VCT LOCK//IN 2023: Alpha Group Recap

The VCT LOCK//IN Alpha Group has concluded with LOUD and DRX securing spots in the playoffs. Here is a quick recap of the Alpha Group matches. 

The Korean team qualified for the playoffs by defeating Talon Esports, while the defending world champions LOUD prevailed against NRG Esports. The two qualifying teams will fight against one another in the semi-finals on March 3 to decide who advances to the championship game. Here is a summary of VCT LOCK//IN Alpha Group.

LOUD’s dominance in Valorant continues as they cruise through the finals

The event got off to a fast start for LOUD, the team with the home-field advantage, as they easily defeated GenG Esports to open the event. The Brazilian Valorant team handily swept the French Karmine Corp on Pearl and Split to earn their second straight victory at home. 

Felipe “Less” Basso’s performance struck out the most, even though the entire LOUD squad played brilliantly as a unit. He recorded 49 kills over the two maps with an ADR of 210 to book an encounter against NRG in the Quarterfinals.

Beginning on Split, NRG struggled to fend off LOUD’s assault, but by the end of the first half, they had managed to win three rounds. LOUD maintained its momentum from the first half into the second and defeated NRG 13-3 to claim the map pick. LOUD got off to a fast start on Pearl, but NRG came back to end the half with a 7-5 lead.

NRG extended their advantage to five points and was on the verge of ending the half but LOUD’s counterattack stopped them and forced OT. After more than an hour of play, NRG ultimately claimed Pearl thanks to an MVP-caliber effort by Austin “Crashies” Roberts, who collected 29 frags.

The last map Fracture was once again dominated by Crashies in terms of kills, but this time, LOUD’s teamwork and more composed gameplay ensured them an 18-16 victory.

NRG’s collapse puts an end to North America’s hope

In the opening round of the VCT LOCK/IN, NRG destroyed the French team KArmine Corps to claim their first victory in the competition. After a rocky beginning to their second crucial match, NRG eventually defeated KOI 2-0.

In their second-round encounter against Giants Gaming, NRG’s effective and efficient VALORANT team selected an outrageous map Lotus. Although the stacked North American team struggled on the newest map in the tournament and suffered a defeat of 14–12, they were still able to take the series with comfortable wins on Haven and Icebox. 

After a fantastic 2-1 victory, NRG set up a quarterfinal match against the Brazilian team LOUD. However, they lost the match 2-1 and got eliminated from the event.

DRX are one win away from their first grand appearance on the global stage

The Korean team DRX resumed exactly where they left off in the 2022 Valoront Champions. In their opening series against BBL Esports, they got the job done on their chosen map, Pearl, before wrapping out the match with a 13-7 victory at Haven.

Cloud9 started the series off well with a 13-3 victory on the first map Pearl. DRX were able to resist the blows and put up tremendous performances with brilliant defense and assault on Haven and Icebox to claim the series 2-1. 

The North American team’s success in the first map was largely due to 0m, who continued to shine for them with a vital performance. S0m made the most of every opportunity his squad received, even during last-ditch save rounds, by using agent utility brilliantly.

Talon Esports’ impressive journey came to end

The Thai underdog squad Talon Esports had a stunning run in the Alpha Group that signaled a new era of Asia-Pacific domination. The team with the very effective X10/XERXIA core defeated two of the top Valorant teams in the VCT LOCK//IN. In the first game, they faced off against Evil Geniuses, a group that featured some amazing North American talent.

Talon Esports faced up against the Brazilian team MIBR in the second game. Despite putting up a brave fight against Talon, MIBR was defeated on both maps, 13-8 and 13-11, by the underdog Thai team’s strong attack and clever defense. As it was MIBR’s home turf, they put on a fight, but the audience had to leave dissatisfied because the squad couldn’t overcome Talon.

DRX launched a powerful onslaught and consistently planted the spike in the opening map, but the Thai team retook the position and closed the map 13-10. Throughout the first half of the second map Ascent, there was a tussle for dominance between the two teams. In the end, it was DRX who won the map 13-6 by stringing together seven rounds of defense that stopped all Talon attacks and necessitated a decider map.

Again, Talon took an early lead on the final map Icebox, but DRX broke through Talon’s defense to take a two-round advantage at the half. Talon won five of the following six rounds and appeared to have the DRX defense under control, but DRX regained the initiative to win the necessary three rounds and claim the second seat from the Alpha group.

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