after tsack and Moe40 were released from their contracts. He has remained one of the most valuable assets on Fnatic's roster since his entrance.


Emir Ali "Alfajer" Beder

Boaster's individual stats ahead of VCT Champions 2022 (Image via Twitter/yickostatistics)
Boaster's individual stats ahead of VCT Champions 2022 (Image via Twitter/yickostatistics)

One of the dark horses to look out for at this year's Champions, Alfajer is a shining star for Fnatic. He is pretty flexible with his choice of Agents but showcased massive firepower during his time at Fnatic, regardless of the Agents he picked.

Alfajer doesn't seem to stick to one Agent class as far as the statistics from his past matches dictate. He has picked Raze, Viper, Sage, Killjoy, Chamber, Cypher, and more, depending on his team's requirements. What remained consistent was his contribution to Fnatic's kill bucket. As a result, he is considered a Duelist for his team.

As of now, Alfajer carries the highest ACS and ADR compared to his teammates. It will be interesting to watch him take down his opponents at the Champions 2022.


Recent results of Fnatic (VCT 2022)

Fnatic's performance in Masters Reykjavík lacked, but they covered up their mistakes in EMEA Challengers Stage 2 and Masters Copenhagen.

  • EMEA Challengers Stage 1: Fnatic secured the third place after facing defeat at the hands of G2 Esports. The team managed to qualify for Masters Reykjavík anyway.
  • Masters Reykjavík: The team's performance was disastrous as they placed eleventh of the twelve teams on the leaderboard.
  • EMEA Challengers Stage 2: Fnatic made their comeback and defeated all of their EMEA competition to place first in VCT 2022 Challengers Stage 2.
  • Masters Copenhagen: Fnatic did quite well in Masters Copenhagen but only managed to secure the fourth spot after OpTiC Gaming, Paper Rex, and FunPlus Phoenix.

Upcoming matchups

Fnatic will face some of the most powerful teams in the group stage. They have been matched up in Group D, alongside DRX, FURIA Esports, and 100 Thieves.

Fnatic's first matchup will be against 100 Thieves on Friday, September 2 at 8 am PDT/5 pm CEST/8:30 pm IST. Fans can watch the game live on YouTube, Twitch, and Valorant Esports' official website.

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Edited by R. Elahi