Fnatic defeats DRX and advances to VALORANT Champions 2025 Grand Final

VCT EMEA powerhouse Fnatic has earned its first ever spot in a VALORANT Champions Grand Final by defeating Pacific team DRX 3-1 in today’s Lower Bracket Final.

As a result, Fnatic will face off against the VCT Americas Stage 2 runner-up NRG in the VALORANT Champions 2025 Grand Final tomorrow.

The series kicked off with an unexpected map pick as both Fnatic and DRX have had disappointing results on Sunset in the past and typically prefer to ban the map. To the surprise of many viewers, though, Fnatic locked in Sunset for its first map pick.

Its Pacific opponent — and in particular, Song ‘HYUNMIN’ Hyun-min — remained unfazed by this decision. The Waylay enthusiast had a dominant start, first helping his team secure the pistol round and then scoring 14 kills on the defence half alone. Meanwhile, Fnatic had its usual hesitant attack side on Sunset (4-8). 

A pistol round win in the second half allowed Fnatic to purchase an early Operator for its Yoru player, Kajetan ‘kaajak’ Haremski. In theory, this would help the team maintain mid-control while the rest of Fnatic held strong on the extremities of the map. In practice, however, the Operator had was given a little opportunity for success by DRX and Fnatic players were frequently caught off guard by the opponents’ aggression towards the sites. 

The result was a 13-8 victory for the Korean roster.

The second map was nothing short of a stomp as Fnatic achieved a 10-round winning streak on Corrode before DRX could put its first round on the board. Fnatic’s attack half saw the EMEA squad claim early mid-control off the back of deep Astra smokes. While the team’s players had a quite first map, they now consistently won their aim duels.

Especially Austin ‘crashies’ Roberts delivered an incredible performance on Abyss. Through impactful Fade utility and 1v3 clutches, the initiator expert reached a kill-death ratio (KDA) of 18/6/2. 

DRX, on the other hand, reverted back to its bad habit of investing ultimates into low-buy rounds in the face of increasing pressure. Despite winning its attack pistol, DRX fell 13-3 on its map pick.

Haven saw a more competitive game where Fnatic persevered against DRX’s double pistol round wins and a bonus conversion in the first half. What looked like a potential attack snowball for DRX at first glance, turned into a 6-6 half thanks to Boaster’s mid-game adjustments. The Korean team found repeated success on C, but also struggled against Fnatic’s proactive mid pushes and crunches.

Through the second half, the game’s momentum shifted back and forth between the two rivals. After DRX’s second pistol on the map, Fnatic immediately retaliated with a thrifty win. Still, the EMEA squad looked indecisive at times, seemingly uncertain on which site to end each round. 

It was once again, crashies, who acted as a stalwart anchor amidst the chaos. His fearless plays and reliable utility contributed massively to the 13-11 outcome of the map.

The series concluded on Bind, the map where DRX previously held a 3-0 record at Champions. But just like on Corrode, Fnatic took full control of the game in the first half. Its team composition, including the signature Tejo pick, excelled at taking A-showers control. Fnatic also had creative set plays for B, using Tejo’s ultimate to clear backsite followed by a sneaky Yoru teleport entry. 

Seemingly crumbling under the increasing likelihood of Champions elimination, DRX won only two rounds on its defence. The first was an ACE from HYUNMIN, and the second was another hero play.

As a result, the Korean side lacked confidence, even after a pistol round win on attack. To make matters worse for DRX, Fnatic knew exactly how to position itself in order to deal with the opponent’s explosive Waylay entry. With a 13-4 result on Bind, Fnatic secured its second international VCT Grand Final attendance of the year.

Following today’s Lower Bracket Final, Fnatic will meet Americas team NRG in the Grand Final tomorrow, starting at 11 AM BST.

NRG has had a flawless Playoffs run so far and previously defeated Fnatic 2-0 in the Upper Bracket Final.

Fans can tune into the best-of-five (BO5) series via VCT’s official YouTube and Twitch channels to find out which team will win VALORANT Champions 2025.