FunPlus Phoenix eliminated M3 Champions in the Lower Bracket Semi-Finals of the EMEA Challengers 2 Playoffs. A 2-1 victory secures FPX a spot representing EMEA at Masters 2 Copenhagen, while M3 Champions have been eliminated at fourth place. FPX will go to face Guild Esports in the Lower Bracket Final on June 25, with the winner facing Fnatic in the Grand Finals on June 26. These matches will decide seeding for Fnatic, Guild and FPX at Copenhagen. Although M3 Champions have been eliminated from Challengers 2, they will still participate in the EMEA Last Chance Qualifier at the end of the year.
Related: [EMEA Challengers 2 Playoffs Preview: Top 4]
Map Bans: FPX ban Bind and Split; M3C ban Haven and Icebox
FPX’s Map Pick; M3C choose Defense
FunPlus Phoenix’s map pick to open the series was Ascent, where they first took control by winning the pistol and bonus rounds cleanly. However, M3C would fight back, winning the first rifle round and taking the momentum following a triple kill from Nikita “d3ffo” Sudakov in Round 4. Rounds would trade back and forth, with FPX leading 7-5 at halftime. Pontus “Zyppan” Eek would open up FPX’s defending side, winning the pistol round with four kills for an early Vandal buy. However, M3C would strike back on the bonus round, with Ayaz “nAts” Akhmetshin scoring his own quad kill and stealing the rifle. This momentum would carry M3C to Round 17, where Timofey “Chronicle” Khromov would also get four kills, leading M3C to a 9-8 score. However, the gas would soon run out, with FPX reclaiming map control and ending Ascent with a close 13-11 final score.
The teamplay from FPX helped them muscle their way past M3C, with four members showing a 79% Kill/Assist percentage in the map. Kyrylo “ANGE1” Karasov’s performance on Omen led the lobby with a 20/17/6 Kill/Death Ratio and a 39% headshot percentage. Even with Chronicle’s amazing Round 17, his performance wasn’t enough, ending at an even 19/19/1 K/DA. Bogdan “sheydos” Naumov on KAY/O set M3C up for the best success with his utlitlity, exhibiting the highest Kill/Assist percentage at 88% in the lobby and ending at 19/16/11.
M3C’s Map Pick; FPX choose Attack
M3 Champions would take FPX to Breeze for map 2, where FPX ion attack would once again lead. Dmitry “SUYGETSU” Ilyshin and Zyypan would score triple kills in the pistol and bonus rounds for an early lead. M3C would take the first rifle round again, and rounds would similarly trade to end at a 7-5 FPX-favored half. Halftime marked the first pistol round win from M3C, as they took the momentum to win five rounds in a row, leading 10-7. Although FPX would steal two thrifty rounds following four combined Sheriff kills from SUYGETSU, M3C’s lead would prove too much, and they would end Breeze 13-9.
Chronicle would step up his performance compared to Ascent, being the only player with an ACS above 300, ending the map at 349. Chronicle and Igor “Redgar” Vlasov would carry M3C with K/DAs of 28/14/3 and 23/15/3 respectively. Their ability to frag out would be helped once again by sheydos, who used Sova to rack an impressive 82% Kill/Assist percentage, the highest in the lobby again. FPX would notably struggle, with ANGE1’s Yoru underperforming and SUYGETSU’s Viper being the only player with a positive K/DA at 21/15/6.
Decider Map: FPX choose Defense
The deciding map of Fracture would open with FPX once again winning the pistol and bonus rounds. M3C would fatally fail on Round 3, misjudging their time and failing to plant the spike before time expired, gifting FPX the win. This would force M3C into a half-buy, allowing FPX to easily bulldoze into another three consecutive rounds. This momentum would not stop, with FPX finishing their defending half at 10-2. Starting their attack, FPX would again win the pistol round following a quad kill from Zyppan’s Raze. Although M3C would steal the bonus round away, Round 16 marked the first rifle round, and the nail in the coffin as Zyppan once more killed four players to seal M3C’s fate. Match point only saw one kill from d3ffo, as FPX won Fracture dominantly 13-4, eliminating M3C and securing their spot at Masters 2 Copenhagen.
Zyppan would end the series at 342 ACS, touting a 22/8/1 K/DA and a perfect 4-0 first kill/death ratio. Andrey “Shao” Kiprsky on Fade would be the standout supporter for the team, having a near-perfect 94% Kill/Assist participation. On M3C’s side, none of the players would end Fracture positive, with the best performer being d3ffo at 240 ACS and a 13/14/4 K/DA. Chronicle would fall from his Map 2 grace, ending perfectly negative for first kills/deaths at 0-6 with a 10/13/2 map K/DA.
(Photo Credit: Riot Games
FunPlus Phoenix secure the last slot to represent EMEA at Masters 2 Copenhagen with this series victory, joining Fnatic and Guild Esports. This victory is their first appearance at a 2022 VCT International Event, due to travel restrictions at Masters 1 Reykjavik. M3 Champions are eliminated at fourth place in Challengers 2, earning 75 points towards the EMEA Last Chance Qualifier. FPX now play for Copenhagen seeding, facing Guild on June 25 after Fnatic’s victory 2-0 over them. The winner will face Fnatic in the Grand Finals on June 26.
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