'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAYACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABkAAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABxAAAQMDBAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDBAAFEgYREyIhMVEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQHEQACAgIBBQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAwIRAAQSBQYUIUH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AIPpvV1ydsjTz6IPNKkLDRRDA658ZC+32rnE0iDEYLVusxbLSMCttzIjbxlsfdKU5+/uJ6XqFb5xJZOJo/IxjWVLthCdwv8AIgG8VqI5e6u7z//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
VCT (Valorant Champions Tour) 2023 is about to kick off with its biggest event yet. LOCK//IN is going to be the first tournament in VCT 2023. In it, all 30 franchised teams, along with two Chinese rosters, will go head-to-head against each other to be crowned champions.
LOCK//IN will have a single-elimination bracket unlike other VCT events' double elimination, meaning that if a team were to lose their series, they would be out of the tournament.
VCT 2022 evolved into a much more competitive year as teams from all regions were able to level up their game. Lineups like Paper Rex, ZETA DIVISION, LOUD, and Leviatan were able to defeat the top teams and surprised everyone with their incredible performances.
Trending
As of 2023, the EMEA region has won international events thrice, NA has won twice, whereas Brazil are the current Championship holders with one win under their belt. Due to franchising, a lot of changes have occurred amongst the pro teams, from completely changing their rosters and even some players moving to different regions to compete.
After all the changes, there are definitely some teams worth checking out. Below is an article that lists down the top 4 American rosters to look out for during VCT LOCK//IN.
Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.
Cloud9, Sentinels, and 2 more NA teams to look out for at VCT LOCK//IN Sao Paulo 2023
1) Cloud9
Cloud9 has had a rough journey in VCT. In 2021, they were able to win out the Champions Tour NA: Last Chance Qualifiers (LCQ) with their new team to qualify for Valorant Champions 2021 where they finished in 5th-8th position.
In 2022, Cloud9 wasn't able to qualify for a single international event, making their run rather disappointing. This year, they have made a couple of changes to their roster.
They have brought in yay, who is currently the best Valorant player, as well as Zellsis, who is one of the best flex players in NA. They've also brought mCe as the coach. He previously coached The Guard, which had a meteoric rise in 2021.
Apart from this, vanity, Xeppaa, and leaf will be the remaining players on the team from the previous roster. Cloud9 is currently looking like one of the strongest teams in VCT. With all these star players under the belt, fans can be sure to have a great time rooting for their team.
2) NRG Esports
NRG has had a difficult time with VCT. They haven't been able to win a single event and they haven't qualified for any international events. LOCK//IN will be NRG's debut on the international stage.
NRG made a ton of changes to their roster after making it to franchising. First, they brought in the very successful core of OpTic Gaming consisting of FNS, crashies, Victor and coach Chet. In 2022, this was one of the most consistent lineups as they won the VCT Stage 1: Masters Reykjavik and finished in the top 3 in the other events.
On top of this, NRG also brought in ardiis from FPX (FunPlus Phoenix) who was one of the best players in 2022. Lastly, sOm will be the fifth man to round out the main roster. With this amount of experience and the mix of players, NRG surely looks like a tough team to go up against.
3) Sentinels
Sentinels were the team to win Valorant's first international LAN event, which was VCT Stage 2: Masters Reykjavik in 2021. They did so in a very dominant fashion, without dropping a single map in any of the series. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for them the following year.
In 2022, Sentinels could not qualify for a single international event and had a disappointing run throughout the season. After making it to the franchising league, they decided to make huge changes. They brought in zekken, dephh, and the coach SyykoNT from XSET who had a successful run in 2022. Additionally, Sacy and pANcada from the world champion team, LOUD, were brought in.
Finally, to complete the roster, TenZ would be the fifth man alongside SicK being the sixth, making them the last two players from the original Sentinels team. The roster looks like it would be very flexible with any role and all of them have proven their mechanical aim skills on the international stage before. Sentinels definitely looks like a team to fear in 2023.
4) 100 Thieves
100 Thieves has had a lot of ups and downs in VCT. They were the team to win out in the first big Valorant event, First Strike, in NA. Ever since then, they were able to qualify for VCT Stage 2: Masters Berlin and had a great showing as they finished in 3rd-4th place.
In 2022, 100 Thieves completely revamped their roster wherein they brought bang, stellar, Derrek, and Will, who were going to play alongside the remaining core player, Asuna. The team was able to win out the NA LCQ and qualify for Valorant Champions 2022, Istanbul.
In 2023, 100 Thieves made one major change as they brought in one of the top players from NA, Cryocells from XSET, who replaced Will. This new squad has already proven to be deadly as they were able to win at Red Bull Home Ground #3, which was an OFF//SEASON tournament in EMEA. 100 Thieves are looking very sharp this year and 2023 might be the year where they can win it all.
These NA Valorant teams are looking extremely strong this year. There is a high chance that the region may just bag their third VCT international win, but only time will tell.
