LOUD vs. NRG is happening at VCT LOCK//IN and both teams seem to be treating it as though the OpTic Gaming and LOUD rivalry never happened.
There's no bigger rivalry in recent competitive VALORANT history than LOUD vs. OpTic Gaming. Well, OpTic Gaming are now mostly part of NRG and LOUD's championship roster has had a rework. Still, the core pieces remain intact and yet again, we'll see them battle as LOUD vs. NRG happens at VCT LOCK//IN.
NRG bested Giants Gaming while LOUD took down Karmine Corp on the same day to ensure this match would take place. It truly writes itself. After each series, the teams delivered a post-match press conference. Esports.gg attended and asked for their thoughts on the upcoming contest and what they think about the new-look rosters.
Chet won't treat preparation differently just because NRG faces LOUD
Chet "Chet" Singh is one of the members from the former OpTic Gaming that moved to NRG. He coached the team to an incredible 2022 VALORANT Champions Tour, where they placed in the top three of every international event.
VCT LOCK//IN is the first tournament of the partnered era and a lot of teams shuffled things around. NRG and LOUD have new members, but both look dangerous so far in Brazil. We asked his thoughts on LOUD and its new additions before they face off:
"Honestly, I'm not too familiar with their players right now. I haven't really watched their matches, since we've been practicing a lot. I guess when I review it, I'm going to treat it the same as last year. See what they do and try to make a game plan around it. I'm not going to treat it any differently just because its LOUD."
Chet was very nonchalant with his answer and its clear that NRG will treat this like any other match. LOUD appears to be just another obstacle in their way as they hope to make it to the end of the Alpha Bracket at VCT LOCK//IN.
Saadhak just wants to gain experience for the new LOUD roster
As the press conference with NRG was wrapping up, LOUD and Karmine Corp were beginning their match. It was a masterful showing by the hometown team as they halted a comeback on both Pearl and Split, in the latter's first appearance of VCT LOCK//IN.
When all was said and done, LOUD took to the table to face the press. They were, obviously, in a good mood after winning yet another match in front of their Brazilian fans. Esports.gg addressed Matias "Saadhak" Delipetro and asked for his opinion on how LOUD's new players match up to NRG's:
"We are a pretty new team. We have really young players and they have experienced players. For us, this an experience. We are here to prove ourselves, to learn, and see what we can do. I can't say much about them because I don't know them, to be honest. For us, we're here to learn how to be a team in the long term."
As many other players in these press conferences have expressed, Saadhak is looking at this year in the VCT with a fresh perspective. There's a very short list of teams with four or five remaining players from last year's VCT here at LOCK//IN.
Even after a world championship in 2022, Saadhak and the rest of LOUD's core from last year are putting in the work as if they started from scratch. When LOUD takes on NRG in São Paulo, even if both teams look at it like business as usual, the atmosphere will be electric because of the past between these players.
Stay tuned to Esports.gg for more esports news and VALORANT coverage. Check out our VCT LOCK//IN event page for everything you need to know.