OpTic Gaming sends The Guard to the lower bracket after a tight match in Friday's VCT Masters Reykjavík playoffs. The North American Valorant team are off to fight DRX on Sunday.
OpTic had previously fought against The Guard in the North American Challengers One event. After losing to The Guard, OpTic had to work their way up to the semifinals, where they defeated KRU Esports and XERXIA. Now they finally exacted revenge on The Guard in Friday's series.
OpTic Was an Unstoppable Force on Icebox
OpTic had an early lead on the first map, Icebox, where they won the first two rounds, according to a report by Dot Esports. Team member yay aced their way to the rest of the round. OpTic also won the bonus round, thanks to yay who got three kills.
The Guard seemed to have regained their momentum on round 5 as well as the next two rounds. This was not enough, however, as OpTic closed the first half with a 3-7 scoreline lead.
The second half went much better for The Guard where they won four straight rounds. The Guard's Sayaplayer killed three enemies in round 15. It seemed The Guard was on a roll, when OpTic stopped them in their tracks with four continuous wins, taking the first map.
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The Guard Gives OpTic a Run For Their Money
The Guard was at a great start on the second map winning the first two rounds. But OpTic was able to bounce back at round three. The following was a constant push and pull between the two teams, with neither willing to give up their streaks. In round eight, Optic's Victor gave the audience a show with a one-vs-two standoff. The Guard won three of four rounds in the first half, giving them the lead for the second half.
The Guard gave another strong start at the second half, winning two rounds. Sayaplayer was an unstoppable force at round 15, willing three enemies and taking site C. They gave OpTic a hard time in the next few rounds, closing the map with a 13-7 win.
Intense Firefight in Fracture
It was anybody's game on the Fracture map, as neither team dropped the ball without putting up a decent fight. The Guard won the first three rounds. OpTic's FND almost dropped a clutch but failed to secure the last kill.
OpTic finally found their footing on round 5 as they took the A site and defended the spike. It was an intense firefight in the next few rounds, with both teams almost getting to a tie. OpTic won the final two rounds of the first half, giving them the boost they need, with an 8-4 scoreline.
Despite a strong start by The Guard in the second half, OpTic did not yield, winning four consecutive rounds. Marved closed round 16 with an ace, giving OpTic the boost they need.
OpTic picked up the pace, winning another three rounds in a row, which was enough to give them the lead. After a pause, The Guard regained their momentum and won round 20. But OpTic did not easily yield, winning round 22 and 23, bringing the game to a tie.
Round 24 was the real clincher, as OpTic defused a spike that The Guard planted and took the match point, making them win the series.
OpTic will be moving on to the upper semifinals where they will face DRX on Sunday 3PM CT, according to a separate Dot Esports report. The Guard will face Paper Rex on Saturday at 3PM, as well.
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Written by Fred Layno
