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The VCT Americas League 2023 Playoffs is coming to a close as only two games remain. The three teams heading to VCT Masters 2023: Tokyo and Valorant Champions 2023 have been locked in. The lower-bracket finals featuring a rematch of the upper-bracket quarterfinals between Evil Geniuses and NRG will be an exciting affair to watch. This will be the first best-of-five in the bracket stage, and the winner of this matchup will face LOUD in the grand finals for a chance at winning the VCT Americas title and skipping the group stage of VCT 2023 Masters: Tokyo.
Evil Geniuses vs NRG - Who will win the Lower-Bracket finals match of the VCT 2023: Americas League?
Predictions
Evil Geniuses has proved that they deserve to be at the top of the Americas region over the course of the bracket stage. The North American organization has bested favorites such as NRG and Cloud9. Their recent loss versus LOUD was also a competitive series before they lost steam in the final map, Bind.
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The team's star flex player, Max "Demon1" Mazanov, in combination with Alexander "jawgemo" Mor, has wreaked havoc on opponents. Combined with the support and fantastic utility from Corbin "C0M" Lee and Ethan "Ethan" Arnold, the team has shown resilience and depth in their gameplay.
NRG has showcased the reasons as to why they are considered one of the best teams in the world during the playoffs run. After losing to Evil Geniuses, the team has demonstrated incredible resilience and the ability to clutch unwinnable rounds during high-pressure situations.
The star-studded lineup led by Pujan "FiNESSE" Mehta showcased great fundamentals and excellent reads on their opponents strategies. Austin "crashies" Roberts has been the standout for NRG during their playoffs run by consistently putting up big kill numbers as well as securing multiple clutches.
NRG look to be in much better form after their last encounter against Evil Geniuses, and they're the favorites to win this matchup. The experience of NRG should see them be able to push through Evil Geniuses and win the rematch. However, fans can expect a very close series as Evil Geniuses has some great talent.
Head-to-head
Evil Geniuses and NRG have met two times during the VCT Americas season. The former was defeated by the latter during Week 8 of the regular season. Evil Geniuses were able to get their revenge in the bracket stage with a 2-1 victory over NRG putting their head-to-head record at 1-1.
Recent results
Evil Geniuses had a flawless run in the bracket stages until their game versus Brazilian giants, LOUD. They lost the series 2-1 but were able to hand LOUD a defeat on their signature map, Ascent. The team showed a lot of promise and proved that their run in the playoffs was not a fluke.
NRG bounced back after their first-round loss against Evil Geniuses. They defeated FURIA and Cloud9 in two close best-of-threes to lock in the final spot in VCT 2023 Masters: Tokyo and a spot in Valorant Champions 2023.
Expected lineup
Evil Geniuses
- Kelden "Boostio" Pupello (IGL)
- Alexander "jawgemo" Mor
- Corbin "C0M" Lee
- Ethan "Ethan" Arnold
- Max "Demon1" Mazanov
- Christine "potter" Chi (Coach)
NRG Esports
- Pujan "FiNESSE" Mehta (IGL)
- Sam "s0m" Oh
- Austin "crashies" Roberts
- Ardis "ardiis" Svarenieks
- Victor "Victor" Wong
- Chet "Chet" Singh (Coach)
When and where to watch
Valorant esports fans worldwide can watch the lower-bracket finals featuring a rematch between Evil Geniuses and NRG on the official Valorant Americas Twitch and Youtube channels. The game will be livestreamed in Spanish and Portuguese for Latin American and Brazilian viewers.
Evil Geniuses will face off against NRG on May 27, 2023, at 1 pm PDT / 10 pm CEST / 1:30 am IST (May 28, 2023).
