VCT Masters Tokyo 2023 is off to a red-hot start and the biggest story after just two days of VALORANT action in the group stage is the monumental Evil Geniuses victory over the once-dominant DRX roster today. A small but important aspect of that win was a very “nerdy” Sova recon line-up that helped EG stun DRX on their map pick of Ascent.
The play in question occurred in the sixth round of Ascent, with EG already managing to take an early 4-1 lead after their decisive win on Fracture. EG’s part-time Viper but primary Sova main Corbin “c0m” Lee busted out a cheeky line-up that gathers a bit of information while relaying misinformation back to the enemy team.
Standing at the defender side entrance of the B site, c0m aimed toward the top of the big building that looms over the defender side of the A site and fired a full-strength arrow with one bounce. The recon arrow bounced off the building, flew over the entire A site, and landed above the gelato sign in A main.
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While it didn’t tag anyone, it forced DRX to break it, confirming their presence near the top of mid and assuring EG that no attackers were pushing A main fast. But more importantly, it sent DRX the message that Sova was defending the A site, most likely from heaven. But they were wrong; Sova was already in market and DRX’s Foxy9 wasn’t expecting him to throw out the Owl Drone and get a tag, eventually leading to an opening pick for c0m on the opposing Jett.
Without Jett to create space for DRX, the round fell apart for them as they were unable to make any headway into either site, and the top team from Korea even called a timeout to collect themselves after the round.
Related: VCT Masters Tokyo 2023: VALORANT scores, schedule, and format
Want to use this arrow yourself? The line-up for this one isn’t too hard. Head toward the B site and tuck into the corner near the entrance. Aim at the big building looming over the A site, get to max power with one bounce, and aim at the top of the right window that’s just below the roofline.
