Riot Games forces FPX to replay deciding round at Valorant Champions because of turret bug
2022-09-14 09:28:00Riot Games decided to replay the final round of an elimination game between XSET and FPX at Valorant Champions 2022. The reason for the ruling was improper turret behavior during the retake done by ANGE1 and Shao.
At the score of 11:12, they had to retake the site. The opposing turret did almost nothing to stop them, quickly switching somewhere else. FPX players won the 2v3 situation and knocked XSET out of the tournament.
About an hour and a half after the conclusion, Riot Games released the official statement on the situation. They decided that this round should be replayed. It didn't change the outcome since FPX managed to win. But it caused some harsh critique from the community.
XSET were already put in a "villain role" at the tournament, but this case spoiled their reputation even more, as many blamed them for behind-the-stage shenanigans. The players had to publicly denounce that on social media. 100 Thieves GM and esports veteran Daniel "ddk" Kapadia said that Riot Games creates a dangerous precedent.
Some fans spotted that Dephh had more utility in the replayed round, which caused joking calls to run the game once again. Guild's Sayf doesn't even see the bug in this situation. He claims it's a normal turret behavior.
It's not the first time Riot comes with a replay decision in a big tournament. Earlier this year, they forced RNG to replay several bo1s at MSI 2022 in League of Legends. The Chinese team was playing remotely from home, but an artificial latency used to compensate for the ping wasn't working as intended.
In the end, the score remained the same — 2:1 in the series. FPX advanced to the next stage to face DRX. In the upper bracket, OpTic Gaming will clash with LOUD. Both matches will be staged on September 16.
