The VCT LOCK//IN tournament is heating up with eight teams already eliminated—and it’s only been a few days.
Four VALORANT teams, NRG, Giants, Karmine Corp, and LOUD, remain in the upper half of the Alpha quarterfinal bracket.
Here are my predictions for today’s games.
NRG vs. Giants Gaming
Giants are considered dark horses in the tournament.
Although Giants may not have the same reputation as Natus Vincere, Fnatic, or Liquid in the EMEA region, they have a lot of potential. It would be impressive if they were able to defeat NRG, one of the best North American teams.
Giants showcased their potential when they dominated DetonatioN FocusMe in the first round. They only lost 11 rounds across two maps with a 2-0 scoreline. Former NAVI player Kirill “Cloud” Nehozhin performed exceptionally well with an average damage per round of 191, according to VLR.gg.
There’s something special about Russian Sova players.
But Cloud is not the only strong player on the team. Former G2 player nukkye was once regarded as one of the best duelists in the EMEA region. Although he has switched to the initiator role, he still has the skill to support his teammates effectively.
However, NRG should not be underestimated. The former OpTic core performed well in their opening match against KOI. Popular streamer and smokes player s0m had an 83 percent kill, assist, trade, or survive rating, according to VLR.gg.
I expect this match to be closer than most people anticipate.
George’s prediction: 2-1 NRG
LOUD vs. Karmine Corp
This match is easier to predict in my opinion.
The transfer of former players Sacy and pANncada to Sentinels raised questions about the Brazilian team. Bringing in rookie players with a new coach and experiencing immediate success would be optimistic.
However, with newcomer Cauan “cauanzin” Pereira performing well against Gen.G in LOUD’s opening match, the team could have a bright future. Aspas and Saadhak both performed well in their shared duelist responsibilities.
Karmine Corp looked shaky in their match against FunPlus Phoenix. It’s difficult to predict the strategies of Chinese teams, especially with a first pick like Lotus.
Although KCorp won the first match, Haven, their own map pick, did not go well. They were defeated by a 13-8 scoreline and their executes did not match the quality of other teams on the map.
One of the standout performers for KCorp, Ryad “SH1N” Ensaad, will have to continue his impressive numbers on the big stage against a crowd that will support LOUD.
The brotherly duo of ScreaM and Nivera will need to perform exceptionally well to overcome the noise.
George’s prediction: 2-1 LOUD
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