'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAUACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABfAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgQAAEDBQADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAxIABAUGERMUFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAURAAMBAAMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAxEABBJi/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwDOtvsuOaxOxs/AsA4+43FxAI9eCzEMSkUgEd4SaiXtmFZWps6zZqKCUy8zg7ylKdW9k8lXYaATh+RydPqdZ63DSRscgaNzCef/2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
LOCK//IN 2023 kicks off the international circuit of the VCT from Sao Paulo tonight. The tournament will see 32 teams from the three International Leagues and China face off against each other in a grueling single-elimination tournament to win glory for their team and an extra seat for their region in this year's Masters.
The first match of LOCK//IN Day 1 will see KOI face off against NRG Esports, in what will be the former's first foray into Valorant esports, albeit with a team of seasoned European pros. Meanwhile, NRG consists of the core of the erstwhile OpTic Gaming minus Jaccob "yay" Whiteaker and Jimmy "Marved" Nguyen, who have been replaced by Ardis "ardiis" Svarenieks and Sam "s0m" Oh.
Both teams are part of the Alpha Group of teams, and whoever loses the game is out of the tournament on the first day itself. This makes the stakes of the match-up even higher than usual.
Trending
KOI vs NRG Esports - Who will win the opening match of Group Alpha of VCT LOCK//IN?
Predictions
Spanish esports organization KOI announced its Valorant team in January 2022. Most of the current roster was announced on December 16, 2022, with koldamenta as the in-game leader and BARBARR as the head coach. sheydos, trexx, and Wolfen were also signed at the same time. starxo joined the team early in January 2023. For all practical purposes, the entire squad has been playing together for a little over a month now.
NRG Esports, on the other hand, consists of the core of VCT Champions 2022 runners-up OpTic Gaming, with the addition of ardiis coming in all the way from the European FunPlus Phoenix team, and s0m from the previous NRG team. The organization's current team was formed in November 2022, so they have had a bit more time to play together.
While the KOI team holds a lot of promise, this matchup will most likely go in favor of NRG Esports, who have the more experienced players of the two sides, with s0m being the only player who hasn't played at an international VCT tournament before. Also, each has proved to be excellent at the roles they play and is even considered to be among the best in the world.
Head-to-head
KOI being a new entrant to the VCT scene, these two teams have not yet played against each other in an official match.
Recent results
KOI's last official match was in November 2022 against Team Heretics in the Crossfires Cup semifinals, where they lost 0-3. They had beaten another EMEA partner team, Giants Gaming, 3-1 to reach the semifinals.
Since the NRG Esports consists primarily of erstwhile OpTic Gaming players, we can say that the last official match they played together as a team was VCT Champions 2022 Grand Final against LOUD, which they lost 1-3.
Potential lineups
KOI
- Jose "koldamenta" Aranguren
- Patryk "starxo" Kopczynski
- Bogdan "sheydos" Naumov
- Nikita "trexx" Cherednichenko
- Berkant "Wolfen" Joshkun
- André "BARBARR" Möller (Head Coach)
NRG Esports
- Pujan "FNS" Mehta
- Austin "crashies" Roberts
- Victor "Victor" Wong
- Ardis "ardiis" Svarenieks
- Sam "s0m" Oh
- Chet "Chet" Singh (Head Coach)
Where to watch
Fans can catch the action live on Valorant's official Twitch and YouTube channels. You can also tune in to the official watch parties of streamers and players worldwide. KOI will take on NRG Esports on February 13, 2023, at 9 am PST/ 6 pm CET/ 10:30 pm IST.
