Team Vitality Eliminates Global Esports From VCT 2023 LOCK//IN São Paulo
A great series between the two teams.
It was a huge day for Indian esports as Global Esports took center stage at the VCT 2023 LOCK//IN São Paulo against Team Vitality, representing the South Asian region in an international tournament for the first time ever.
Both teams walked out with fairly new rosters, Vitality having spent a bit more time getting things in order, a luxury that Global Esports could not afford with all their players meeting each other for the very first time in Brazil just before the tournament.
The best-of-three series definitely lived up to all the hype and went down to the wire, concluding with a '2-1' scoreline in favor of the French organization, Vitality, proceeding ahead to the next round to go against the Argentinian organization, Leviatán.
As for Global Esports, the South Asian representatives showcased an inspiring performance and a strong promise that they have what it takes to face the best teams from across the world. Unfortunately, the loss has resulted in them being eliminated from the tournament.
VCT 2023 LOCK//IN São Paulo: Global Esports fights hard but Team Vitality prevails in the end
A rollercoaster of emotions for all those who were backing Global Esports, but all the support and the hype was definitely worth it, even though Team Vitality showed that they were the superior team tonight.
Overall Scores | VIT vs GE
Map 1 | Split | Global Esports
VIT (13) - GE (4)
Map 2 | Pearl | Team Vitality
GE (13) - VIT (9)
Map 3 | Lotus | Decider
VIT (13) - GE (6)
Map 1
Things started out pretty rough for Global Esports on their own map pick, Split, with the team seemingly trying to rush things with their uncontrolled aggressive maneuvers. The net impact of this start was negative as the game only slipped further away from them with each passing round.
The 19-year-old, Karel "Twisten" Ašenbrener, dismantled GE with an astounding performance on Jett, securing 23 frags and attaining an ACS (Average Combat Score) of 330.
As for GE, Jordan "AYRIN" He, was forced to do a lot of heavy lifting but with his responsibilities split thin between shot calling and fragging, he could only do so much.
Unable to find their way out of the pit that they had dug for themselves on the back of poorly constructed early rounds, Global Esports walked away disappointed with a '13-4' defeat.
Map 2
With hopes dwindling by a string, Global Esports showcased a brilliant ability to build out crafty pistol rounds, but the threat from Sheriff in the anti-eco rounds had been evidently established by Vitality.
However, things changed on Pearl and GE started playing with a sense of rhythm, using more utility and setting up slightly better trades. They also won both the anti-eco rounds, stringing together an inspiring victory one round at a time.
It was not an easy walk in the park, Vitality made sure that every moment was packed with suspense, turning into an absolute nailbiter whenever they were walking around with Sheriffs or Twisten was on a hot streak.
But this time GE was up for the challenge with AYRIN taking the backseat and the trio of Cahya "Monyet" Nugraha, Kim "texture" Na-ra, and Ganesh "SkRossi" Gangadhar, showing up big time to secure a crucial '13-9' victory.
Map 3
With a reinvigorated spirit, Global Esports looked ready to fight out the decider on the newest Valorant map, Lotus. Once again both the pistol and anti-eco rounds were nicely secured by the side but Vitality simply put on a better show, mostly staying one step ahead.
The agent composition also slightly leaned towards Vitality, the new agent Harbor proving to be the difference maker during multiple executes with his extra bit of utility at the disposal.
At the end of it all, Vitality walked away with another win this time by a '13-6' scoreline, eliminated Global Esports from the tournament while moving ahead to the next round.
Overall, Global Esports managed to deliver a satisfactory performance while also proving that with more consistent practice as a team, they have a lot of room for growth and can definitely stand toe-to-toe with most of the franchised teams.
They will be next seen in action at the VCT 2023: Pacific League which is scheduled to take place from 26th March to 28th May in Seoul, South Korea.