"I don't feel NA is in a good place" - Karmine Corp ScreaM comments on North American opponents in 2023 VCT LOCK//IN (Exclusive)

VCT LOCK//IN is set to kick off on February 13, 2023, at São Paulo, Brazil. With 32 partnered teams participating, the event is considered to be one of the biggest tournaments to take place in the history of Valorant esports. Fans have been eagerly waiting to support their favorite teams as the new season kicks off.

The tournament is set to run until March 4, 2023, and will feature all the franchised rosters from the Americas, Pacific, and EMEA leagues alongside two invited teams from China. The team that emerges victorious at the upcoming VCT LOCK//IN event will earn their region an additional slot for VCT Masters 2023.

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Karmine Corp's ScreaM shares his thoughts on facing NA (North American) opponents in VCT LOCK//IN

Adil "ScreaM" Benrlitom is a Belgian/Moroccan player who professionally plays Valorant for Karmine Corp. Aside from Valorant, ScreaM was a popular face for CS:GO before, where he was known for his legendary one-tap kills. The talented player has gained a huge amount of recognition over the years.

Upon transitioning to Valorant in 2020, he brought his one-tap skills with him as fans were excited to see how his journey playing a new tactical shooter would go. Fast forward two years, he has successfully joined a franchised team and is ready to start the 2023 VCT season.

During the VCT LOCK//IN Alpha group pre-event press conference, Sportskeeda Esports asked ScreaM about the most exciting North American roster to play against in LOCK//IN. To this question, Adil had a fairly straightforward reply:

" I think Cloud9 seems pretty strong."

He added more to this statement, explaining the state of the popular region in Valorant:

" But beside Cloud9, I don't feel like NA is in a good place right now. I don't know, we will have to see, as we didn't see much. But probably Cloud9."

Clearly, ScreaM seems excited to face the NA giants in the VCT LOCK//IN event as the statement he provided is proof of that fact. In fact, the possibility of Karmine Corp facing Cloud9 is rather high as both teams are in the same Alpha Bracket of VCT LOCK//IN. It's yet to be seen if the French team will fare well against FunPlus Phoenix in their first matchup before they can reach Cloud9 later on in the competition.

Karmine Corp already has the added advantage of having five French-speaking members, which should strengthen their communication. This could be a huge positive for the roster as not every single team has the same advantage in LOCK//IN.

With that being said, ScreaM will also have to prove himself as a top-tier IGL (In-game Leader) in the upcoming tournament. Although he's an experienced IGL, all of the teams from the franchised leagues are the best of the best and Karmine Corp will have to prove their worth by climbing through different stages of the event.

The French roster will have to tread carefully as the tournament follows a single-elimination matchup system. This essentially means that the loser of the opening match will be sent home, which puts a lot of pressure on the participating teams as half of them have come to Brazil in hopes of claiming the trophy.

As fans may already be aware, a few South American teams, including LOUD, will be performing in front of their home crowd, making the tournament even more exciting.