VCT 2023 LOCK//IN in numbers: Map picks and map comps

The competition in Sao Paulo is over and it is time to dig into some stats and see what the professional players are up to. We covered the VCT LOCK//IN Agent pick rates in our previous article, and now it is time to look at which maps were played the most and which comps were preferred in each. Here are the VCT 2023 - LOCK//IN map comps!

PEARL

Pearl lands as the most picked map at LOCK//IN as teams competed on the Portuguese map 16 times. LOUD has played the map four times, while DRX VS is in second place with three appearances on Pearl. Both teams competed against each other on the map, and LOUD picked up a dominant win with a score of 13-5. In their battle, both teams picked the same agents: Jett, Viper, Skye, Killjoy, and Harbor. Harbor had one of the lowest pick rates, but his strongest map was Pearl, with nine appearances.

Interestingly, DRX VS picked Astra, Sova, and KAY/O in their previous matchups against BBL Esports and Cloud9; however, they tried to hit LOUD with their own guns, which wasn’t successful at all. Astra holds the highest pick rate on Pearl with a 75%, followed by Jett with 71.88%. Astra has great utility to counter B rushes, and because the map is massive, her global range of smokes makes her a perfect fit.

If we take the LOUD-DRX matchup again, you can see that the Brazilians were far better on Pearl. DRX struggled to execute their attacks either because they were better with their other comp or because LOUD was superior in this specific map. Apart from strategies and tactics, individual Jett difference was also on another level. BuZz only secured six kills and held a 0.38 rating, while aspas carried his team with 24 kills and a 1.85 rating.

LOUD didn’t change its lineup in four games and only lost against NRG Esports in overtime. Killjoy, Viper, and Jett are the three most-picked agents of the tournament, and the Brazilian team used every one of them to dominate the competition.

HAVEN

Haven was the second most-picked map in Sao Paulo. Fnatic had three games on Haven and didn’t lose a single match. The EMEA representatives had a “classic” comp on Haven, playing with the same lineup in all three games; Jett, Sova, Killjoy, Astra, and Breach. There were other ideas; for instance, NAVI chose KAY/O and Omen instead of Astra and Breach.

Killjoy, Jett, and Sova emerge as the most important Agents on Haven. Jett has the ability to open up bomb sites quickly, while Killjoy’s utilities are crucial both on offense and defense. Players can use Sova’s drone and Recon Bolt to get early info on the opponent’s moves.

Haven requires a classic setup as the roles stay the same for every team, but the Agent do rotate, mainly due to players’ Agent pools. While one team goes for Astra, the other picks Omen, and these varieties mostly create micro differences. However, the important point is to execute setups with these Agents perfectly. Even though most comps look similar, teams have different ways of taking advantage of certain Agent abilities. Omen and Astra both have smokes and are mostly used for that ability, but their other abilities define the strategy. That’s why some teams stick to the same roles while picking agents but have a different way of playing the map.

ICEBOX

Icebox tied for second place with 13 picks, just like Haven. Icebox is a pretty straight-forward map that doesn’t have many different ways of playing. We had an interview with yay before the Red Bull Home Ground event and we asked him about Bind being removed from the map pool. “In terms of Bind, I am a little sad about Bind just because Icebox would be a map that I felt like, again, pretty random, and there is not a lot of diversity again,” yay answered. He also added that he would like to see Icebox worked on a little bit more.

100 Thieves and DRX had three games each on Icebox throughout their run at Brazil. Killjoy was almost indispensable for all teams that competed on Icebox, with a 92.31% pick rate. Even though Killjoy was replaced two times, none of the teams found a replacement for Viper. The agent had a 100% pick rate throughout the tournament and appeared in every Icebox game. Her smokes and lineups are very useful for teams on both ends. Another Agent that most teams preferred was Sova.

100 Thieves had a slightly better tactic than other teams, and they chose not to pick a Duelist but played with Sage, Omen, Sova, Viper, and Killjoy. On the other hand, DRX VS had a different lineup with Jett and Harbor instead of Sage and Omen. The most classic lineup on Icebox is probably what Cloud9 tried against DRX, almost the same Agents but Sage instead of Harbor. Even though the map has a one-way of playing it, teams still spice up the competition by trying different agents.

Sova, Killjoy, and Viper are the three important and efficient agents to play on Icebox. Jett could also be counted as one of them, but the fifth Agent generally depends on the team and its play style.

LOTUS

Lotus was probably the most awaited and exciting map as it recently joined the map pool. It seems like teams liked it, as it was played 11 times. Unsurprisingly, Killjoy was the most valuable Agent on the map. The bomb site entrances are narrower than most other maps, especially the B and C bomb sites, making Killjoy a great pick on defense.

It is still a very new map and needs more time for teams to adapt to it. We have seen many different compositions and Agent picks from the participants. While most teams preferred to play Omen and Killjoy, 100 Thieves went on and picked Astra and Cypher with two Initiators. NAVI also chose a similar comp with Killjoy instead of Cypher, while FUT Esports tried something different with Neon and Sage. Neon might be a solid pick on offense, but she remains a questionable Agent for the Defense side.

Despite being one of the most consistent picks in every other map, Jett is pretty useless here according to the teams at LOCK//IN. Instead, teams resorted to playing with Raze. After looking at all the teams’ comps, it is okay to say that Killjoy, Omen, and Raze build the foundation for most teams. It depends on the players and their play styles for the last two picks, but Fade could be written as fourth. However, it is not possible to say that there is another very solid Agent that every team should pick up. However, Skye, KAY/O, and Viper are close to being the fifth.

FRACTURE

Teams battled on Fracture in 10 games, and we have seen LOUD four times and Fnatic three times on the map throughout the event. The two teams competed against each other in the grand final series, and the EMEA team won the map with a score of 13-7.

LOUD and Fnatic almost play the identical comp, only with one difference. LOUD’s aspas preferred Jett on Fracture, but Fnatic’s Leo preferred Fade. Killjoy, Brimstone, Breach, and Raze stayed the same for both sides.

Interestingly, Fracture was the only map that Brimstone appeared on the battlefield. The Agent fits the map perfectly with his smokes and ult, but he is not very useful on other maps.

Despite not being the grand finalists, NAVI preferred a different comp with Omen, Viper, Raze, KAY/O, and Cypher. Talon Esports and DRX VS also tried different comps, but Raze was the main firepower in every lineup. Still, Breach saw the highest pick rate at 85%.

Breach, Brimstone, and Raze were the protagonists of most teams on Fracture. KAY/O and Killjoy are the other two trusted picks, but they might require a niche composition, just like LOUD and Fnatic tried.

ASCENT

Surprisingly, we only watched Ascent 9 times from the beginning until the end. DRX VS played the map three times, again leading the field. It is because every series DRX were involved in went to either three or five games. DRX lost two of the matches and only played a different comp against LOUD.

Jett is clearly the strongest pick to have on Ascent, with her 100% pick rate. Following her KAY/O, Killjoy, and Sova are the other prioritized Agents. The most used Ascent comp is Jett, Killjoy, Sova, Omen, and KAY/O. However, teams showed flexibility. For example, LOUD tried Viper and Skye and took down DRX VS after 21 rounds.

SPLIT

Split was the least-picked map in Brazil, with seven appearances. It came back to the map pool after a break, and teams played other maps during that time. LOUD played the map four times and won three of them. The Brazilians played the same comp in every matchup: Jett, Astra, Raze, Viper, Skye. Normally, Jett is not the go-to option for many teams as Raze has obvious advantages on Split, but she was picked seven times in total, four times by aspas.

Astra is another solid pick on the map with her global utility advantage. Viper is the third most-picked on Split, and Skye follows her, with a 57.14% pick rate. Teams tried different comps throughout the tournament. For instance, Fnatic picked Jett, Cypher, Raze, Sage, and Omen but couldn’t beat LOUD in the grand final series.

If you want to look at more stats, visit the events page, and also don’t forget to check out our VCT 2023 Hub!