Last year’s VALORANT Champions, the Brazilian team LOUD, will take the stage at VCT LOCK//IN São Paulo two days later than initially scheduled. A few players in the line-up got ill and as a result, the match was postponed by two days.
The first event of the VALORANT Champions Tour 2023 is just around the corner with a total of 32 teams from all three major regions and two Chinese teams invited to battle in a single-elimination bracket. The stakes are high for each team’s first VCT event. Besides the $500,000 prize pool, the teams have a chance of winning an additional regional slot at the 2023 Masters.
The VCT LOCK//IN was supposed to start on February 13 with three games, but the match between LOUD and Gen.G was postponed two days and will now take place on February 15.
An update on the schedule for #VCTLOCKIN pic.twitter.com/p1AIZscjzc
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) February 12, 2023
LOUD match postponed by 2 days
LOUD just clinched a win at Champions 2022, albeit with a newly assembled team. Two of their stars have left for the Sentinels, and teams across the board have been drastically reshuffled due to the announcement of VCT affiliate teams. Despite this, a solid core remains, ready to defend not only their title but also their home game.
With the inaugural tournament taking place in Brazil this year, fans from the region have been looking forward to LOUD taking on the best VALORANT teams in the world. An official announcement on the VALORANT Esports Twitter account reads:
“Due to the illness of several players, LOUD will not be able to provide a full lineup for the originally scheduled VCT LOCK//IN opening game on Monday, March 13.”
New schedule
The announcement, which was circulated via the VALORANT Esports Twitter account, also went into the details of the new schedule. February 13th will no longer be a three-match day. Instead, only the matches of Detonation FocusMe vs. Giants Gaming and NRG vs. KOI will take place. With LOUD’s VCT LOCK//IN debut pushed back to February 15th, the match against Gen.G has been pushed back to the day we will see Team Heretics against Evil Geniuses and MIBR against Talon Esports. This gives the Brazilian fans a double dose of MIBR and LOUD.
Sejam bem-vindos, @loud_tuyz e @cauanzinvlr.
O topo foi alcançado por nós e chegou a hora de lutar pra nos manter nele. pic.twitter.com/x5t11Ls7gi
— LOUD 🇧🇷 (@LOUDgg) November 10, 2022
Compensation for fans
With LOCK//IN taking place in Brazil, many fans will be disappointed if their home team doesn’t play on the first day of the event. As compensation, the VCT is offering all February 13 ticket holders two forms of compensation, allowing fans to attend one or both days of the tournament at no additional cost. Those who are still not satisfied are also offered a full refund through Ticket360.
If LOUD’s lineup is still not healthy at the time of the rescheduled match, additional precautions will likely be in place to allow players to somehow still play their game. At previous VCT events, Corona quarantine rooms were made available to all teams, allowing sick players to play in an isolated and safe environment.
Header:LOUD