Team Liquid’s Keiko Impresses In VCT Debut

20-year-old Georgio “Keiko” Sanassy has finally made his first VCT appearance and has already proved why a storied organization like Team Liquid gave him a shot. Keiko broke the record of being the Rookie MVP.

Who Is Keiko, And Where Did He Come From?

Keiko, a former Fortnite player, started his Valorant career in 2021, playing for random stacks. He got his first real shot playing for Team Apeks, who participated in the VCT 2023 Ascension. Unfortunately, he and Apeks fell short in the Grand Final, losing to Gentle Mates 0-3. 

Still, the run was a huge success overall for Keiko, as he displayed enough performance to land a spot at Team Liquid. On February 21, he finally got his chance to prove himself on the big stage, and what a way to do it. 

Keiko and his new roster were set to face Movistar KOI in the first round of Group B. The veto went to Icebox, picked by Team Liquid, followed by Bind, picked by Movistar KOI, and Split as the decider if needed.

Keiko’s Debut On Icebox

Team Liquid took the first pistol round convincingly but lost to a thrifty, and the game started slipping out of their control. Blink, and you miss it; KOI was suddenly up 7-3 on their attacking side. However, Liquid could win their fourth round after an impeccable 4K by Keiko on what seemed to be an impossible retake. 

OUR DUELIST @keikofps 🔥 pic.twitter.com/XFxAvCqnGW

— Team Liquid Valorant (@LiquidValorant) February 21, 2024

The young Brit ended the first half with a KDA of 18/7/0, while the rest of the team sat at single-digit kills. However, the Keiko show didn’t end there; he continued his lights-out performance in the second half. 

Despite losing the second pistol round and the following round, Team Liquid could make an incredible comeback on their attacking side after being down 5-9. Keiko continued his dominant showing and ended the map 37/16/2, resulting in a total ACS of 427. 

this is now officially a keiko fan page pic.twitter.com/wuM1vxxNON

— Team Liquid Valorant (@LiquidValorant) February 21, 2024

With such a performance, Keiko broke the Rookie debut record with his incredible rating of 1.86 on Icebox. 

Team Liquid Close Out The Series

Though Team Liquid won the first map, they only won it thanks to Keiko’s impact, while the remaining members looked shaky. Struggles continued as KOI opened their map pick of Bind with a score of 6-1. Still, the favorites recovered the half, winning four rounds in a row to keep the half competitive at 7-5. 

The same story occurred with the first map, as KOI could win the first two rounds of the second half and take a 9-5 lead. However, Team Liquid won seven rounds in a row and eventually closed the map 13-11, making Keiko’s debut a success. Keiko didn’t have too much of a standout performance on Bind but had enough impact to get the job done.

Throughout both maps in the series, Keiko topped the server with a KDA of 51/30/6 and an ACS of 300 – one of the greatest Rookie debuts Valorant has seen.

Team Liquid will be put on a real test against Natus Vincere in their next match.

Header: Team Liquid