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VCT LOCK//IN 2023 is set to enter its Omega phase, with the remaining sixteen teams ready to take on each other in a cut-throat competitive format. Day one of the Group Omega half will feature six teams, namely Team Liquid, Team Secret, NAVI, KRÜ Esports, Zeta Division, and Leviatán, in three matchups.
Zeta Division is one of the ten highly promising teams from the Pacific region and the only Japanese team remaining in the tournament. Ahead of their Round one match against Leviatán on February 22, Zeta’s coach Hibiki "XQQ" Motoyama revealed the team’s primary goal for VCT LOCK//IN.
ZETA Division coach XQQ reveals the team’s priorities ahead of their first matchup in VCT LOCK//IN
Like Group Alpha's schedule, Riot Games hosted a pre-game press conference to kickstart the Omega phase. Several athletes, coaches, and other team members attended the conference and answered intriguing questions for the press.
ZETA Division's coach XQQ joined one of the conferences and was accompanied by Sentinels’ head coach Don "SyykoNT" Muir and Edward Gaming’s coach Lo "AfteR" Wen-hsin.
In the press conference, Sportskeeda Esports approached XQQ with a question regarding the roster’s mentality and the prevailing pressure, now that ZETA Division is the only Japanese team in the tournament following Detonation FocusMe’s elimination in Group Alpha.
The former Overwatch player and highly experienced mentor had a pretty straightforward and interesting answer:
"We do think that it is important to proceed in the tournament, but we are not really feeling the pressure here. It’s important for us to be qualified for Masters Tokyo. So, we want to absorb as much experience as possible in this tournament."
XQQ joined ZETA in 2020 and has proven to be one of the most competent coaches in the professional Valorant scene. He is one of the biggest reasons behind the roster’s impressive performances in VCT 2022.
Being an introductory tournament, VCT LOCK//IN is only a trailer for what’s about to come in the upcoming months. The international league split will be the first important phase of VCT 2023, followed by an offline Masters tournament in Tokyo, before concluding with regional Last Chance Qualifiers and the ultimate year-end tournament, Valorant Champions.
In LOCK//IN, it’s only wise to focus on learning and experience rather than the outcome, especially because of its punishing format; however, the winner will earn a pretty good reward, taking home an extra Masters slot for their region.
One of the most prominent features of LOCK//IN is its regional diversity, which has led to some incredibly close and exciting inter-regional matchups in the tournament so far.
Continuing the tournament's tradition, Japan's ZETA Division will take on Leviatán, one of the top American (South) teams, in their opening VCT LOCK//IN match on February 22 at 3 pm PT / 1 am CEST (February 23) / 4:30 a.m IST (February 23).
LOCK//IN's erstwhile Alpha stage featured sixteen teams, fourteen of which were eliminated through single-elimination rounds. Two of the best teams from Group Alpha have been promoted to the playoffs stage.
Like the Alpha Half, Group Omega will seed the two best teams into the playoffs, hosting two semifinals and one grand final to declare the ultimate winner.
