100 Thieves and Fnatic will play in the semifinals of the Omega Bracket at VALORANT Champions Tour 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo. Frankly, I personally expected much more from the North Americans, since a difficult victory over the Turks actually deprives the guys of prospects.
In turn, Fnatic continues to demolish everyone with their feet, and now the Brazilians from FURIA got under the cut. In general, the European team looks very cool so far, and everyone wants to see the Natus Vincere vs Fnatic match.
Therefore, here I would look at the victory of the European team, which is essentially a little more variable than 100 Thieves. It is clear that the North Americans have a tough sniper and good chemistry, but the guys are not playing out.
Form 100 Thieves
The first team in the North American ranking played well at Red Bull Home Ground #3, where they did not suffer a single defeat to become the winner of the championship.
Already here, as part of the VALORANT Champions Tour 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo, 100 Thieves continued their winning streak with two victories over EDward Gaming and FUT Esports.
However, the North American team still cannot surprise with stability, because over and over again one has to rely on chance. In general, 100 Thieves looks very controversial, and the team is clearly inferior to Fnatic in the face-to-face comparison.
Latest 100 Thieves results:
- Victory over FUT Esports with a score of 2:0.
- Victory over Team Vitality with a score of 2:0.
- Victory over Cloud9 with a score of 3:0.
- Victory over EDward Gaming with a score of 2:1.
- 2:1 victory over FUT Esports.
It is worth noting that for now the North American team is refusing the Ascent map.
Fnatic form
The second team of the European rating left some hopes last season, but in the fall they significantly strengthened their squad by signing cool players.
As a result, Fnatic managed to win the Superdome and Riot Games ONE PRO INVITATIONAL, finding the right balance along the way.
So at the start of VALORANT Champions Tour 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo, the European team got two confident victories over the Sentinels and FURIA, clearly showing their readiness to move on.
Fnatic latest results:
- Victory over Dsyre Elevate with a score of 2:0.
- Victory over DetonatioN FocusMe with a score of 13:8.
- Victory over ZETA DIVISION with a score of 13:5.
- Victory over the Sentinels with a score of 2:0.
- Victory over FURIA with a score of 2:0.
In turn, the European team does not risk appearing on the Pearl map.
100 Thieves vs Fnatic Match Statistics
During the last season, the teams held two meetings:
- 100 Thieves won 2:1 at VALORANT Champions 2022.
- Fnatic won 2-0 at VALORANT Champions 2022.
I note that at that time the teams played on the Pearl, Bind, Haven and Ascent maps.
Prediction for the match 100 Thieves vs Fnatic
To be honest, Fnatic's picks don't really suit me, but the team really pulls on shooting and team interactions. In turn, the North American team got two controversial victories, and the match against FUT Esports seemed to overestimate their chances.
I can't say that I'm ready to estimate the development of events - after all, 100 Thieves are doing pretty well on Haven - but in a general sense, the European team looks more varied.
Therefore, in this case, I would recommend betting on the victory of the Fnatic team.
