Welcome back!
It's been a busy week since I returned from Riot Games Arena, where I watched VCT Americas Finals and LCS Upper-Bracket Playoffs in the same weekend. This issue covers that experience — what I saw, who I met, and what's coming up over the final two weeks of LCS Lock-In.
Paul
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VCT Americas Finals: NRG's Reverse Sweep
Valorant is something I've wanted to cover since the start, but the Americas season was already underway by the time I launched. This weekend gave me a proper feel for how VCT operates live — and it delivered.
The final spot for Masters Santiago (starting Feb. 28 in Santiago, Chile) came down to NRG, the defending 2025 Valorant World Champions, and MIBR, who were playing in their third match in three days. MIBR also had something personal riding on it: a win would have given Roberto "Mazino" Rivas a chance to compete in his home country.
It looked good for MIBR early. They dominated the first two maps to take a 2–0 lead, and after going up 9–3 on Split — a defense-favored map — a homecoming for Mazino seemed close.
Then NRG did what world champions do. They won nine of the next ten rounds on Split to make it 2–1, then swept Abyss 13–4 and closed out Haven 13–5, winning the first 11 of 12 rounds to complete the reverse sweep.
I'll be transparent: I was rooting for MIBR. I met Ian "tex" Botsch’s girlfriend before the doors opened, and that one small connection changed how I watched the whole series. That's the thing about being at these events — you stop watching and start caring.
NRG heads to Santiago. MIBR gets another shot in Stage 1. I'll be watching both closely.
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LCS Playoffs: The Final Two Weeks
We're entering the home stretch of LCS Lock-In. Three matches across this weekend will shape who gets a shot at Cloud9 or Sentinels and who goes home. Here's what to watch.
Upper-Bracket Semifinal: Can Anyone Beat Cloud9 Kia?
Cloud9 Kia vs. Sentinels | Sunday, 1 p.m. PT
Cloud9 has been dominant. They went through Swiss dropping just one game, then swept FlyQuest 3–0 in the quarterfinals. All five players rank in the top six in KDA across the league. Four of the five have been together since 2024, and the addition of Eain "APA" Stearns — whom Sentinels coach GoldenGlue called North America's best mid-laner — only strengthened an already-loaded roster.
Sentinels aren't without their own story. Three players — Isaac "DARKWINGZ" Chou, Jae-Hyun "Huhi" Choi, and Minseong "Rahel" Cho — came over from Disguised, the team that clawed its way back into the LCS through the promotion tournament. Winning a five-game set against DSG last round was a meaningful experience boost.
What to watch: Cloud9 has the talent and the chemistry edge. For Sentinels to compete, they'll need a near-perfect series. Any early deficit could snowball fast against a team this composed.
Lower-Bracket Quarterfinal: The Established vs. The Newcomer
Team Liquid Alienware vs. Disguised | Friday, 1 p.m. PT
Team Liquid entered Lock-In as one of the Americas Cup favorites. They were widely considered one of the best scrimmage teams in the league. But stage results are a different story — they went 1–2 in Swiss and needed a best-of-one win over Dignitas just to make the playoffs.
"It was a quick and long three weeks," said TLAW bottom laner Sean "Yeon" Sung. "We weren't expecting to have this tough of a start. We're focused on how we can translate our scrim performance to the stage."
Disguised has been the tournament's surprise. They finished top four in Swiss, pushed Sentinels to five games, and are now at full strength with Christian "KryRa" Rahaian back from injury after sitting out the first two weeks. In four series, DSG has gone to a final game every time.
What to watch: Liquid has the experience. DSG has the momentum and nothing to lose. The longer the series goes, the more margin for error shrinks — and DSG has shown they can play close games.
Lower-Bracket Quarterfinal: An Inspired Clash
FlyQuest vs. LYON | Saturday, 1 p.m. PT
FlyQuest's road to Worlds 2025 was documented on their YouTube channel — internal struggles and all. They rebuilt over the offseason, losing three players including jungler Kacper "Inspired" Słoma, who signed with LYON. He's now the only non-Cloud9 player in the top five of the league in KDA.
LYON pairs Inspired with Korean import Min-cheol "Berserker" Kim for one of the more talented one-two punches in the league. FlyQuest, meanwhile, started Swiss 2–0 with new additions Johnson "Gryffinn" Le and Michael "Cryogen" Luu, while promoting Gakgos and Quad from the development pipeline.
What to watch: LYON has the individual talent. FlyQuest has the cohesion and hunger. Both teams could use more games together — a win here matters beyond just advancing, it's momentum-building for Split 2.
I'll be back at Riot Games Arena for LCS Finals on Feb. 28 and March 1. More on that next Friday and an interview with Cloud9's APA in Tuesday's issue.
Enjoy the games this weekend.
Paul