VCT LOCK//IN Day 1: Recap

Day 1 of the VCT 2023 LOCK//IN tournament started today and here is a recap of all the action!

KOI 2-0 NRG Esports

The first match of the VCT 2023 LOCK//IN tournament saw EMEA team KOI go up against North American team NRG Esports. The first map was Icebox and KOI dominated in the first half, winning 9-3. However, things quickly went downhill from there, as NRG rebounded and won 13-11.

The second map, Haven, was a bit more even sided. NRG took an 8-4 lead in the first half. KOI won the first four rounds to start the second half, tying up the score at 8-8, but NRG bounced back and won 13-9.  

Leading NRG stats-wise were crashies and s0m. The former had a combined KDA of 36-27-17 through both maps and the latter had a KDA of 36-26-12 through both maps as well. KOI player trexx had an incredible KDA of 46-27-9, but it unfortunately wasn't enough for his team to win.

With the win, NRG Esports advance to the quarterfinals of the Alpha group. They will next play Giants Gaming on February 17th. With the loss, this unfortunately means KOI is out of the competition and is sent home due to the single-elimination bracket.

DetonatioN FocusMe 0-2 Giants Gaming

The second match of the day was between Japanese team DetonatioN FocusMe and European team Giants Gaming. This international matchup was not a particularly close one. Giants took an 8-4 lead in the first half of Haven, which was the first map. They quickly closed things out in the second half, winning four straight rounds to close the game with a 13-4 score.

The second map was Icebox and it was a little closer this time. Giants again won the first half, this time with a score of 7-5. DetonatioN FocusMe showed some resilience in the second half, but unfortunately it wasn't enough, and Giants won 13-7.

Leading Giants was Russian player Cloud, who had a combined KDA of 42-21-5 through both maps. Incredible stuff from him as he proves that he is one of the top players in this tournament. DetonatioN FocusMe used all six of their players in this matchup and leading them with kills was Reita, who had 25 through both maps.

With the win, Giants Gaming advance to the quarterfinals of the Alpha group and will face off against NRG Esports on February 17th. With the loss, this means DetonatioN FocusMe is sent home.

Tomorrow's Matches

Tomorrow will feature three matchups - FPX vs Karmine Corp, BBL Esports vs DRX, and Cloud9 vs Paper Rex.

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