Brazilian squad LOUD has swept aside regional rivals NRG Esports to complete a near-flawless VCT Americas run on May 28, reaffirming the team as a powerhouse in competitive VALORANT ahead of the Tokyo Masters.
The VALORANT LOCK//IN runner-ups would not be stopped in their conquest to become the first VCT Americas champions, dominating the regular season with just a single series loss to their eventual grand final opponents in NRG.
LOUD kept the high-level pressure up against their playoff opponents too, dismantling compatriots FURIA before putting a resurgent Evil Geniuses away in three maps. LOUD met NRG in the grand final in what has become an ‘El Clasico’ in the Americas region, with the VALORANT rivalry dating back years.
Related: VCT Americas 2023 scores, schedule, format, standings
In the ninth head-to-head between the two titans and nothing splitting the two, LOUD emerged the better following the 3-0 grand final sweep—but the scoreline does not reflect just how close the final actually turned out to be.
On both Bind and Fracture, LOUD needed the full 25 regulation rounds to put away their archnemesis who just didn’t go away without a fight. A notable moment came during Fracture at 9-9: With the map in the balance, finals MVP Saadhak pulled off a one-versus-four ace clutch to silence the crowd in an incredible display of game sense and accuracy.
Together with Arthur “tuyz” Vieira, Saadhak navigated a two-versus-five with perfection. Finding three players on the site, including a wallbang on Sam “s0m” Oh, Saadhak traded out with tuyz then won two one-versus-ones in the post-plant to give LOUD the edge. The Argentinian ended up topping the stats leaderboard, dropping 54 kills across the three maps.
Felipe “less” Basso, who stepped up to captain the squad in the final, was in disbelief following the victory. “The first one is always remembered in history. For being a Brazilian team, this is especially huge,” he said. Erick “aspas” Santos, who earned the VCT Americas MVP following a consistent group stage performance, added: “My team is incredible. Even if I don’t hit my shots I know my team is going to cover me. It feels amazing.”
With the VCT Americas win, LOUD adds to a rapidly growing VALORANT trophy cabinet, which also includes their VALORANT Champions win in Istanbul, Turkey, and an assortment of regional wins since their debut in 2022.
LOUD will enter VALORANT Masters Tokyo in June with a top seed alongside Team Liquid, Fnatic, and Paper Rex, with their VCT Americas championship also locking the squad in for the next VALORANT Champions LAN in Aug. 2023.
