VCT LOCK//IN: LOUD beat DRX to enter the final

LOUD moved to the grand final of the VCT LOCK//IN Sào Paulo after defeating DRX in a thrilling best-of-five series.

The VCT LOCK//IN resumed yesterday with another supercharged matchup between crowd favorite LOUD and the Korean Valorant powerhouse DRX. After a thrilling best-of-five three series that took place across all five maps, the Brazilian team came out on top of DRX to win the grand final spot. DRX attempted a valiant comeback after falling behind 2-0 but ultimately failed against LOUD in the final map in front of the boisterous Brazilian audience.

LOUD vs DRX Match Summary

Pearl

The Brazilian squad got off to an explosive start on their own map pick, Pearl, utterly dismantling the Korean defense to take an early 9-3 lead. As Brazilian supporters were fretting about the 9-3 curse, Erick “aspas” Santos put an end to all questions after winning four rounds in the second half and leading his team to a 13-5 victory.

Icebox

In an effort to make a comeback, DRX picked Icebox, but the Brazilian squad seemed to have no intention of allowing them any room. The Korean juggernaut appeared helpless against relentless counterattacks of aspas and LOUD, who carried their momentum in the second map to curious through a massive 9-3 lead again.

Although the first half was an action replay of Pearl, DRX tried to avoid the same outcome for the second half, securing five rounds to cut the deficit 8-12. Before they could gain any more ground, LOUD came back and finished the map with a 13-8 victory.

Split

Falling behind 0-2 in the series, DRX finally broke through the Brazilian defense on Split, displaying a fantastic all-around performance to establish a 9-3 lead at halftime. On the strength of aspas’ outstanding offensive display in the first round of the second half, LOUD tried to thwart DRX’s momentum. Nevertheless, the Korean team kept their composure and sealed the map with a 13-7.

Fracture

The Korean team came into Fracture with the same energy, taking a 2-0 lead before engaging in a heated back-and-forth struggle with LOUD that resulted in a 6-6 tie at halftime. The Korean team quickly turned the game around as soon as the two teams switched sides. Byung-chul “BuZz” Yu and Kim “MaKo” Myeong-kwan, the deadly Korean combo who combined for 44 kills, led the DRX charge helping the Korean team equalize the series with a stunning 13-7 on Fracture.

Ascent

The Brazillian crowd, which had been roaring loudly for the first two maps of the series, began to lose its confidence as the series went to the fifth and final map of the series Ascent. LOUD, however, had more tricks down their sleeves than the Korean team anticipated. After a 7-5 lead in the first half, LOUD shifted their gear and sealed the map with a 13-8 victory, preventing DRX from completing the reverse sweep.

DRX came prepared for Felipe “Less” Basso and aspas, but Cauan “cauanzin” Pereira, who picked up 22 kills on the map, came out as a total surprise. After this win, LOUD advances to the VCT LOCK//IN grand final, where they will play the winner of the match between the European teams Natus Vincere and Fnatic.

Header: Riot Games