Sentinels have made history after winning the first-ever global Valorant tournament, sweeping Fnatic 3-0 during the Grand Final of the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Stage 2 Masters in Reykjavík, Iceland.
With their win, Sentinels have placed North America at the top of the Valorant esports scene.
The boys from NA did not lose a single map in the tournament, and went 9-0 at Reykjavík. This feat has proven once and for all that they are truly the best team in the world.
Sentinels rose to the occasion
Fans were excited to witness the culmination of the North America versus Europe rivalry, and both teams did not disappoint. It was a showcase of both technical team play and insane individual skills from all the representatives.
This was also the first time Sentinels were truly tested by an opponent. Even though Fnatic lost, they were able to keep all the matches extremely close.
The first two games on Split and Bind went down to the wire, where Sentinels clutched out critical rounds in overtime.
Almost all the rounds towards the end of each game were absolute nail-biters, with the North American representatives barely edging out their European rivals.
Lower Bracket kings Fnatic showed great resilience and a better understanding in their rematch against Sentinels, but ultimately, weren’t able to get the upper hand during overtime.
Sentinels’ team captain, Shahzeb “ShahZaM” Khan, came up big in key rounds during the final game on Haven. Not only was he able to stop Fnatic’s flank plays, but also pulled off an impossible clutch win that helped his team climb to a 9-3 lead during halftime.
TenZ proved he is the best player in the world
While Sentinels’ win showed they’re currently the best Valorant team, their stand-in player, Tyson “TenZ” Ngo, pulled off an incredible performance that earned him Grand Final MVP honors.
To put some perspective on TenZ’ VCT Stage 2 Masters performance, he had the best stats in the tournament, according to vlr.gg:
- 289.4 (Average Combat Score/ACS)
- 1.48 (Highest kill-to-death ratio)
- 1.02 (Most kills-per-round)
- 0.20 (Most first kills)
- 0.09 (Least first deaths)
After winning the tournament, TenZ expressed his hope to continue playing with Sentinels, despite still being under contract with Cloud9.
“This team honestly is so amazing. I have fun with them. I can trust all of them. They’re just the best team I’ve ever had. I would stay if I could, and I hope I could. So, I’m praying,” said TenZ.
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Sentinels secure the first spot at the Valorant Champions tournament
With the VCT Stage 2 Masters tournament win, Sentinels have earned their spot in the upcoming Valorant World Championship tournament at the end of the year.
They were also awarded US$200,000 in prize money and 400 VCT Circuit Points.
Michael “dapr” Gulino expressed that he and the team were happy to not have to worry about chasing after qualifier points anymore, but that they would still look to win every tournament they enter. This includes all the remaining Challengers and the final Masters event in Berlin, Germany.
What’s next for the Valorant Champions Tour?
All teams around the world are now expected to set their sights on the next phase of the Challengers qualifiers. The winners from each region will advance to the international LAN at VCT Stage 3 Masters Berlin, Germany scheduled to take place from September 9 to 19 later this year.
This time around, there will be 16 teams — instead of 10 — participating in Masters Berlin. The winner of the tournament will also receive a direct invite to Valorant Champions.
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