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VCT LOCK//IN 2023 will kick off in Sao Paulo on February 13, 2023 and will end with the Grandfinals on March 4, 2023. The tournament will consist of all 30 franchised teams from the three international leagues, along with two invited rosters from China.
These 32 teams have been divided into two groups, Alpha and Omega. All of them will fight it out in their respective groups in a single-elimination bracket, where all matches till the Semifinals will follow the best-of-three (Bo3) format. The Semifinals and the Grandfinals will adhere to the best-of-five pattern.
Both groups are stacked with the best teams and players from across the globe. However, as with all tournaments, there are some favorites going into it. This article will give you a closer look at the Omega group in VCT LOCK//IN 2023.
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Full details about Omega group at VCT LOCK//IN (Valorant Champions Tour) 2023
Overview
The teams in the Omega group in VCT are:
- Team Liquid
- Team Secret
- Natus Vincere
- KRU Esports
- Zeta Division
- Leviatan
- Team Vitality
- Global Esports
- FUT Esports
- Rex Regum Qeon
- 100 Thieves
- EDward Gamin
- Sentinels
- Fnatic
- T1
- FURIA
Of these, Team Liquid, Natus Vincere, Team Vitality, FUT Esports, and Fnatic are from the EMEA League. KRU Esports, Leviatan, 100 Thieves, Sentinels and FURIA are part of the Amercias League.
Representing the Pacific League are Team Secret, Zeta Division, Global Esports, Rex Regum Qeon, and T1, with EDward Gaming as the Chinese invitee.
While many rosters are relatively new, having only played together since the OFF//SEASON 2022 or later, most of these consist of seasoned players that have been playing at the topmost levels of the VCT for the past two years. As a result, they have a considerable amount of international LAN experience under their belt. These squads include Team Liquid, NAVI, KRU, Sentinels, and Fnatic.
The considerably newer teams, with more limited experience at playing at the international stage are Team Vitality, FUT Esports, Global Esports, Rex Regum Qeon, and T1.
Further, there are lineups like Team Secret, Zeta Division, Leviatan, 100 Thieves, and EDward Gaming who have been playing together for a while now. However, they have not seen too much success on the international stage and will be hoping that the VCT LOCK//IN will be their big break.
Looking at the past as well as more recent performances, the EMEA teams in this group seem to have a significant edge over the others in the group.
NAVI consists of the formidable erstwhile European FunPlus Phoenix team, while Team Liquid has acquired the ex-Gambit stars Ayaz "nAts" Akhmetshin and Igor "Redgar" Vlasov. Fnatic has also formed a super team after adding Timofey "Chronicle" Khromov and Leo "Leo" Jannesson to their ranks.
On the North American side, 100 Thieves holds the most promise. Four out of five of their players have been playing together for almost a year now, which is perhaps one of the longest since the partnership model was announced. They even managed to defeat Fnatic in their first match in the VCT Champions 2022.
With the addition of Matthew "Cryocells" Panganiban and their stellar performance in the Red Bull Home Grounds #3, they are definitely one of the favorites heading into the tournament.
When and where to watch
Players can watch these matches on the official Valorant Champions Tour Twitch or Youtube channel. You can also watch the games through the official watch parties of streamers across the world. Riot usually releases a list of official watch parties before each tournament.
The first round of matches in the Omega group of the VCT will start on February 22 after Alpha group's matches are over. Here's the schedule for the first round:
- Team Liquid VS Team Secret - February 22, 9 am PST/ 6 pm CET/ 10.30 pm IST
- Natus Vincere VS KRU Esports - February 22, 12 pm PST/ 9 pm CET/ 1.30 am IST (next day)
- Zeta Division VS Leviatan - February 22, 3 pm PST/ 12 am CET (next day)/ 4.30 am IST (next day)
- Team Vitality VS Global Esports - February 23, 9 am PST/ 6 pm CET/ 10.30 pm IST
- FUT Esports VS Rex Regum Qeon - February 23, 12 pm PST/ 9 pm CET/ 1.30 am IST (next day)
- 100 Thieves VS EDward Gamin - February 23, 3 pm PST/ 12 am CET (next day)/ 4.30 am IST (next day)
- Sentinels VS Fnatic - February 24, 12 pm PST/ 9 pm CET/ 1.30 am IST (next day)
- T1 VS FURIA - February 24, 3 pm PST/ 12 am CET (next day)/ 4.30 am IST (next day)
Top matches
The biggest match in the first round of the group is definitely going to be the one between Fnatic and Sentinels. The last time they faced off against each other was in Masters Reykjavic, the first ever international VCT event.
Sentinels defeated Fnatic without dropping a single map in both the Upper Bracket Quarterfinal and the Grandfinal encounters. A lot has changed for both teams since then, so it will be interesting to see who comes out on top this time around.
Other than that, the NAVI versus KRU match will be one to look out for. The former has a very cold, calculated playstyle, while the latter is known for explosive gameplay. The two going up against each other is sure to create an explosive matchup.
Team Liquid and Global Esports are also fantastic teams who will be playing their first official matches in the tournament. Be sure to catch their games as they look very promising on paper.
Predictions
Following the single-elimination format, the VCT LOCK//IN will be an extremely high-stakes tournament. Teams will be flying in from across the world to Sao Paulo to play the first LAN tournament of 2023, and they will be knocked out upon losing a single match.
The Omega group's matchups will see a steep level of competition as there are teams with a lot of experience as well those that essentially have none. Things will be very exciting and a lot of potential drama could unfold, with many possible upsets in the making.
