Karmine Corp passes the first round of the Lock//In Sao Paulo
Accepted in the EMEA League, Karmine Corp is now playing in the big league. The Franco-Belgian team faced FunPlus Phoenix in their first match of the LOCK//IN Sao Paulo. After an intense match, the Chinese were eliminated from the competition for good. Karmine Corp, on the other hand, remained in the competition and will face the winner of the Gen.G/LOUD match soon.
Since last September, the Karmine Corp is one of thirty teams selected for the Valorant Champions Tour 2023. As a result, the French organisation is participating in the first international LAN of the VCT, namely LOCK//IN Sao Paulo. For one evening, we buried the war hammer, to support our former rival, who was facing FunPlus Phoenix.
This first match of the second day had a special flavour, as both teams were taking their first steps at this level of competition. Until then, Karmine Corp. had been competing in VRL France. For its part, the Chinese team Zhuque, promoted to main roster at FPX, only participated in the few tournaments available in China.
The new FPXs tried to destabilise ScreaM and his teammates by selecting Lotus as the first battleground. At the end of round eight, both teams were tied; FPX's choice seemed to pay off... At this point, the Karmine Corp redoubled their efficiency and won four more points to take the lead. Once they were on the attack, they were quick to find the missing points to win the match 13-6.
Karmine players had a harder time getting into the game on Haven. Their opponents proved to be precise and formidable, quickly taking the lead, 4 to 1. But as we like to say, in Valorant, there's everything left to play for! SHIN, ScreaM, Newzera, xms and Nivera held on and came back to score. At side change, anything could still happen, with both teams tied. Uncompromisingly, the Chinese had a string of victories in attack. Thanks to a masterful round from AAAAY, FunPlus Pheonix came a little closer to victory, before winning this second map 13 to 8.
In a tournament like the LOCK//IN Sao Paulo, the mindset is an essential weapon to fight, even more than the in-game skill itself. Pearl, the third and final map of the match determined which of the two teams would go out of the tournament for good, and which would stay in.
FunPlus Phoenix started well in this final battle, but was unable to hold on to its lead. At the end of the ninth round, and after a beautiful 4K from SHIN, Karmine was leading 6-3. At side change, however, the gap was reduced and the Franco-Belgian roster was only two points ahead. It's in a situation like this that the mental side of the game is important. Determined to win, SHIN and Nivera were monstrous in defence and the game ended with a score of 13 to 6.
This victory allows the Karmine Corp to maintain its position in the Alpha Group and keep their dreams of victory alive. FunPlus Phoenix, on the other hand, was eliminated. Edward Gaming, the other Chinese representative, will have to beat 100 Thieves to make their country stand out in the competition.
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