C9 Dominates PRX in VALORANT LOCK//IN Match
In a highly anticipated match during the first round of VCT LOCK//IN in São Paulo, Cloud9 from North America faced off against Paper Rex from Singapore.
Both teams, known as the best in their respective regions, showcased their skills in this VALORANT showdown. All the players on stage have experience playing in international VCT events and have achieved great success.
Cloud9’s Rise as the American “Super-Team”
C9 is now being called the American “super-team”. After the VALORANT off-season, the organization kept their core players and added yay and Zellsis to the roster. These new additions have been dominating professional scrims, with yay earning the nickname El Diablo.
On the other hand, PRX managed to keep their team intact without making any changes during the VALORANT franchising period. The team’s five members have gone through a lot together and have formed a strong playstyle based on their synergy.
PRX’s Struggles and Surprising Map Choice
Despite their prior success, both coach alecks and player Benkai mentioned in the pre-tournament press conference that PRX has been struggling in scrims this year.
PRX decided to start the match with VALORANT’s newest map, Lotus. This surprised many, as Chamber was expected to fall out of the meta after multiple nerfs. However, both f0rsakeN and yay locked in Chamber, showcasing their confidence in the agent.
A Dominant Performance by Cloud9
The first half of the Lotus map was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams. The rounds were chaotic and unpredictable, with PRX giving C9 a tough fight.
However, Xeppaa, one of C9’s players, turned the tide with a brilliant clutch round, earning cheers from the audience.
The map continued with unexpected twists and turns, but it became clear that C9 was pulling ahead. Xeppaa showcased his expertise on Skye, while yay regained his old form, finishing the map with an impressive 48% headshot percentage.
Moving on to the Pearl map, PRX continued to struggle against C9. C9 surprised their opponents with a unique composition featuring Zellsis on Phoenix and yay on Sage. The team had a clear strategy, securing round wins and wiping out PRX players on the attack.
C9’s superior strength was evident, as they consistently had more credits than PRX, enabling them to choose powerful weapons. PRX, on the other hand, had to make do with weaker weapons, which made it difficult for them to gain control of the map.
Xeppaa’s impressive ace in round 16 sealed the deal for C9, leading them to a 13-4 victory on Pearl. PRX was sent home from São Paulo.
Next Challenge: C9 vs. DRX
C9 will now face DRX, a renowned VALORANT team from Korea, in another exciting match in the Alpha bracket. The match will take place on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 11am CT.
VALORANT, esports, VCT LOCK//IN, C9, Cloud9, PRX, Paper Rex, VALORANT Champions Tour