Sentinels off to a winning start at VALORANT Masters Toronto

Sentinels fans scored big during the second day of VALORANT Masters Toronto as the team won against VCT China’s Wolves Esports.

Meanwhile, fellow VCT Americas squad MIBR suffered defeat in its first Swiss Stage match against Pacific team Gen.G Esports.

VCT Americas Stage 1 runner-up Sentinels already had a favourable match-up for its first series at Masters Toronto. Whilst many VALORANT fans saw Wolves Esports as an underdog for the event, VCT China Stage 1’s third-place team showed why it should not be underestimated despite Sentinels still walking away with a 2-0 victory.

Specifically, Wolves proved to be a challenging opponent on its map pick Split. After a pistol round win and several hero plays, Wolves ended its attack half 8-4. However, during the second half, Sentinels’ double-initiator team composition began to shine. The squad secured the much-needed second pistol round and converted their bonus afterwards. Accelerated by early ultimates, Sentinels snowballed its way to a 13-11 victory.

Wolves continued to have a rough time on Lotus, struggling with Sentinels’ Vyse utility on attack. Failing to secure numerous after-plants, the Chinese roster only won three rounds in the first half.

Although Wolves made a good comeback attempt on the defence, the team was ultimately outclassed 8-13. In particular, Amine ‘johnqt’ Ouarid showcased his expertise as Sentinels’ in-game leader (IGL). With excellent late-round calling and a 1-2 clutch, the player secured the game’s final round for his team.

The second series of the day also defied viewer expectations, albeit in a different way. What was expected to be a competitive match-up between VCT Pacific Stage 1 runner-up, Gen.G Esports, and the third place of Americas Stage 1, MIBR, quickly turned into a dominant 2-0 victory for Gen.G.

The Korean organisation overwhelmed MIBR on Lotus with a surprise team composition featuring Deadlock as the only sentinel and two controllers with Omen and Viper. Gen.G dominated on defence with superior map control and mechanical excellence across the board. Despite promising moments from MIBR’s Andrew ‘Verno’ Maust on Sova, it was not enough to string multiple rounds together. Gen.G capitalised on its 9-3 half-time score and two pistol round wins to steal MIBR’s map pick 13-5.

While MIBR showed small signs of life on Lotus, the team was fully shut down on Gen.G’s map pick, Haven. Running its signature Viper composition, the Korean team relied less on the surprise factor and more on thorough preparation.

In addition, Gen.G’s players once again showcased their mechanical prowess, with consistent frags from Ha ‘Ash’ Hyun-cheol on Sova. MIBR only won the anti-bonus round of the first half, suffering a 1-13 defeat.

With the first round of Masters Toronto’s Swiss Stage concluded, Sentinels and Gen.G have advanced to the winner’s bracket (June 9th). Wolves Esports and MIBR will play their loser’s bracket games on June 10th.

The specific team match-ups were drawn at the end of today’s broadcast:

All matches will be broadcast on the official Twitch and YouTube channels starting at 5 pm BST daily.

Sentinels fans, in particular, will be happy with the draw results. The North American organisation will face Bilibili Gaming (BLG) tomorrow, making the North American side a favourite to advance to the playoffs.

Similarly, Team Liquid fans can look forward to IGL Ayaz ‘nAts’ Akhmetshin making his Masters Toronto debut after finally obtaining a visa.