First Seeds Of Americas and Pacific Solidify Their Worth At Madrid

VCT Masters Madrid has returned, with Day 1 of the Playoffs stage ending. Gen.G played against Paper Rex, while LOUD faced off against Sentinels.

The four remaining teams in the tournament happened to be the teams from the Americas and Pacific region. We did not get any inter-regional matches in the first round, but we still had a handful of banger matches. 

Gen.G 2-0 Paper Rex

The South Korean squad had already defeated Paper Rex in the Grand Final of the VCT Pacific Kickoff, claiming the number one seed in the region. Looks like history repeated itself, as Gen.G continued to show they were superior to the team formerly known as the best team in all of Asia.

The first map of the series featured Split, the map pick of Paper Rex. The MY/SG based organization took the first two rounds of play, but Gen.G quickly struck back with eight rounds straight to build a convincing lead. Lakia’s Skye played a key role in the first half to help the team bolster a four round lead.

The second half was more competitive, with both teams trading rounds back-and-forth. However, exchanging rounds favored the Gen.G side with the early advantage they built, resulting in a 13-8 win for the Pacific’s number one. 

On Lotus, the map pick of Gen.G, Paper Rex started the game on the favored side (offense). However, Gen.G could still muster up an 8-1 lead to start the game. Paper Rex salvaged the situation, winning the last three rounds of the half, and three more rounds in the second half after winning the pistol. This string of rounds put the score at 7-8 in favor of Gen.G.

Eventually, the Gen.G boys woke up and still managed to win the series 13-9 after a firm showing on their attacking side.

Image: Valorant Esports

The best performer in the series was Paper Rex’s d4v41, who ended the series with a 1.27 rating despite the loss. 

This result meant Gen.G could maintain their title as the strongest Pacific team, for now at least. They have qualified for the Upper Bracket Final, and are one series away from the Grand Final. Meanwhile, Paper Rex still has a second chance in the Lower Bracket.

Sentinels 2-1 LOUD

Another regional derby featured the Sentinels playing against LOUD. In the VCT Americas Kickoff, Sentinels clinched a 3-2 victory over LOUD to win the event and claim the title of the strongest team in the region. 

TenZ and company started the series with a statement on their map pick of Split. The North American squad gathered nine rounds in the first half, only handing out three rounds for LOUD to work with. Fortunately for Sentinels fans, the 9-3 curse was not applied in this matchup, as they quickly closed the map 13-4. 

The second map was set for Icebox, where LOUD did not want to go down without a fight. The Brazilian side was looking to replicate what Sentinels had done to them in the previous map, leading the score 7-3. However, the Sentinels won four straight to tie the game. 

Both teams streaked four and five rounds to push the series to the distance, where overtime was forced after LOUD won the 24th round. In overtime, LOUD could sweep both rounds to barely win the map 14-12.

A series like this had to go all the way, which was why Sunset was required to decide the victor. After some great teamwork from Sentinels in the first half, johnqt led the team to a 7-5 lead before the switch. However, LOUD answered back after the newest recruit, qck, got multiple entry frags to help his team force the game into overtime. 

Still, LOUD’s comeback attempt was denied, as the Sentinels played two clean rounds in overtime to win the map and series. 

Image: Valorant Esports

The team captain, johnqt, led by example by being the top performer in the team when it mattered. Zekken, for the first time in a while, posted a negative rating, but Sentinels still won with their best player underperforming. 

Sentinels will have a date with Gen.G in the Upper Bracket, while LOUD was once again sent into an elimination match. 

Agenda For Day 2

With these results, the matchups for Day 2 have been decided:

• Gen.G vs. Sentinels (Winner goes to the Finals)
• Paper Rex vs. LOUD (Loser Goes Home)

Image: Valorant Esports

Due to both teams finding success only recently, Gen.G and Sentinels have never played against each other with the current iterations of the roster.

Though player swaps have occurred within the two teams, LOUD will look to get revenge on Paper Rex who defeated them in VCT Champions 2023 last year. 

Header: VCT Pacific Twitter