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The introductory VCT 2023 tournament, LOCK//IN, has completed nine glorious days of nail-biting inter-regional matchups, giving fans a taste of enticing rivalries across three territories. Up next, fans will witness four Group Omega teams in two quarterfinal matchups, fighting to advance to the semifinals of the ongoing group stage.
A series from today pits Pacific's Team Secret (TS) against EMEA's Natus Vincere (NAVI), who will fight to remain in the cutthroat competition. The loser of this matchup will be eliminated from the tournament.
The Alpha half has already determined two winners - LOUD and DRX. The winners of today's matchups will be promoted to the semifinals, which will determine two Group Omega seeds for the playoffs.
While NAVI features an up-and-coming and established roster, Team Secret is a dark horse VCT partner who has impressed numerous fans with their dominating Round 1 performance against Team Liquid in LOCK//IN's Omega bracket. The article's next section will offer predictions for today's TS vs. NAVI series based on general data, head-to-head, recent results, and more.
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Team Secret vs. Natus Vincere: Who will win the Group Omega quarterfinals matchup in VCT LOCK//IN?
The large-scale pool of VCT LOCK//IN initially featured 32 participants, including 30 partnered teams and two invited teams, divided into two collections: Group Alpha and Group Omega. The format features two group stages, one for Alpha and Omega, and an ultimate playoffs phase.
The single-elimination format has forced every team to give their best in their games. However, it has also led to many surprises and disappointments. Fan-favorite teams like Team Liquid, Global Esports, Sentinels, and Paper Rex were eliminated without a second chance to prove their worth.
After defeating their Round 1 opponents, EMEA's NAVI and Pacific's Team Secret will face each other in a best-of-three series to advance to the semifinals.
Predictions
Natus Vincere's Valorant roster fields the former FunPlus Phoenix (FPX) core, consisting of Zyppan, SUYGETSU, ANGE1, and Shao, as well as former Acend star cNed. All the players have established their names on the global stage before LOCK//IN. The FPX, as mentioned above the core is also well known for its impressive performance in Valorant Champions 2022.
Team Secret has enjoyed a dominating presence in the South Asian and South-East Asian scene. In 2021, the current TS core, consisting of JessieVash, DubsteP, and BORKUM, was part of Bren Esports and showcased a strong presence in VCT 2021. Team Secret acquired Bren Esports' roster during Valorant Champions 2021.
Unfortunately, 2022 turned out to be pretty bland for the Filipino roster. To tackle VCT 2023, Team Secret acquired invy and lenne to former athletes, Dispenser and witz, who stepped down from the active roster last year.
In terms of synergy and experience, both teams seem to be on the same stature. NAVI may have a slight advantage considering the former FPX core's presence. However, Team Secret has just defeated one of the most potent EMEA teams and should be able to replicate such domination against NAVI.
While making the prediction is slightly tricky, Team Secret is currently in commendable form and may have a big upper hand over NAVI. Then again, NAVI isn't an easy opponent for Team Secret.
Head-to-head
Team Secret has not encountered Natus Vincere in a professional Valorant match before.
Recent results
Last year, Team Secret, in their newest form, appeared in a third-party VCT Pacific off-season tournament, Valorant India Invitational, where they showcased excellent performances against Team Heretics and Enigma Gaming (former India roster). However, they lost to Paper Rex and were eliminated from the tournament in the semifinals.
In VCT LOCK//IN, Team Secret defeated Team Liquid by a score of 2-0 in one of the tournament's biggest upsets.
NAVI also appeared in a third-party VCT EMEA off-season tournament, G-Loot Valorant Clash, and impressively defeated all of their opponents, including Team Vitality, Parla Esports, and FireFlux Esports, to win the competition. In VCT LOCK//IN, NAVI defeated South America's KRÜ Esports to advance in the tournament.
Considering their recent form, NAVI seems to have a big upper hand over Team Secret.
Potential lineups
Team Secret
- Jessie "JessieVash" Cristy Cuyco (IGL)
- Jayvee "DubsteP" Paguirigan
- Jim "BORKUM" Timbreza
- Jeremy "Jremy" Cabrera
- Adrian "invy" Reyes
- Emil "eMIL" Sandgren (Head Coach)
NAVI
- Pontus "Zyppan" Eek
- Kyrylo "ANGE1" Karasov (IGL)
- Andrey "Shao" Kiprsky
- Mehmet Yagiz "cNed" ipek
- Dmitry "SUYGETSU" Ilyushin
- Erik "d00mbr0s" Sandgren (Head Coach)
Where to watch
Fans can watch Team Secret clash against Natus Vincere in VCT LOCK//IN 2023 Group Omega's quarterfinals matchup on February 25, 2023, at 9:00 am PDT/7:00 pm CEST/10:30 pm IST. All matches are live-streamed on the YouTube and Twitch channels of Valorant esports, and fans can join their favorite creator or streamers' watch parties.
