VCT LOCK//IN: NaVi bring hope back to EMEA by defeating KRÜ

So far, teams from the EMEA region have not done well at LOCK//IN. However, in the first round the VCT LOCK//IN Omega bracket, Natus Vincere brought hope back to EMEA after defeating KRÜ Esports 2-0.

At the start of the 2023 season, NAVI were considered one of the top teams worldwide and were particularly dominant in the EMEA region. The team builds on the core of the former FPX team whose organization has relocated to China. The team’s former Duelist Ardis “ardiis” Svarenieks has also switched regions and now plays with NRG in North America. Who better to replace ardiis than Mehmet “cNed” İpek?

KRÜ played without Klaus

Lack of experience wasn’t KRÜ’s problem, but the players haven’t yet been able to prove their skills on the international stage. Some NaVi players have that already behind them. However, the KRÜ team also consists of several new players who were on other teams last year. That’s why the team was probably not yet perfectly prepared and as well-rehearsed as the NaVi team with its former FPX core.

Also, KRÜ played without their in-game lead, Klaus, who is a longtime member of KRÜ but was not selected for the main roster. Marco “Melser” Amaro took over the role instead of him. The start on Ascent was anything but optimal for KRÜ. While the team didn’t make any glaring mistakes or have any major mechanical glitches, NaVi were simply better in the end.

cNed replaces ardiis and keeps EMEA hopes alive

cNed was in good form, just like in 2021 when he won the championship with Acend. It was a welcome change after little was heard from him in the 2022 season. Kyrylo “ANGE1” Karasov was ridiculously strong on Ascent. He and Pontus “Zyppan” Eek topped the scoreboard despite cNed’s great performance. NaVi easily won the map with a dominant result of 13:5.

After switching to Lotus, KRÜ found it even more difficult and NaVi were able to take advantage of that. KRÜ started a little calmer on Lotus and were able to get a few kills on the C side despite a few mistakes in the first round. Both Raze players did well on Lotus, but Santiago “Daveeys” Ruiz caught the eye in particular. The way he used his ult was just brilliant, and he used it with clean frags to secure KRÜ big rounds.

Things were looking good for KRÜ for the first time in the match. They were able to record a 9-3 halftime, the same result that NaVi scored against them in promotion. But NaVi weren’t finished yet and were able to get the pistol round and also the following rounds in the second half. ANGE1 proved again that he is not only a good in-game lead, but also a smart Omen player who used his ultimate in such a surprising way that KRÜ were completely taken by surprise.

The crowd in Brazil grew quieter as NaVi won round after round and won eight straight games. Finally, they were able to win the map and thus the series. In the next round of Omega Group, NaVi next meets Team Secret, who in the first round eliminated Team Liquid 2-0. The two teams will face off on February 25 at 11 AM CT.

In the third match of the first round, Leviatán defeated ZETA DIVISION 2-0 and advanced to the next round, where they will meet the winner match between Team Vitality and Global Esports.

Header: Natus Vincere