VCT LOCK//IN: A look at the final four in São Paulo

It will be a semifinal to remember.

This coming weekend will be the final part of the VCT LOCK//IN with the final four playing their semifinal matches to determine who heads to the grand finals. The likes of hometown heroes LOUD will be joined by DRX in the first semifinal series, followed by Fnatic and Natus Vincere the next day.

São Paulo has seen some incredible gameplay from the 32 partnered teams in the VCT and the fans in attendance will be able to enjoy one more weekend's worth of action with both semifinal matches as well as the grand finals. LOUD will be the obvious contenders, being the reigning champions as well as the hometown favourites. It also helps that they have been near flawless so far in the tournament.

DRX will be out for blood given their history from last year against the Brazilians. Being the only APAC team left in the tournament, the hopes of Asia rest on DRX's shoulders, which will also elevate the Korean VALORANT scene to new heights if they were to topple the crowd's favourites. As for Fnatic and Natus Vincere, this will be the first-ever meeting between the two orgs in VALORANT. This is also NAVI's best placement to date while also making its debut in an international LAN.

And a fun fact about the top four of the VCT LOCK//IN: these four teams are the same rosters that were also the top six at last year's VCT Champions. With LOUD being the reigning champs, DRX finished in third place while NAVI (formerly signed under FunPlus Phoenix) finished in fourth and Fnatic in sixth.

LOUD vs DRX

Set to take place on March 3, 1.00 am GMT+8, the locals' favourite will take to the stage again in the first semifinal series of the VCT LOCK//IN. LOUD versus DRX has become a fiery fixture with the reigning champs going up against the best Korea has to offer. Based on previous encounters, LOUD swept DRX at last year's Champions' upper bracket semifinals. With this being a single-elimination, the odds become even greater.

LOUD will be looking to put the competition to rest and make it to its second straight grand finals. Despite only being formed last year, the Brazilian squad has grown leaps and bounds in such a short period. But being Korea's best team doesn't count for anything either; DRX came into the scene only a month before LOUD and quickly rose to become the region's best team by a long shot. This includes two top-six placements at the Masters alongside a third-place finish at Champions.

The Brazilians have shown great depth in map selection, being able to win on Pearl, Split, and Fracture two times in their last three series. LOUD has also been able to sweep two of their three opponents in consecutive games without the need for a third. Only NRG was able to take a map off of them, with it being Pearl no less.

As for DRX, all three of their previous matches have all ended 2-1 in their favour. And in their matches against Cloud9 and Talon Esports, C9 lost their first map in both games with it being Pearl and Fracture. Only Haven and Icebox seem to be their most consistent maps, which will be something to look forward to as LOUD has not played on those maps at all this tournament.

Natus Vincere vs Fnatic

Two iconic names in esports, both Natus Vincere and Fnatic have already made a name for themselves in various titles and it looks like VALORANT will be getting the same treatment as well. The second semifinal series of the VCT LOCK//IN will start on March 4, 1.00 am GMT+8. Both teams have had their rivalries over the last year, especially during the EMEA Stage 2 Challengers as well as the Stage 2 Masters - Copenhagen.

As four-fifths of the current NAVI roster were the Stage 2 Masters victors while also placing fourth at last year's Champions, it's fair to say that they will not be a walk in the park. Given their experience against Fnatic in recent tournaments, it's fair to say that NAVI has the upper hand, having already beaten the boys in orange in the grand finals. However, Fnatic has also played with this iteration of NAVI several times before and should be able to anticipate what's to come.

NAVI and Fnatic's run so far in the VCT LOCK//IN have been fairly similar. Both teams have been able to 2-0 all three of their opponents with five of them being VCT Americas teams. NAVI took out both KRÜ Esports and Leviatán while Fnatic sent home Sentinels, FURIA Esports, and 100 Thieves. This sets up an all-EMEA semifinal showdown, one which fans will be looking forward to.

Both teams have also shown great map utility with NAVI performing well on Ascent while Fnatic has won two matches on Haven. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top in this match-up, given the teams' recent history with one another and for the pride of representing the EMEA in the grand finals of the VCT LOCK//IN.

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The VCT LOCK//IN resumes in just a few days so be sure to tune back in for more news and content!