Out of all the agents in VALORANT, there is one that grew so popular, so fast, that it still gives fans flashbacks to a stagnant meta in 2022. Now, in the Last Chance Qualifier for Champions 2023, he’s made his first appearance for the Pacific region in a crucial match.
In the upper bracket final match between ZETA DIVISION and Team Secret, Laz pulled out Chamber for the first time in the region over the whole year. Not only was it a pocket pick, it turned out to be the catalyst for ZETA to defeat TS 2-0, as Laz top-fragged with 42 kills.
Despite being well-known in VCT Americas for his feasibility on Split and Bind, Chamber was brought onto Fracture and new map Lotus, two maps not normally suitable for Chamber (in theory). There are long sightlines on both, with Fracture making some sense thanks to its long entries on both mains, but Lotus is a bit of a head-scratcher. A main is the best area for him, but both B and C are a bit tough to make work if enemies take space quickly.
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Yet Lotus is where we saw Chamber first, and Laz did not disappoint with the seemingly off-meta pick. Lotus was Team Secret’s choice, but it didn’t matter much, with ZETA entering the halftime up 9-3. On the attack side, Laz’s Chamber was always covering the flank, dealing with the aggressive defense that TS tried early on. He was on his own a lot to start rounds, usually covering A main with a teleport in case he got rushed. If he didn’t, he could either take space going into A, or just rotate with his team.
Even after losing the pistol round, they usually put Laz to cover A alone on defense. It worked like a charm, whether he was alone or with his teammate Dep on Neon, contesting them from pushing out. One of the times they put him on C, he flanked alongside Dep to crunch enemies onto site. As soon as he got his Tour de Force, he posted up on B, getting a crucial pick to prevent TS from getting round momentum, and eventually closing out the map 13-9.
Fracture was next, ZETA’s map pick, and Laz decided to stick with the Chamber. Team Secret looked to have adapted better in the first half, on their attack, ending it 6-6. Laz aimed to get an Operator in his hands as fast as he could, usually overseeing Arcade near B site. It was the attack side that really let Laz and ZETA outplay their opponents. Laz would snipe down A main, with a teleport to quickly get to spawn and rotate to B if his teammates went there. If Laz didn’t spot anyone, Dep would try and clear A site fast, faking as his team would go B. Then, Laz can snipe onto site, with little worry about a flank behind him thanks to his Trademark.
Only losing one round, ZETA won the map 13-7 and the series 2-0. Laz ended the series with nine first kills, leading the lobby, as a Sentinel. ZETA booked their ticket to the grand finals, only one series win away from Champions 2023. Plus, going through the upper bracket, they will have more map bans in the finals than the losers bracket team. They will fight again on July 23 for that chance to go to Los Angeles.
