LOUD wins the title of Valorant Champions 2022 after defeating OpTic Gaming in the final
A new king has been crowned at Istanbul!
Brazilian powerhouse LOUD has beaten OpTic Gaming in the final match of Valorant Champions 2022 Istanbul with a score of 3-1, to be crowned as the second world champion of Valorant Esports. The tournament was organized by Riot Games in an offline location in Istanbul. After qualification through Group Stage, LOUD maintained an unbeaten run in the play-offs stage of the Valorant Champions 2022. The tournament featured the best sixteen teams from all over the world.
Both teams showed dominance throughout the tournament
Interestingly, OpTic Gaming and LOUD came into the play-offs from the same group. OpTic Gaming became the group B champions coming into the playoffs stage, while LOUD took the spot of group runners-up in the group stage.
In their group stage encounter, OpTic Gaming beat LOUD with a scoreline of 2-1 in a Best of 3 (Bo3) match. In the play-offs stage, both the teams faced again in the upper bracket final, where LOUD beat the North American favourites and sent them to the lower bracket.
OpTic Gaming made a comeback from the lower bracket and earned their place in the Grand Finals, where they faced their Brazilian opponent for the third time in the tournament. After a strong match and exciting battles, LOUD took the spot of the second Valorant champion by winning the Valorant Champions 2022.
Valorant Champions 2022: Final Standings
From the top 16 teams from all over the world, a total of eight teams qualified for play-offs stage from the group stage. Here are the final standings of the Valorant Champions Tour 2022:
| Place | $USD | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 300,000 | LOUD |
| 2nd | 150,000 | OpTic Gaming |
| 3rd | 110,000 | DRX |
| 4th | 80,000 | FunPlus Phoenix |
| 5th | 60,000 | XSET |
| 6th | 60,000 | Fnatic |
| 7th | 40,000 | Leviatan |
| 8th | 40,000 | Team Liquid |
| 9th | 25,000 | Paper Rex |
| 10th | 25,000 | ZETA DIVISION |
| 11th | 25,000 | KRU Esports |
| 12th | 25,000 | 100 Thieves |
| 13th | 15,000 | EDward Gaming |
| 14th | 15,000 | BOOM Esports |
| 15th | 15,000 | XERXIA |
| 16th | 15,000 | FURIA Esports |
Valorant Champions Istanbul final broke viewership records
The all-hyped Grand Final of Valorant Champions 2022 between the two rivals LOUD and OpTic Gaming broke the VCT viewership record with a peak of 1.4 million concurrent viewers. The highest viewership record was set just yesterday in the OpTic Gaming vs DRX match, with a peak of 1 million concurrent viewers. The main reason behind this record-breaking viewership might be Riot’s brilliant plan in bringing the most popular Valorant streamers into the arena.
Valorant Champions 2022 Istanbul: Recap
The Valorant Champions Istanbul has been one hell of a ride for all the players and viewers. The tournament started with some spicy matchups in the group stage and also experienced the biggest upset of the exit of Paper Rex from the group stage. Leviatan and DRX turned out to be dark horses from their groups, as they entered into the playoffs without dropping a single series in the group stage.
DRX had a sensational run in this year’s Champions Tour as the Korean powerhouse started their playoff journey by beating the defending champions FunPlus Phoenix by a 2-0 scoreline. They eliminated Fnatic in the lower brackets and won their rematch against FPX in the lower bracket again, before getting knocked out by OpTic Gaming in the Lower Bracket Finals in a nail-biting matchup.
LOUD and OpTic both entered the tournament as favourites from their region. OpTic Gaming showed consistency, as they have ended up in the top 3 positions in all the major Valorant events this year. However, this tournament saw a fierce rivalry between LOUD and OpTic Gaming, as they faced each other three times in the whole tournament.
LOUD was as motivated as ever for their revenge against OpTic in this tournament after they were knocked out in the Group Stage by OpTic Gaming in Masters Copenhagen, which took place a few months earlier. The group stage match between LOUD and OpTic Gaming went in favour of OpTic, but LOUD made sure they won the game that mattered, as they won both Upper Bracket Finals and Grand Finals against OpTic Gaming.
Valorant Champions Istanbul 2022: The Final
OpTic Gaming has been one of the consistent teams of Valorant Esports, as one of the only stalwart teams from North America who have been given great performances on global LAN events. Considered one of the favourites to win the tournament, their roster is powered by the one and only Jacob “yay” Whiteaker or El Diablo, who is one of the best Valorant players in the world. The team is led by their IGL Pujan “FNS” Mehta, who is one of the most experienced FPS gamers in the Valorant Esports scene.
On the other hand, LOUD’s region South America has been one of the less important regions in the world. Despite possessing important names like Sacy, pANcada, aspas, Saadhak and Less in their roster, LOUD did not have a hero of their own, but their record has been impressive and consistent. LOUD started off greatly, winning a close OT map in Ascent, defeating OpTic 15-13. Sacy delivered a fantastic performance, registering 32 kills on Sova, which gave LOUD the all-important lead. OpTic came right back into contention, thrashing LOUD in their all-time favourite map Bind, by a scoreline of 13-6.
Breeze was again a closely-fought affair, with each team leading once, and the other team closing back the lead again. aspas gave a fantastic performance, getting important kills, and edged past OpTic Gaming by a score of 16-14. LOUD had to win one more map in Haven, where OpTic Gaming choked pretty badly, losing the map 13-5. Optic IGL “FNS” performed poorly in the last two maps, registering 13 kills and 38 deaths. Everyone from the LOUD roster performed really well, as it was a moment of joy for all Brazillian Valorant fans in the world. Brazil became the only region in the world to win 3 major titles in CS: GO, R6 and Valorant.
Which team surprised you in this year’s Valorant Champions Tour? Let us know in the comment section.
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