The opening week of VCT Americas didn’t fail to ship thrilling motion, unimaginable highlights, and league-leading viewership. The ten partnered groups from North America, Latin America, and Brazil all met in Los Angeles for the primary time, and didn’t disappoint (for essentially the most half).
Week one featured surprising role swaps, some breakout rookie performances, Gekko picks, comebacks, and many extra thrilling top-tier VALORANT tales. Listed here are the highest tales that caught out from week one among VCT Americas.
Largest takeaways from the primary week of the VCT Americas 2023 season
The cloud of doubt has shifted from Cloud9 to Evil Geniuses
Earlier than the beginning of the season, Cloud9 parted methods with one of many high mechanical gamers in your complete world, and one of many area’s most extremely regarded in-game leaders in nearly per week. Naturally, followers have been a tad bit involved about how properly C9 would play, the workforce discovered victory because of a excessive stage of play from the always-consistent leaf and breakout rookie runi.
It’s now Evil Geniuses that look to be in actual hazard. EG seemed uncoordinated in the course of the sequence, shedding a number of anti-eco rounds. Contemplating how proficient some groups in NA Challengers are, EG’s offseason selections might find yourself getting dragged by the neighborhood in the event that they aren’t in a position to right course. It gained’t be straightforward both; they’ve acquired 100T, KRÜ, FURIA, and LOUD arising.
Sentinels’ position shifts might be the important thing to reaching a ceiling
For those who advised Sentinels followers that the workforce was going to maneuver Sacy and pANcada off the roles that gained them a world championship on LOUD, they wouldn’t imagine it. At first, Sentinels coach Syyko wouldn’t even contemplate it. However the teaching employees did in actual fact pull the set off on transferring pANcada to Killjoy and Sacy to smokes, and it’s paying off.
Syyko told Dot Esports that pANcada’s “potential to play on an island and be a extremely impactful lurker was simply phenomenal,” and that might be seen of their victory over 100T. The dependable backline play from Sacy and pANcada made it simpler for the workforce’s frag farmers in zekken and TenZ to make performs, resulting in an enormous win over 100T. Sentinels nonetheless have some enhancements to make: pistol rounds have been a battle, and the entire workforce exterior of Sacy struggled to win open duels. But when these enhancements occur, this can be a workforce that has an actual shot of constructing worldwide tournaments.
Brazil and LATAM might simply shut NA out of Masters Tokyo
It’s gonna be a tough process for any North American workforce to make it to Masters Tokyo although. With solely three Americas spots obtainable, alternatives are restricted, and each Latin America and Brazil are elevating the competitors.
LOUD has already confirmed that their new-look roster can compete on the worldwide stage, they usually’re already so comfy that they’re breaking out Gekko constantly. Leviatán made an announcement on the expense of NRG to shut out week one. FURIA showcased the sheer quantity of expertise on their roster as properly. Even each MIBR and KRÜ can’t be counted out but.
