The 2023 Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) season starts on Monday, February 13, with VCT LOCK/IN 2023, and our esports tipster Michael Lee has put together his top three picks for the first day of the competition. Today he looks at NRG vs KOI, Giants Gaming vs DetonatioN FocusMe, and LOUD vs Gen.G.
Check out our esports betting tips below, which are are brought to you thanks to Picklebet - Australia's leading esports betting site!
Esports Betting Tips: Monday, February 13
NRG vs KOI
VCT LOCK/IN 2023
KOI and NRD promise to produce a great match as two of the most exciting teams entering the VCT LOCK/IN 2023 tournament. KOI have completely rebuilt its Valorant division ahead of 2023 and put together a competitive lineup, but we shouldn't ignore NRG.
We have to remember that NRG used to be OpTic Gaming, and OpTic were very good. Even though OpTic didn't get partnered for the 2023 season, they won Masters Reykjavik, finished third in Copenhagen and made the finals of VALORANT Champions 2022, on top of collecting two silver medals from VCT NA.
With such an impressive resume, it's not surprising seeing NRG priced as favourites to defeat KOI, even though the latter have strong pieces. But 1.40 for the opening match of the year seems a bit too much. KOI are not held to such a high standard as NRG, but this squad still fields some of the top Valorant players, including former world champions as well as Bogdan "Sheydos" Naumov, who led Gambit Esports to the VALORANT Champions 2021 finals.
This match is much closer to a coin flip than the odds suggest, so I'll gladly take KOI at 2.75.
KOI to win
$2.75 (1 Unit)
Giants Gaming vs DetonatioN FocusMe
VCT LOCK/IN 2023
Giants Gaming and DetonatioN FocusMe aren't very strong teams, but this match isn't to be missed. It will mark the first time that DetonatioN FocusMe will play outside of Japan, but while DFM are an unknown opponent, their recent performances leave a lot to be desired.
At Riot Games ONE PRO INVITATIONAL in December, DetonatioN FocusMe placed fifth, with a 0-3 record. But things become even more concerning if we consider that across the entire tournament, only thrice did a DFM player end a match with a positive K/D.
Giants Gaming aren't one of the main candidates to win VCT LOCK/IN 2023, and I wouldn't expect them to. But this is a strong team, featuring Žygimantas "nukkye" Chmieliauskas, Emir "rhyme" Muminovic, and Aaro "hoody" Peltokangas, who all have experience playing in big events.
These early-season tournaments tend to be a bit more unpredictable, but I can't find a good reason to back DetonatioN FocusMe. This is a match Giants Gaming can't afford to lose, and unless we're in for an upset, they shouldn't lose a single map.
Giants Gaming -1.5 maps
$1.83 (1 Unit)
LOUD vs Gen.G
VCT LOCK/IN 2023
LOUD are the reigning world champions, and with that comes high expectations, especially considering that VCT LOCK/IN 2023 is played in Brazil. But their status as the current strongest team in the world isn't the only reason why LOUD are 1.16 favourites to defeat Gen.G.
We already know what LOUD are capable of, while Gen.G opted to build a new lineup, consisting of only Korean players. Some are established players in their region, but none have achieved anything outstanding on the biggest stages.
That doesn't mean that Gen.G can't be competitive and perhaps surprise LOUD, who will surely feel very comfortable heading into this match. But as many reasons you can find to back Gen.G over LOUD, there is no denying that LOUD are objectively stronger.
LOUD to win both maps with at least five rounds to spare might not be a bad play, but I prefer the Brazilians to cover the map handicap at 1.66.
LOUD -1.5 maps
$1.66 (1 Unit)
