VCT 2023 LOCK//IN São Paulo: All you need to know

The new era of associations or franchises in the VCT is about to begin. While most second and third-tier leagues have already started and are several weeks into the battles, the top tier has yet to make its presence known.

All VALORANT Tier-1 teams have two to three months of complex preparation for the start of the year’s first tournament, the VCT 2023 LOCK//IN São Paulo. On the other hand, we have not yet been able to know the new squads’ level and performance, so there are double expectations regarding this tournament.

Below, we detail everything you should know about the first tournament of the 2023 VCT season. But first, let’s remember that we will see in action for the first time the 30 franchises selected by Riot Games for the partnership program, plus two invited Chinese teams.

Start date – Prizes – Format

There will be more than two weeks of action at VCT 2023 LOCK//IN São Paulo, as the event starts next Monday, February 13, and runs until March 4. This will be the first VALORANT tournament in which all matches will be played live in a stadium packed with fans.

The format used in this tournament has caused some discussion among community members, as we will not have a Lower Bracket. Instead, after a completely random draw, the 32 teams were divided into two groups of 16 teams (Alpha and Omega), with five representatives from each international league plus two teams from China.

The teams will compete against one another in two direct elimination rounds, except for the Grand Final, which will feature a best-of-five format.

Now, the team that loses its series would be sealing its ticket back home, regardless of the time of the tournament. Finally, the winning team will win a juicy $100,000 prize, although the teams’ main objective is the extra place for their regions for the next VALORANT Masters.

In addition, this will be the first time we will have the map pool in an official top-level tournament with the new Split and Lotus, with Bind and Breeze out of this map rotation.

LOUD: The current champion is the favorite

There is no doubt that the current VALORANT Champions 2022 champion, the Brazilian team, LOUD, is the main candidate to win this first VCT tournament. While the team has made significant changes to its lineup, the team looks to be coming in very strong. We have seen that they have been playing different boot camps in Spain to arrive in a good rhythm. In addition, they will be playing in front of their home crowd, which gives them an additional advantage.

EMEA wants to make a splash

There is no doubt that there are many powerful teams in the EMEA region. However, since we saw FunPlus Phoenix lift the Copenhagen Masters trophy last season, no team from EMEA has managed to rise to the top in a top-level tournament. Undoubtedly, the FPX core, now under the NaVi banner, is one of the favorites for this first tournament of the year.

We also have Team Liquid, which with the additions of Igor “Redgar” Vlasov and Ayaz “nAts” Akhmetshin, have a formidable team to fight for everything. In addition, we also have Giants, KOI, and Team Heretics, the three Spanish teams that want to take their place in the VALORANT competitive scene.

Finally, we cannot leave aside the always favorite and incredible organizations such as Fnatic, Karmine Corp, and Team Vitality.

The Pacific can give surprises

Indeed, this region does not have an average level that can approach that of EMEA and America. However, teams like Paper Rex, DRX, T1, or ZETA Division can make an excellent tournament and surprise us all.

The table is set for the first tournament of the VALORANT Champions Tour partnership era. From next February 13, and for more than 20 days, we will enjoy the 30 associated teams and the 2 Chinese teams invited to this great event in São Paulo, Brazil.

Header: VCT | Riot Games