VCT LOCK//IN Day 4: Recap

DAY 4 of the VALORANT Champions Tour first international event in São Paulo, Brazil took place, here is a recap of all the action!

NRG 2-1 Giants Gaming

The first match of DAY Four was between North America and EMEA, NRG versus Giants Gaming.

The first map, NRG's map-pick, was Lotus. The first half of Lotus ended in an advantage for Giants Gaming with a solid 8-4 scoreline, their team showcased a great Attack side and multiple clutches and highlights were captured. The second half of Louts, was an even half, NRG and Giants battled it out and after insane clutches from NRG side, the North American representative managed to take Giants Gaming into overtime. However, Giants Gaming proved to be the better team, finishing the first map 14-12 in NRG's own map-pick.  

The second map, Giants Gaming's map-pick, was Haven. The first half was a dominant show from NRG, ruining Giants Gaming's hopes of a comeback or closing the series, ending in an 11-1 scoreline. The second half, as you'd expect, a continuation of dominance from NRG, finishing the second map 13-1 in Giants Gaming's own map-pick.

The third map, and the decider, was Icebox. The first half was a great half from NRG, picking up multiple rounds and highlighting the insane performance of Ardiis and S0m, ending in a 9-3 scoreline in favour of NRG. The second half was S0m's playground, securing a valuable ace for NRG as well, Giants Gaming did manage to put a fight here, but it was not enough... The series ended in 13-7.

Securing the win, NRG advance to the semi-finals of the Alpha group. Their next series comes against LOUD. Ending with a loss, Giants Gaming will leave this competition.

Leading NRG stats-wise was Ardiis, the newest European addition to the North American superstar team, securing a glorious 1.22 Rating, an outstanding 250 ACS throughout the three maps and a 1.31 KD.

LOUD 2-0 Karmine Corp

The second  match of DAY Four was between South America and EMEA, LOUD versus Karmine Corp.

The first map, LOUD's map-pick, was Pearl. The first half of Pearl ended in a good rounds difference in favor of LOUD, an 8-4 scoreline, LOUD continues to show dominance in the international leagues, securing the first four rounds of the first half consecutively with the help of LOUD's star Less and the newest addition Tuyz. The second half was more of the same, except Karmine Corp tried to make a comeback, winning both pistol and the anti-eco then falling to a round loss streak after said round, ScreaM ended up underperforming this game, however, his borther Nivera was shinning all across, LOUD, as we said before, continues to prove that Brazil is a major contender for the title, ending first map in 13-10 scoreline.

The second map, Karmine Corp's map-pick, was Split. This is the first time we see Split in VCT since its return to the map pool rotation. LOUD showed their abilities to adapt even in the opposition's map picks and in attack half, going into the second half with a solid 8-4 scoreline, highlights of Less and Aspas were captured, as expected. Karmine Corp showed poor handling of their map-pick, underperforming in defense side and losing their edge on the map. The second half was Karmine Corp's last chance at making a comeback and make the French dream real, however, they fell short to LOUD, the Brazilian representative having studied Karmine Corp's plans and countered on the go.

Securing the win, LOUD advance to the semi-finals of the Alpha group. Their next series comes against NRG. Ending with a loss, Karmine Corp will leave this competition.

Leading LOUD stats-wise was Less, securing a glorious 1.60 Rating, an outstanding 309 ACS throughout the three maps and a 1.81 KD.

Next Matches

#VCTLOCKIN resumes on Saturday, February 18th.

DRX vs Cloud9 (6PM CET)

Evil Geniuses vs Talon Esports (9PM CET)

Stay tuned to @ValorantTracker on Twitter for full Valorant esports coverage.