"We played it very composed" - Evil Geniuses' IGL Boostio on defeating Team Heretics in VCT LOCK//IN 2023 (Exclusive)

VCT LOCK//IN 2023 is off to a great start with eight nail-biting matchups checked off its long list. The highly anticipated tournament’s first phase kicked off on February 13, 2023, featuring 16 teams from Group Alpha battling it out to stay in the competition. The Group Alpha phase will end shortly on February 19, with two teams advancing to the playoffs.

The first three days of VCT LOCK//IN hosted eight series, which pitted Group Alpha's teams against one another. Teams were assigned opponents using a random draw process that prioritized pairing teams from different regions. This was done in order to maximize the number of inter-regional matchups that fans enjoy watching.

One of Group Alpha’s previous Round 1 matches pitted North America’s Evil Geniuses against EMEA’s Team Heretics, a pair-up that tested the power of young guns against esteemed experience. To every American fan’s delight, Evil Geniuses, led by Kelden "Boostio" Pupello, successfully defeated Team Heretics, forcing the latter's elimination.

In a post-match press conference, Boostio humbly narrated how Evil Geniuses managed to overpower their EMEA opponents in one of the most exciting series of VCT LOCK//IN 2023 so far.

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Evil Geniuses' Boostio says that team communication was vital in their win against Team Heretics in VCT LOCK//IN 2023

The post-match press conference on February 15, 2023, was joined by the playing five of Evil Geniuses’ Valorant roster, which included Boostio, Ethan, BcJ, Jawgemo, and C0M, as well as their coach, Christine "potter" Chi. Sportskeeda Esports approached Boostio with a question about his role as an in-game leader and how he managed to restrict Team Heretics from closing the gap on both maps - Pearl and Ascent.

Boostio highlighted the role of communication in competitive games by saying:

“For the match today, we were comm-ing extremely well. Sometimes in practice, it can get a little hectic. But even on stage today, we played it very composed.”

Additionally, he underlined their successful anti-eco strategy which helped Evil Geniuses win multiple rounds:

“Even if we were down 3v3 in an anti-eco, we were still clearly communicating, and our anti-ecos were pretty good today.”

At certain points in the match, Team Heretics had notable advantages in round wins, but Evil Geniuses managed to pull off a comeback. Boostio confidently stated that as long as the team communicates and plays in sync, the situation will go well:

“Lost a couple, but as long as we can communicate, play together, swing together, it will be good.”

Even in disadvantageous rounds, Evil Geniuses displayed incredible patience and tackled gunfights with sheer confidence in their series against Team Heretics. Despite his young age and limited experience, Kelden "Boostio" Pupello has managed to impress fans across the world with his steady aim and impeccable leadership skills.

Led by Ričardas "Boo" Lukaševičius, EMEA's Team Heretics put up an admirable fight, but ultimately failed to counter Evil Geniuses' coordinated game plan.

Evil Geniuses won two maps back-to-back and put an end to their first VCT LOCK//IN 2023 series with a one-sided score of 2-0 against the EMEA team. Needless to say, Boostio’s callouts played a massive role in his team’s honorable success in the first round of VCT LOCK//IN.

Up next, Evil Geniuses will face Talon Esports in one of VCT LOCK//IN’s quarterfinals matchups on February 18, 2023. The winner will advance into the semifinals, while the loser will be sent home.