Of the six survivors in Copenhagen, only four will remain after today's matches. In the lower bracket of the playoffs at Masters Copenhagen, DRX, FPX, Fnatic and Leviatán will meet to reach the grand final. The one that survives will later have to beat either Paper Rex or OpTic Gaming, but they have to reach the lower semi-finals first.
Korean champion DRX will face EMEA number two FunPlus Phoenix, while EMEA champion Fnatic plays LATAM champion Leviatán. Thanks to Masters' format, fans can experience such incredible matches in a short space of time. After today's matches, the competition will pause until Friday and the champion will be crowned this weekend.
Brief comments about the earlier stages of the playoffs
The playoffs began with Paper Rex beating Guild Esports, Fnatic taking down FPX, Leviatán losing to DRX, and OpTic taking their revenge against XSET. These results meant that EMEA numbers two and three, FPX and Guild, faced each other earlier than expected in the first round of the lower bracket.
After FPX's 13-4 win on Bind to take the series 2-1, Guild Esports, which dominated the EMEA Challengers for a while and won its group in the Masters, was eliminated quickly. This was SUYGETSU's first match in Copenhagen and he deservedly took the MVP award.
Leviatán caused another shock with a 2-1 win over XSET. Just like Guild's disappointing run, NA champion XSET left the tournament without winning a single series.
APAC champions Paper Rex defeated another EMEA contender, Fnatic, 2-0, their second straight series in which they did not lose a single map. This means that one of the tournament favourites, Fnatic, has been knocked to the lower bracket where they face Leviatán.
Unlike Fnatic, OpTic Gaming managed to defeat their Asian rivals. DRX fought incredibly well, but OpTic played better and reminded us of their performance at Masters Reykjavík. After this defeat, DRX will have to go through FPX with the SUYGETSU buff. DRX wowed us all at Masters Reykjavík, but their journey ended in the same round. This time, Korean fans will expect more.
These two matches mark the beginning of a short break at Masters Copenhagen. So if you do not want to miss the best VALORANT competition, be sure to tune in. You can follow the live streams and the matches on Luckbox. Sign up now and get your 100% bonus, which you can use when you decide to bet on your favourites.
Masters Copenhagen Lower Bracket Quarter-finals
The two lower quarter-finals will be played today:
Fnatic (1.28) vs Leviatán (3.30) - 17:00 CEST
Fnatic is one of the championship contenders here in Copenhagen, and they are undoubtedly one of the best teams in the world. However, Paper Rex was amazing and sent them to the lower bracket with ease. The series will be more about Fnatic's performance than Leviatán's. If Alfajer and Derke decide to take Fnatic to the next round, they probably will.
DRX (1.58) vs FunPlus Phoenix (2.25) - 20:00 CEST
This is a closer matchup, DRX as the Korean champions and FPX as the second best team in EMEA. Since SUYGETSU solved the visa problems and joined the team, FunPlus Phoenix has the strength to beat big teams like DRX. However, the Koreans are here to achieve something better than Masters Reykjavík. Both teams are highly motivated and we can expect a great series tonight.
