Image credit: Sentinels (X/Twitter)
Sentinels lift its second international VALORANT trophy after they took down Gen.G Esports in the grand finals.
History was meant to be made today for either team and in the end, it was Sentinels who lifted the VCT Masters Madrid trophy after a thrilling best-of-five series that went back-and-forth all the way. Gen.G Esports could have been the first Korean as well as VCT Pacific team to lift an international VALORANT trophy but unfortunately, today was not their day.
As for Sentinels, this makes it their second VCT Masters trophy since 2021 in Reykjavík and they are now the only North American team to have two international VALORANT trophies. This LAN victory will put the team in good stead for the upcoming VCT Americas League: Stage 1. Gen.G will also have the Pacific League: Stage 1 to look forward to where they will be the team to beat in the region.
Sentinels are two-time VCT Masters champions
Heading into the best-of-five, Sentinels were looking to go up against Gen.G once more after their 2-1 loss in the upper bracket finals. And in a series that went to all five games, it did not disappoint in terms of entertainment as both teams were able to one-up the other constantly. Breeze was the first map of the series and it was Gen.G who jumped to a quick 2-0, which was started by Jong-Min “Lakia” Kim with a pistol 3K that included a clutch one-versus-two to kick things off.
Gen.G would then get the following round after that, but Sentinels were ready for the challenge as Zachary “Zekken” Patrone rose to the challenge first with a 4K. Both teams would end up trading wins for the next nine rounds that also saw Kim “Karon” Won-tae pick up his own one-versus-three clutch to seal the sixth round.
And while Gen.G led 7-5 at half-time, it was Sentinels who started the pistol round strong as Zekken grabbed his second 4K of the map and soon after, they grabbed the following round to tie the game. They would once again trade rounds, this time at one-apiece to make it 8-8. However, Gen.G were determined to grab the victory and went on a five-round streak that also had Sang-beom “Munchkin” Byeon get a 20th round ace for the match-point and soon after the win.
Map two was Sentinels' choice of Bind and this time but even Gen.G proved to be more than capable of standing up to the challenge. It was fairly even as neither team was not able to establish any real consistency to keep the score 6-6 to end the first-half. Gen.G started the second half in greater form, taking three on the trot that also saw Lakia grab a pistol 4K before they traded rounds with Sentinels to lead 10-7.
But things soon started to click for the boys in red as they took five rounds in a row that saw some exceptional team-fighting as well as use of utility coupled with great rotations and lurks. This gave Sentinels match-point but it was not enough as Gen.G was able to fight back and take the last two rounds to force it to overtime. But even then, Sentinels would not be denied as they won two straight rounds in OT to tie the series 1-1.
Ascent was Gen.G's map choice in the third match but it was Sentinels once again who took a quick 2-0 lead to start things off. Much like the previous map, both teams would trade rounds but with slightly more consistency this time as Gen.G managed to take two rounds straight after Sentinels' strong start. The NA squad would take the following three but Gen.G was able to respond with three of their own as well. And just when you thought they would be able to hold on to that momentum, Tyson “tenZ” Ngo was able to put a stop to it with a 3K that ended with him winning a clutch one-versus-two.
With the score tied 6-6, Gen.G came out swinging in the second half as they won four rounds in a row. As they needed just three more wins to take the lead in the series, Sentinels would ensure they would go down fighting as they managed to take the next two to keep the game going just a little longer. But alas, it was not enough as Gen.G was able to take the final three rounds of the match to end it thanks to Kim "t3xture" Na-ra back-to-back 3Ks.
Game four was on Sentinels' pick of Split and they would once more take the first two rounds, which started with a mine "johnqt" Ouarid pistol one-versus-one clutch. Munchkin was able to get in on the action as well to stop Sentinels from going 3-0 up as he won his own one-versus-two clutch to also get the thrifty. Sentinels would go on to dominate the first-half 8-4 that also saw Zekken get two 4Ks in the 10th and 12th rounds.
The VCT Pacific League Kickoff champions managed to take the first two rounds of the second half to reduce its deficit, but Sentinels managed to get two of its own in response. But it was all t3xture in the 16th and 17th rounds as put the team on his back with a 3K and 4K respectively to keep things close. And even then, it was still not enough to stop Sentinels from eventually sealing the win on map four as tenZ was able to clutch up a 3K with a one-versus-two that gave Sentinels match-point and then the game.
As the last match of the series, Icebox would also be the shortest as this would become more than just a game of aim and skill, but mental resilience as well. Two of the five current Sentinels players have been in grand finals and lifted trophies before; this was also Gen.G first-ever international VCT grand finals' appearance with many of its players making its debut as well. And once more, it was Sentinels that took a quick 2-0 lead but it didn't last long as Gen.G managed to get the next three as Lakia got a 4K for his troubles in the third round.
Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro was playing like a man obsessed and almost clutch an ace in the fourth round. This was a precursor for things to come as Sentinels managed to win the next five of seven rounds in the first half to give them a 7-5 lead heading into the second. And for the first time at VCT Masters Madrid, Sentinels did what no team could do and that was hold Gen.G to just a single-round win in the entirety of the second half. It was an almost immaculate performance from Sentinels as their level of experience and composure was enough to pull them through to the finish line.
Zekken was undoubtedly awarded the MVP of the event after a masterclass showcase on the duelist role. He walked away with 101 kills in all five games, which tied him for the most kills in a VCT grand final event. That win now ties Sentinels alongside the likes of Fnatic as the only teams in the VCT to have two international LAN titles. This also makes it two international VCT titles for both tenZ and Gustavo “Sacy” Rossi, who won his first with LOUD back in 2022.
With VCT Masters Madrid now done and dusted, we look ahead to the start of the various VCT regional leagues that are expected to start next week.
