"Sage was one of the most annoying parts of their comp": Mikes on 100 Thieves' victory over FUT Esports at VCT LOCK//IN 2023

Day 11 of VCT LOCK//IN 2023 kicked off with 100 Thieves taking on FUT Esports in an Omega bracket quarter-final tie. The three-map entertainer concluded with 100 Thieves securing a decisive victory over the Turkish side, thereby advancing to the semi-finals of the Omega bracket.

The best-of-three series kicked off with an intense showdown on Valorant's latest map, Lotus. Although 100 Thieves were prepared for the matchup, FUT Esports had a few tricks up their sleeves. FUT's unique Agent composition and qw1's exceptional individual performance helped them collect a remarkable 13-9 victory and secure their map pick.

100 Thieves bounced back on the second map, Haven, where they outmaneuvered FUT Esports in the final moments to clinch a close victory (13-11) and even the score.

With the score being tied up, the audience was glued to the screens for the showdown on Icebox, the decider map. 100 Thieves led the charge on Icebox as well, sending FUT Esports home after a 13-8 map win and a 2-1 series victory at VCT LOCK//IN 2023.

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100 Thieves' head coach Mikes talks about FUT Esports' Agent comp on Lotus at VCT LOCK//IN 2023 Sao Paulo

After 100 Thieves triumphed over FUT Esports, both teams, along with their respective coaches, attended the VCT post-match press conference to answer various media questions.

Answering a question from Sportskeeda Esports, 100 Thieves' head coach, Michael "Mikes" Hockom, compared FUT Esports' performance at VCT LOCK//IN 2023 to that of their 0-2 defeat to 100 Thieves at the Red Bull Home Ground in December 2022.

Mikes said:

"Yeah, obviously in the off-season tournaments, people were trying a lot of stuff and I think they were still kind of relatively new at the time, like as a team formed together."

Mikes then talked about losing the first map, Lotus, to FUT Esports. He said:

"On Lotus especially, not many people are running Neon, not many people are running Sage. I thought the Sage was one of the most annoying parts of their comp. I just felt like they had a lot of creative ideas on a new map, and it affected us a lot on defense."

FUT Esports had a unique Agent composition on Lotus, which 100 Thieves found particularly troubling. In addition, qw1 put on a noteworthy performance on Neon, leading the map scoreboard with a KDA of 31/19/3 and 376 ACS (Average Combat Score).

Lotus was the only map 100 Thieves conceded in the 2-1 victory over EDward Gaming during their opening match of the VCT LOCK//IN 2023. Having seen 100 Thieves' weaknesses and after coming up with a promising game plan, FUT Esports chose Lotus as their map pick for their bout against 100 Thieves.

Although FUT managed to dominate the first map, their performance on the remaining two maps led to their eventual defeat.

After securing a decisive victory over FUT Esports in the quarter-finals of the VCT LOCK//IN 2023 Omega bracket, 100 Thieves advanced to the stage's semis, where they will face the European giants, Fnatic, in a best-of-three matchup.

100 Thieves will take on Fnatic on February 27, 2023, at 12:00 pm PST/ 9:00 pm CET/ 1.30 am IST (the next day).