FNATIC vs Team Heretics – VCT EMEA 2024 Stage 1: Heretics debuts with win over FNATIC

Team Heretics and FNATIC look to start their VCT EMEA 2024 Stage 1 journey with a victory. The first arrives after international performance while the second seeks to return to these stages. Over the next few weeks, three places at Masters Shanghai will be up for grabs.

There will be two strong candidates on the server to take two of these three vacancies. The history is favorable to FNATIC, but the only time both organizations faced each other in 2023, Heretics only had Ričardas "Boo" Lukaševičius on their current roster.

EMEA is still looking for an owner. The Kickoff changed things for the EMEA region. FNATIC has been one of the most constant teams not only in the region but internationally in recent years. However, at the beginning of 2024, the team failed to access the Masters Madrid won by Sentinels. FNATIC lost in the decisive game against Karmine Corp, the team that would win the EMEA Kickoff.

The other representative from the region was Team Heretics. The youth of both teams, Heretics and Karmine Corp prevailed in the region. FNATIC, with its experience, is looking to return to the position of the best team in EMEA and to do so it needs to make a good debut against Team Heretics.

The two 2-1 defeats to Sentinels and Paper Rex dictated an early exit for the team from Masters Madrid. These close defeats to the champion and third-placed team in the competition show that another path could take the team further. To show that it wasn't chance or luck, Team Heretics also has a good opportunity to show its value against FNATIC.

You can watch the VCT EMEA 2024 Stage 1 match between FNATIC and Team Heretics on VALORANT's official channels. We've left the official broadcast below so you can follow the match with us.

Follow this great match between FNATIC and Team Heretics with us.

Team Heretics started on the attacking side and got off to a great start. Playing more passively, TH stopped FNATIC's individual initiatives and scored four points with executions for both spikesites.

The first point for Boaster's team came in a retake on spikesite B with Derke adding three kills. Team Heretics adapted to the match based on the advantage of getting the first kill of several rounds.

A clutch from Chronicle prevented an even bigger advantage from Heretics. The first half ended 9-3 in favor of TH.

Heretics started the second half by winning the pistol and the next round. However, in the round with superior weapons, FNATIC scored showing that they were still alive in the match. Two Heretics retakes closed the first map 13-4.

FNATIC wanted to recover from the bad first map and started with four rounds in a row. The team continued its dominance in the first half, giving up important rounds at the end of the first half. Derke was a key player in FNATIC's scheme that ended the first half with a 7-5 lead.

One pistol was enough for Heretics to tie the match and that was it. At 7-7, the game was more unpredictable than ever. The way the 7-7 was played demonstrates the balance that dominated the match.

FNATIC didn't let themselves go down and returned to the match with an individual Leo play.

Point here, point there, a great balance summed up the last rounds of the map with great difficulties for a team to establish a minimum sequence of rounds. In the end, Team Heretics prevailed in overtime by the score of 17-15. Highlight for Boo's ace clutch during overtime.

The third map was not necessary as Team Heretics beat FNATIC for their VCT EMEA 2024 Stage 1 debut with a 2-0 victory.

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