Talon Esports did not feel as though they were villains during their opening VCT LOCK//IN match against MIBR.
The first tournament of the 2023 VALORANT Champions Tour is live in São Paulo, Brazil. Three Brazilian teams are a part of the Americas League appearing at the event, with the first being MIBR. Things didn't go so well for MIBR and its fans that poured into the arena for VCT LOCK//IN during their series with Talon Esports.
The largest crowd of the event, at the time of writing, watched Talon Esports take down the hometown heroes of MIBR, leaving only LOUD and FURIA left standing. The role of the villain did not seem to faze the members of Talon.
Talon Esports topples MIBR in their opening match of VCT LOCK//IN
With the crowd fully behind MIBR, Talon Esports kept their cool and cemented their place in the next round of the tournament. On the BR team's map pick, Haven, Thanamethk "Crws" Mahatthananuyut surprised everyone with his best international performance to date.
That helped Talon thwart a MIBR comeback and take the map 13:8. Then things moved to Fracture, where MIBR showed signs of life. They took a solid lead in the second half on the backs João "jzz" Pedro and Leandro "frz" Gomes, but the APAC squad fought back to win a close 13:11 map.
Crws on the crowd's reaction to their victory
Many felt the crowd would be heavily against non-BR teams at VCT LOCK//IN. That wasn't the case with Talon Esports. In a post-game press conference, Crws discussed the reaction they felt from the crowd. He also noted that the team did not feel like villains after sending MIBR packing:
"Not really [feeling like a villain]. I think at the end, towards the end, they cheered for us. It was really nice. I think the environment was really good. I think the crowd was very nice."
It was a very straightforward answer and a testament to live crowds at VALORANT events. The Brazilian fans at VCT LOCK//IN were nothing but respectful to Talon Esports. We'll see if that same hospitality remains for teams against LOUD and FURIA later in the tournament.
Stay tuned to Esports.gg for more esports news and VALORANT coverage. Be sure to head to our VCT LOCK//IN event page for all the details in one spot!