Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev has returned to torment the worldwide VALORANT scene after being forced to skip the first Masters competition this year. In their first playoff game at VCT Masters Copenhagen, he helped Fnatic destroy local rivals FunPlus Phoenix.

On Icebox, FPX started strong and defeated Fnatic on their own map selection—a map where they are regarded as one of the greatest in the world. After Fnatic took control of the pistol and the anti-eco, FPX launched an excellent defensive push that stopped Fnatic’s executions on both sites and kept Alfajer, making his LAN debut, without a kill after nine rounds.Boaster stepped up late in the second with some critical post-plant multi-kills, but FPX still led 8-4 at halftime.

Alfajer came to life as Boaster and Derke provided crucial frags, and Fnatic recovered on defense. Only two rounds were conceded by FPX in the second half thanks to Fnatic’s defensive setups on both sites. Following a fantastic Derke 4K, Fnatic won 13-10 thanks to Chamber’s ultimate.

Derke continued to rule Chamber in Haven, as the Finnish superstar provided more moves and grabs on Fnatic’s offensive side. He contributed 16 kills in the first 10 rounds, supporting an 8-2 Fnatic advantage that necessitated several FPX timeouts. But, at least in the beginning, it was useless. Derke notched an astounding 400 ACS at the half as Fnatic won the following two rounds to grab a commanding 10-2 lead.

Ironically, only Derke of all the players was lost during Fnatic’s very perfect pistol round on defense, adding to their already enormous advantage. Due to several late-round spins, FPX gained entry to the following round and managed to score a few points, but opening kills from Derke in the following two rounds signaled the team’s defeat on Haven. Fnatic defeated them 13-4 on their own choice to win the game and the series.

With a very perfect pistol round on defense, Fnatic increased their already substantial advantage, losing oddly just Derke in the process. Due to some late-game spins, FPX was able to push into the following round and score a few points, but opening kills from Derke in the following two rounds effectively ended FPX’s chances of taking down Haven. To win the series 2-0, Fnatic destroyed them on their own pick 13-4.

In 40 rounds altogether, Derke ended the series with an impressive 53 kills against just 22 fatalities, for a first blood difference of +10. As incredible as his performance was, his colleagues also made significant contributions. Alfajer played a terrific Raze game on Haven following his sluggish start on Icebox, while Boaster had a +14 K/D throughout the course of the series.

Following their resounding victory against Guild earlier in the day, Fnatic now prepare to face Paper Rex, another team from EMEA that convincingly defeated a competitor in the first round. The match is tentatively slated to start at 10 AM CT on Sunday, July 17.