VCT LOCK//IN pick’em guide: Who are the favorites?

The 2023 VALORANT Champions Tour season is starting off with a bang, with all 30 partnered teams (plus two invites from China) flying to São Paulo, Brazil for a massive single-elimination gauntlet.

The 32 teams in attendance will compete in a single-elimination bracket that will take place over three weeks, with high-stakes action in every series as teams from different regions clash in the opening rounds.

From a predictions standpoint, the event as a whole is a tough one to preview for several reasons. A vast majority of teams haven’t played any official matches since the conclusion of Champions 2022, several teams are debuting slightly or completely new rosters, and a new meta has shifted things around.

And with a single-elimination format on top, it can be hard to lock in who the best team at LOCK//IN will be. But we’re going to try anyways.

Who can win VCT LOCK//IN?

NRG

As unpredictable as this tournament is, if you look at the caliber of teams in their section of the bracket, NRG have (on paper at least) one of the easier paths to the semifinals. This team has some of the most proven names in professional VALORANT after the org paired the tested OpTic trio of FNS, crashies, and Victor with one of the world’s most elite fraggers in Ardiis. Spirits are high in the NRG camp, and so are expectations.

NAVI

Like NRG, the NAVI team is another example of a tested and proven core looking to take another step up by adding an elite duelist talent, this time with the former FPX roster (minus Ardiis) joining forces with former world champion cNed. When they were on FPX, the now-NAVI players showed what they were capable of under a myriad of challenging circumstances. But if everything goes right for once, they can easily reach the final four.

Team Liquid

NAVI may run into an early obstacle, though, since they could very easily face a dangerous Team Liquid roster in just the second round. Liquid held onto their focal pieces in Jamppi and soulcas this offseason, then put together an elite squad featuring M3C foundations nAts and Redgar, and elite former Guild duelist Sayf. After having to play Red Bull Home Ground without their fully formed team, they’re likely itching to show the world how good they really are in São Paulo.

100 Thieves

While other teams went for dramatic rebuilds or new rosters from scratch, 100T kept it simple, trading out a great duelist in Will for a world-class one in Cryocells. But while the change was small, this team can have a big impact, as already evidenced by their dominant showing at Red Bull Home Ground back in December. This group is young, motivated, and seemingly still getting better and better.

Fnatic or Sentinels

Whoever makes it past this absolutely star-studded opening matchup could very well end up being a contender. Fnatic made their own sizable improvements this offseason, bringing on a star duo in Leo and Chronicle to play with their already formidable trio of Boaster, Derke, and Alfajer. But as beloved of a figure as Boaster is, the crowd will certainly be rocking with Sentinels and their former LOUD duo—and this new roster completely rebuilt around TenZ has a tremendous amount of upside.

Whoever survives the bracket section with Cloud9, Paper Rex, and DRX

There is no portion of this bracket more stacked with proven talent than the section that includes DRX, Cloud9, and Paper Rex (say a prayer for BBL Esports). C9 were billed as the NA superteam when they formed this offseason, but after the Chamber nerfs and a shaky start at Home Ground, they already have a reason to come out strong and silence some doubters. Both Paper Rex and DRX are coming off strong 2022 campaigns, and a meeting between the two could be a preview for late in the Pacific playoffs at the end of this year.