VCT LOCK//IN Day 1 highlights: NRG stand strong against KOI, and Giants Gaming defeat DetonatioN FocusMe

The highly anticipated VCT 2023 LOCK//IN tournament kicked off on February 13, 2023, in São Paulo, Brazil. Day 1 of the tournament pitted North America’s NRG Esports against Europe’s KOI in the first Alpha Bracket Round 1 matchup, while Pacific’s DetonatioN FocusMe faced Europe’s Giants Gaming in the second.

Featuring a single-elimination format, LOCK//IN nurtures a highly competitive environment, with all 32 participating teams from the Americas, Pacific, and EMEA trying to preserve their slots in the competition. It is governed by a punishing format where losing a series will cost teams their place in the tournament.

In Day 1’s first matchup, fans witnessed NRG Esports’ impeccable form as they took down KOI with their intelligent plays. The second series featured Giants Gaming, who focused on discipline and precise headshots to take down DetonatioN FocusMe and advance into the Alpha Bracket Round 2.

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VCT 2023 LOCK//IN: Day 1 match results and highlights

Here are the Map Vetos for both matchups:

1. NRG vs KOI Map Veto: NRG bans Ascent, KOI bans Split, NRG picks Icebox, KOI picks Haven, NRG bans Fracture, KOI bans Lotus, Decider map: Pearl.
2. Giants Gaming vs DetonatioN FocusMe Map Veto: DetonatioN bans Split, Giants bans Fracture, DetonatioN picks Haven, Giants picks Icebox, DetonatioN bans Lotus, Giants bans Ascent, Decider map: Pearl.

Here are the match results from VCT LOCK//IN Day 1:

• NRG Esports vs KOI: 2-0 [Icebox (13-11), Haven (13-9)]
• Giants Gaming vs DetonatioN FocusMe: 2-0 [Haven (13-4), Icebox (13-7)]

Following their losses, DetonatioN FocusMe and KOI have been eliminated from the tournament. NRG and Giants Gaming, on the other hand, have advanced into Alpha Bracket Round 2, where they will face each other.

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Top highlights from VCT LOCK//IN Day 1

1) NRG s0m’s sleek 5K on Icebox against KOI

Despite their struggles to tackle KOI’s aggression and post-plant positioning on defense, NRG Esports managed to secure a flawless 12th round in the match. This is all thanks to NRG s0m’s valiant effort.

As s0m’s Viper held down B-Site’s Yellow Box, KOI pushed in with a motive to take him down. However, KOI failed miserably as NRG s0m mowed down starxo, trexx, and Wolfen while he was being revived. Lastly, s0m closed the round with his fifth kill after FNS secured koldamenta’s kill.

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2) NRG’s commendable comeback against KOI on Icebox

Besides witnessing a bunch of common Icebox trends, fans went through a rollercoaster of emotions as they watched NRG make a comeback from 3-9 to set things straight.

With nine rounds in their pockets, KOI grabbed a huge upper hand by the end of the first half. However, things quickly fell apart for EMEA as North America regained its momentum in the second half. Soon after, NRG Esports crossed the finish line, winning the game with a commendable 13-11 score.

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3) NRG outplayed KOI with chaos and fakes

In the second match of the NRG vs KOI VCT LOCK//IN series, NRG Esports outplayed KOI by faking sites and isolating fights on different parts of the Haven map.

Fans were starstruck by NRG’s unpredictable game plan on the attack that managed to confuse KOI to the fullest.

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4) DFM Anthem’s round-saving ACE in the 17th round

With an unfavorable score of 5-12, DetonatioN FocusMe had no choice but to fight back in the 17th round of their second match against Giants Gaming.

DFM Anthem took matters into his own hands and picked off his enemies with incredible patience during the post-plant, impressing onlookers and securing the tournament's first ACE under his name.

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5) Giants Gaming’s one-sided domination over DetonatioN FocusMe

Both Giants Gaming and DetonatioN FocusMe are lesser-known partnered teams, and fans were excited to witness their clash at VCT LOCK//IN. However, Giants Gaming proved to be miles ahead of DetonatioN FocusMe in terms of strategy and mechanics.

DetonatioN FocusMe’s struggle to keep up with Giants Gaming’s pace was extremely apparent as they bombed out of the VCT LOCK//IN following a 0-2 loss.

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Upcoming matchups

Day 2 of VCT LOCK//IN will host the following Alpha Bracket Round 1 matchups:

1. FunPlus Phoenix (FPX) vs Karmine Corp: Tuesday, February 14 at 9:00 am PDT / 10:30 pm IST / 7:00 pm CEST
2. BBL Esports vs DRX: Tuesday, February 14 at 12:00 pm PDT / 1:30 am IST (February 15) / 10:00 pm CEST
3. Cloud9 vs Paper Rex (PRX): Tuesday, February 14 at 3:00 pm PDT / 4:30 am IST (February 15) / 1:00 am CEST (February 15)

You can watch the VCT LOCK //IN matchups live on Valorant’s Twitch or Valorant Esports’ YouTube channel. You can also tune in to your favorite streamer’s watch party to have additional fun.