VCT Americas League: Leviatàn and EG emerge victorious in Week 3

Leviatàn and Evil Geniuses performed spectacularly in the third-week matchup at the VCT Americas League, crushing Sentinels and KRÜ Esports, respectively, in three map series. Here is how the match unfolded:

Leviatàn overcome Sentinels to secure their second victory in VCT Americas

Split

After capitalizing on their victory in the pistol round, Sentinels quickly built a 4-0 advantage as the best-of-three series kicked off on Split. However, Leviatàn was able to stop the bloodbath in round five, and despite some excellent counterattacks from the North American side, they were able to tie the game at 5-5.

After winning the final two rounds of the first half, Sentinel was able to maintain a two-point advantage, but the Argentinian team immediately responded with a six-round winning streak to gain a strong foothold in the game.

Despite a solid start to the map, Sentinels fell down 7–11 and desperately needed a heroic play. As a matter of fact, Zachary “zekken” Patrone did come up big by racking up 11 kills in the second half to equalize the game 12-12 and force a decider. Zekken’s efforts ultimately fell short, though as Argentinian secured two consecutive rounds in overtime to win the opening map.

Ascent

Sentinels put in a fantastic performance on Ascent, quickly building a 5-0 lead after losing the first map by a slim margin. The Argentinian squad did succeed in tying the game at 5-5, but Rory “dephh” Jackson and company made sure to maintain a two-point lead going into the second half.

Zekken persisted in fine form, showing off his exceptional fragging prowess to aid his team to expand their lead to 10-6. Leviatàn tried to ruin Sentinel’s party again with a five-round streak, but the North American was able to avert the damage before it was too late and ended the map 13-11 to even the series at 2-2. 

Pearl

The intense best-of-three series came down to the third and final map, Pearl, where Leviatàn utterly dominated Sentinel from the get-go, savagely tearing the North American defensive apart to establish a commanding 10-2 lead.

Although the damage was already too severe to recover from, Leviatàn’s Roberto “Mazino” Bugueño took no time in hammering the last nails in the coffin and closed the map 13-4 to secure their second victory at VCT Americas.

EG upset KRÜ Esports with a stunning reverse sweep

Pearl

Evil Geniuses picked Pearl to kick off the series but it was KRÜ Esports who took the lead early on. KRÜ Esports controlled the first half of the map, putting on a solid offensive performance while also maintaining their defensive line to establish a 9-3 lead. Angelo “keznit” Mori spearheaded the attack for the Argentinian squad with a total of 16 kills, providing enough firepower for the team to hold off the North American fragger at bay.

Even though the odds were stacked against them, the North American squad had no intention of giving up the map easily. So even though down 9-3, the team maintained its composure and managed to get out of the sticky situation by putting up a far more strategic and meticulous performance to win the map 13-11.

Ascent

EG maintained their momentum in the second map Ascent, embarking on a strong performance on pistol rounds before taking advantage of the economic advantage to push the lead to 8-4. Even though it may have seemed like EG had the win in the bag, it was KRÜ’s chance to deliver a game-changing performance and equalize the series. The Argentinian team took control of the match after switching sides, going on an eight-round winning streak to grab a 12-9 advantage. 

While EG won two significant rounds to get back on track, KRÜ clinched the final round necessary to secure the comeback victory. For the Argentinian team, Juan Pablo “NagZ” Lopez Miranda and Marco “Melser” Amaro stood out, accumulating a combined 40 kills to aid in the team’s comeback and taking the series to the decider.

Fracture

To start off the series finale, KRÜ’s won the pistol round. But, they were unable to keep up their momentum and eventually lost the edge to fierce North American counterattacks. Corbin “C0M” Lee came alive in the decider, showcasing phenomenal fragging skills to bag 12 kills and helped EG go up 7-5. After switching sides, KRÜ Esports won the pistol round to crush the North American team’s economy.

The squad managed to win another round and tie the score, but EG put an end to their progress. The North American squad took control of the situation and continued the assault for six rounds.

Max “Demon1” Mazanov teamed up with C0M, and the pair utterly destroyed KRÜ’s defense, giving EG the final push they required to take the map 13-7 and secure their first victory in the VCT Americas League. Although having a great start, KRÜ was unable to overcome the North American team and suffered their third straight loss in the league. 

Header: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games