VCT Americas League 2023: Sentinels, C9 and LOUD win opening matchups

After months of anticipation, the VCT Americas finally began on April 1 with two thrilling matches. One of the oldest rivalries in VCT North America was reignited when 100 Thieves and Sentinels squared off in the opening match of the evening.

Seven months have passed since Sentinels and 100 Thieves last squared off in the LCQ, but both teams—especially Sentinels—have undergone multiple adjustments since then. The South American Valorant fans also had an action-packed night thanks to the second match, which featured two South American powerhouse teams, LOUD and MIBR.

Here is how the first two days of the VCT Americas League unfolded:

Sentinels vs 100 Thieves

Fracture

Sentinels began the best-of-three series well despite losing the first two rounds, winning five straight games to take a 5-2 lead. 100 T, however, stopped the bloodbath and won three more rounds to conclude the first half with a more manageable 5-7 deficit.

Brenden “stellar” McGrath and his team kept up their momentum in the second half, winning five straight rounds to establish a solid foundation in the game. Zachary “zekken” Patrone, the high-profile addition of Sentinels, came fully alive in the second half of the match and put up an incredible 25 kills performance to secure a 13-11 victory for his team.

Split

100T picked fracture to even out the score, but despite their valiant efforts they found themselves down 5-7 at the end of the first half. Zekken appeared in a phenomenal form on Fracture as well but this time his efforts were supported by the Brazilian pro Gustavo “Sacy” Rossi. As they watched the match slipping away from them, 100 Thieves made a heroic effort to defeat zekken and Sacy’s exceptional fraggings talents and claim the map in overtime. 

Ascent

100T continued their momentum in the third map and quickly raced through an 8-4 lead. Despite an early advantage, stellar and company couldn’t keep up with Sentinel’s ferocious counterattacks. Tyson “TenZ” Ngo put on a strong overall performance to assist Sentinels in leveling the map at 12-12 before ultimately winning it in overtime, 14-12.

LOUD vs MIBR

The second day of the VCT Americas began with a Brazillian derby, pitting LOUD versus MIBR in a best-of-three series. While this was MIBR’s second time at a global competition, they decided to use some of their best tactics and gameplay to compete against LOUD.

Split

LOUD picked Split to kick things off and they appeared strong as ever on the map in the face of some of Brazill’s finest emerging talent. The squad swiftly surged through an 8-4 lead at halftime to cement their domination on MIBR. Felipe “Less” Basso kept the score rolling in favor of LOUD, ensuring that the contest kept slipping away from MIBR’s better. With just one round lost in the second half, the squad claimed the map 13-5 to gain a 1-0 advantage.

Lotus

MIBR picked Lotus to turn the game around, and they played considerably better in the first half than they did on the opening map. LOUD, however, retaliate with an all-out attack in the second half to equalize the score. Despite winning seven rounds, LOUD was unable to overcome MIBR, who kept their composure till the end to win their opening map at VCT Americas.

Haven

LOUD, didn’t let the upset hinder their performance on the decider as they quickly establish an 8-4 lead going into the second half. While the reigning world champions had a hard time adjusting to MIBR strategy and their top fragger Olavo “heat’ Marcelo’s playstyle, they managed to compensate for it with their valuable experience and fragging prowess. MIBR made a few more last-ditch attempts at victory, but they were in vain. LOUD ended the game with a 13-11 triumph to clinch the series 2-1 to start their campaign on a high note.

Cloud9 vs Evil Geniuses 

Cloud entered the match with two new addition Jake “jakee” Anderson and Dylan “runi” Cade, who were recently added to replace the renowned North American duo Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker and Anthony “vanity” Malaspina. The changes appeared to have no impact on Cloud9’s performance, though, at least not against EG in their opening matchup.

Pearl

Brendan “BcJ” Jensen’s incredible play helped Evil Geniuses get out to a strong start in the series, building a commanding 9-3 lead. Even though they got off to a sluggish start, Cloud9 remained cool under pressure and secure nine consecutive rounds to go up 12-10. Even though EG was able to hold off the opponents for one more round, Cloud9 maintained control and secured one of their own to take the map 13-11.

Fracture

Throughout the first half of Fracture, C9 easily capitalized on the momentum and broke past EG’s defense. Nathan “leaf” Orf, who racked up 17 kills in the first half with an average damage per round of 224, led Cloud9’s attack and helped C9 gain an 8-4 advantage. Even though the odds were stacked against them, EG gave it their all in the second half to make a breakthrough. But, Leaf and crew immediately struck back and won the map 13-9 to win their opening match at the VCT Americas League.

Header: Riot Games