Fnatic use ‘winner’s mindset’ to beat 100 Thieves, reach VALORANT Champions playoffs

September 8, 2022

by Sage Datuin

“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.”

It’s an inspiring quote that American football coach Vince Lombardi supposedly once said, and it’s exactly what Fnatic’s VALORANT team did.

Just a few days ago, Fnatic had entered a VALORANT Champions 2022 postmatch press conference following a close 2-1 series loss to 100 Thieves disappointed in themselves.

“We know that if we want to win, we’re going to have to put in the work and go above and beyond. That’s what champions are,” James "Mistic" Orfila said after their loss to 100 Thieves a week ago. “We need to really put in that extra work to see results, and I am ready to prove that at this event.”

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Throughout 2022, Fnatic have been one of Europe’s most consistent teams, and often, one of the teams viewed as a legitimate contender to win a VALORANT international LAN tournament. Yet, something that has continued to evade the team dating back to last year has been a championship title.

So when Fnatic came into Champions 2022, the narrative was once again set for the European side as a legitimate contender. Fnatic were ranked fourth in Nerd Street’s power rankings heading into Champions. Unfortunately, their tournament run in Istanbul, Turkey, up until Thursday had been uninspiring to say the least.

After their shocking series loss to 100 Thieves, the team continued to look out of sorts against FURIA, in a close 2-1 series win.

Regardless, the stage was set for Fnatic to take control of their situation on Thursday, and the script could not have been more perfectly primed.

North America and EMEA each had two teams already qualified for the Champions playoffs, and this match would decide which region would have all their teams qualify for the playoffs. For Fnatic, a loss against 100 Thieves would mean their quest for a championship title would be cut short, while a win could signify the start of a potentially strong bounce back.

A winning mindset guides Fnatic to a stronger Champs showing

Photo credit: Riot Games

Fnatic entered the series rematch with unmatched grit and determination after a dominant 13-5 victory on Bind to start the match. That strong start continued on Ascent, where Fnatic began the second game with an 8-4 first half before capping off their strong performance 13-7 en route to a 2-0 bounce-back victory.

One of the most significant factors that Fnatic credited after Thursday’s victory was a “winner’s mindset.”

“Momentum is building I guess,” Jake “Boaster” Howlett said during the postmatch press conference. “We started developing a new winner’s mindset, and we just started to trust each other. [We] play with confidence, communicate all relaxed as well.”

One of the biggest stars of the series was Fnatic’s newest pickup, Turkish player Emir Ali "Alfajer" Beder, who topped the leaderboards in Thursday’s series with a monstrous 299 average combat score (ACS). Now, he will have an opportunity to play in front of a home crowd, which was especially important to him.

“We have a lot of Turkish fans because I am the only Turkish [player at Champions],” Alfajer said. “They [the fans] are gonna be hype because they are going to be screaming Fnatic because I am Fnatic. My family is here and they’re going to boost me, and if I finished with 300 ACS, I am going to do 400 [in playoffs].

Fnatic looking to carry ‘winner’s mindset’ into playoffs

Photo credit: Riot Games

Fnatic now head into the playoffs with a clean slate in the double-elimination playoff bracket, where their goal of winning an international VALORANT LAN is still alive. This time, however, the team feels at their most focused state compared to past performances.

“On the daily, there are no days off here. I just think everyone after this win will feel invigorated,” Boaster said during his final statement in the postmatch press conference. “We know how to take enemies by the throat and really go for that win -- that sort of hunger and sort of mental attitude that we have not shown at the previous event.”

Next, Fnatic will look to build off their strong performance against 100 Thieves by beating another North American team: XSET.

That upper bracket quarterfinal will take place Saturday at 1 pm ET. The winner will move forward into the upper bracket semifinals, and the loser will drop down into the lower bracket.

Lead photo credit: Riot Games