VCT LOCK//IN: LOUD and NRG move to quaterfinals

NRG and LOUD secured brilliant victories over Giants Gaming and Karmine Corps, respectively, to lock up their spots in the quarterfinals of 2023 VCT LOCK//IN.

The fourth day of the Valorant Champions Tour LOCK/IN São Paulo saw two exciting matches. NRG’s match against EMEA squad Giants Gaming, marked the beginning of the Round of 16 while reigning World Champions faced off against the Karmine Corp in the second match of the day.

LOUD demolish Karmine Corp 2-0 to move to quarterfinals

The Brazilian Valorant team LOUD swept the French-side Karmine Corp to secure their second consecutive victory on home soil. LOUD’s assault was able to repeatedly put the Karmine Corp’s defenses to the test in the first half of Pearl. Karmine put on a brilliant showing in the second half to cut the deficit to 9-11 before the Brazillian team ultimately closed the map 13-10. 

Karmine Corp picked Split to attempt a comeback but their plan was quickly spoiled by the Brazillian team as they race to a huge 8-4 lead in the first half. Karmine, however, had much easier going in the second half, as they were able to reduce the deficit to just one point less than LOUD’s result. Yet despite their best efforts, the Brazilian team was able to shift the game again and cruise to a 13-8 victory on Split.

Although LOUD’s entire team performed flawlessly as one, Felipe “Less” Basso’s performance stood out the most as he picked up 49 kills over the two maps with an ADR of 210. While Less led the kills list, Arthur “tuyz” Vieira and Cauan “cauanzin” Pereira, the team’s newest recruits, dominated the entertainment department with unexpected moves on both maps.

NRG overcame Giants in a hard-fought best-of-three

NRG, the American team, was expected to win this series, yet they were unable able to fight off the Giants on the opening map, Lotus. The European side gave it their all to build a sizable 8-4 lead before winning convincingly 13-12 to gain a lead early on. NRG, however, bounced back immediately in the second map Haven, completely annihilating the Giants on their own map pick.

The North American team effortlessly secured 13 rounds while conceding to take the series to the decider. They continued their momentum on the third map Icebox and gained a huge 9-3 lead at the end of the first half. The 9-3 curse, though, seemed to be coming true as the Giants regained some momentum in the second half.

Before the Giants could take advantage of the momentum, NRG finished the game with a 13-7 victory to take the series 2-1 and secure a berth in the quarterfinals.

Header: RIot Games