NRG Esports Valorant head coach Chet ‘Chet’ Singh is not a fan of the just-announced LOCK//IN tournament single-elimination format.
Riot Games announced the format for the upcoming 32-team LOCK//IN tournament that is set to start on February 13 in São Paulo, Brazil. The announcement came with some fanfare as teams and fans see the tournament matchups for the first time. But Chet, one of the most decorated coaches in the game, said he isn’t a fan of the format or how the tournament has been set up.
Fly to Brazil, have no info on the other team because it’s the first matches with new meta and it’s single elimination. What an absolute shit tournament to kick off the year
— NRG Chet (@chetsingh) January 17, 2023
“Fly to Brazil, have no info on the other team because it’s the first matches with a new meta and it’s single elimination. What an absolute s**t tournament to kick off the year,” Chet said on Twitter.
The LOCK//IN tournament is a single-elimination event that will feature two groups of 16 teams battling for the first VCT trophy of 2023. Outside of the first-ever Masters tournament in 2021, international tournaments run by Riot Games have featured a double-elimination format.
The Global Head of Valorant Esports, Leo Faria, responded to the criticism of the single-elimination format by explaining the logistics of running a 32-team tournament in a short time period.
Our known and loved double-elimination format will be back for Masters Tokyo. With 32 teams, double-elim becomes impractical, unless you want a month and a half-long tournament, so we built a pretty unique and intense format for LOCK//IN.
— Leo Faria (@lhfaria) January 17, 2023
“With 32 teams, double-elim becomes impractical, unless you want a month-and-a-half-long tournament, so we built a pretty unique and intense format for LOCK//IN,” Faria said.
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LOCK//IN tournament under fire by some in Valorant community
Former 100 Thieves head coach Sean Gares also voiced his opinion on the Valorant tournament, saying that the group of teams that play first will have two weeks to watch and study the new meta while the other waits to compete.
Oof, I was wondering how logistics would work w/ 32 teams. I guess two large groups of 16 teams is the best answer. The problem is that the group that runs first will have almost two weeks to watch their opponents, think of new comps, create antistrats, etc😬 https://t.co/E09r6J2QjH
— Sean Gares (@seangares) January 17, 2023
Jake ‘Boaster’ Howlett, Fnatic’s Valorant IGL, said that he is excited for the LOCK//IN tournament because of how ruthless the tournament is set up to be.
NAVI captain Kyrylo ‘ANGE1’ Karasov said that the idea of being eliminated after just one match is “rough after 1,5 months of practice.“
Fans can see for themselves how ruthless the tournament format and schedule will be as teams from VCT Americas, EMEA and Pacific battle for victory and a chance to earn their region an extra slot at Masters 2023.