(If you're missing context, please feel free reference the original VALORANT World Cup project thread: https://www.vlr.gg/493514/valorant-world-cup-simulation/)
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Group E
🇷🇺 Russia vs. Finland 🇫🇮
🇹🇭 Thailand vs. Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦
Group F
🇺🇸 United States vs. Poland 🇵🇱
🇫🇷 France vs. India 🇮🇳
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🇷🇺 Russia 2-0 Finland 🇫🇮
Match page: https://i.imgur.com/YxA78fm.png
Map 1: Ascent
🇷🇺 13-2 🇫🇮
Timeline: https://i.imgur.com/zCVagpa.png
Stats: https://i.imgur.com/qMEdNkP.png
Map 2: Lotus
🇷🇺 18-16 🇫🇮
Timeline: https://i.imgur.com/TRxn9A3.png
Stats: https://i.imgur.com/AUI0TlI.png
Russia was statistically the best team to come into this tournament, and they could've easily taken this series losing only 5 rounds.
Map 1 was the most one-sided map we've seen so far this tournament. A very quick 13-2 from them, with Jemkin going 20/9, also saw the first π of this tournament, with H1ber on KAY/O only registering 3 kills in the map's 15 rounds.
Lotus looked to be more of the same, with Russia carrying over their momentum from map 1 and getting up to 12-3 with fragging from Jemkin, nAts, and vo0kashu. That was where we saw the Russians falter. Thanks to fragging from Derke and Famsii, and especially H1ber, Finland would win a straight 9 rounds to take us to overtime. This included a 1v3 ace clutch from H1ber, who somehow managed to end the map with 10x as many kills as the previous one. In the end, though, Russia took it 18-16 thanks to heroics from nAts, giving us the most fake comeback of all time. Even though Russia prevailed, Finland set a statement that they aren't the unstoppable force we perceived them to be.
Match MVP: 🇷🇺 nAts
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🇹🇭 Thailand 2-1 Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦
Match page: https://i.imgur.com/BJKUPEs.png
Map 1: Haven
🇹🇭 13-11 🇸🇦
Timeline: https://i.imgur.com/sv6jgWu.png
Stats: https://i.imgur.com/hNt5Z21.png
Map 2: Sunset
🇹🇭 10-13 🇸🇦
Timeline: https://i.imgur.com/dpNVxXO.png
Stats: https://i.imgur.com/P6GqG8S.png
Map 3: Icebox
🇹🇭 13-8 🇸🇦
Timeline: https://i.imgur.com/4rIgxzV.png
Stats: https://i.imgur.com/aqfU8hG.png
Thailand started Haven hot, with Primmie running down the Saudi defense, getting an ace in round 4 to put himself at 11/2 (https://i.imgur.com/iQbpqXL.png). Down 8-4 at the half, Saudi Arabia needed to prove they could hold their own. They won 7 attacking rounds, including an ace from str1keR late in the game (https://i.imgur.com/9Ps93zK.png). The gap would be too big to close, though, as the Thai would take Haven 13-11.
Sunset saw a very interesting clash of ideas, with Primmie and seph1roth on Waylay and Gekko heading into str1keR's Chamber. This map started a lot closer, with Killua's ace sealing a 6-6 half (https://i.imgur.com/qrv4hfT.png). Despite Killua and Primmie fragging, however, Moh, KHaaLiD, and str1keR would prove to hold more firepower on their attacking half, taking a 13-10 victory to take us the distance.
Icebox would be our decider, and we saw our first Sage pick of the tournament in Moh. The battle Sage would prove vital to Saudi Arabia, with him going 27/14 and pulling off a 1v5 on their attack half to keep them in the match a little longer (https://i.imgur.com/EH21HPT.png) Unfortunately for him, though, his teammates couldn't keep up, and Killua's 30 kills on Sova brought Thailand a 13-8 win to clinch the series 2-1.
Match MVP: 🇹🇭 Killua
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🇺🇸 United States 2-1 Poland 🇵🇱
Match page: https://i.imgur.com/A9iBJwy.png
Map 1: Sunset
🇺🇸 7-13 🇵🇱
Timeline: https://i.imgur.com/bn5yK6n.png
Stats: https://i.imgur.com/oQALdUT.png
Map 2: Lotus
🇺🇸 13-10 🇵🇱
Timeline: https://i.imgur.com/0WJOPNq.png
Stats: https://i.imgur.com/R6T1R4u.png
Map 3: Pearl
🇺🇸 13-7 🇵🇱
Timeline: https://i.imgur.com/NIAXcKB.png
Stats: https://i.imgur.com/6I31mZ7.png
This was the biggest question mark of the day. Either team could've won this, and any underperformance could've been costly.
Map 1 was simply MOLSI proving himself. There were questions as to why he should igling the team over starxo or zeek, but MOLSI's Sova shut down those doubts, with an ace on round 10 cutting zekken and leaf's momentum and giving Poland the upper hand (https://i.imgur.com/3DFbLDV.png). Despite several multikills from the Americans, they couldn't convert their chances, and Poland won 6 straight attacking rounds to take Sunset 13-7, with MOLSI going 27/11 and PROFEK also having a great map.
Map 2 would be Pearl, and while the first half was close, the map itself was not. With leaf fragging superbly and valyn's reads being flawless (https://i.imgur.com/SNHd57m.png), the United States would take a 13-10 to bring it to Pearl.
Map 3 was by far the sloppiest map of tournament so far, with leaf opening us off with a messy 1v3 sheriff ace on round 1 (https://i.imgur.com/Ob3WjVc.png). Despite valyn's quesitonable calling, with the US opting to save in a 3v4 against classics in the following round, Poland had their own problems, not being able to put together the funds for a rifle round until round 6. From there, the rest of the first half was just MOLSI having poor reads on the defense and the US not being able to play against a retake. After a 6-6 struggle, zekken decided he'd had enough, and powered through the Polish side's attack, giving them just one round and taking the series with a 2-1 scoreline. kaajak was very uncharacteristic this map, ending Pearl 3/19 despite being one of the highest rated players in the server—he still managed to end above both valyn and westside in the series, though, who both had terrible performances and will look to do better in their next matches against France and India respectively.
Match MVP: 🇺🇸 leaf
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🇫🇷 France 2-0 India 🇮🇳
Match page: https://i.imgur.com/JeEKWiM.png
Map 1: Icebox
🇫🇷 13-10 🇮🇳
Timeline: https://i.imgur.com/HrA3JeR.png
Stats: https://i.imgur.com/U25BgAq.png
Map 2: Lotus
🇫🇷 13-8 🇮🇳
Timeline: https://i.imgur.com/Aaeq2p0.png
Stats: https://i.imgur.com/EdeIAH6.png
As with Matchday 2, the final faceoff of the day proved to be the most uneventful.
India started strong on Icebox, converting a thrifty after losing the pistol and stringing together a couple rounds to build a buffer. It didn't matter in the end, though, as with r1seN being their sole fragger in a lot of their rounds, France were simply able to mow them down, with TakaS frying on the entries and K4DAVRA never failing to get at least one on his lurks. The map ended 13-10.
Icebox seemed to be only a warmup for the two of them, as Lotus would be even more one-sided. Takas started the map 11/0 and K4DAVRA's ace in the 8th round only seemed to add to their momentum (https://i.imgur.com/UrNxZyw.png). France's throw-it-back Raze Phoenix comp got the better of Venka's Iso, helping them take the map 13-8 and end a swift and decisive series.
Match MVP: 🇫🇷 K4DAVRA
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Here's how the table stands after half the first set of matches in groups E and F: https://i.imgur.com/Vv5COOu.png
This is what Matchday 4 will look like:
Group G
🇰🇷 Korea Republic vs. Singapore 🇸🇬
🇨🇿 Czechia vs. Belarus 🇧🇾
Group H
🇧🇷 Brazil vs. Hong Kong 🇭🇰
🇦🇺 Australia vs. Germany 🇩🇪
If you want to check the other groups for future matchups, everything is listed in this thread: https://www.vlr.gg/493814/vwc-group-stage-draw
At this point, who do you have making playoffs?
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