Sentinels crowned as champions of VALORANT Masters Madrid after hard-fought 3-2 Grand Finals victory over Gen.G Esports
With their victory, Sentinels claimed the grand prize of US$250,000 out of the tournament's US$500,000 prize pool.
North American VALORANT powerhouse Sentinels have been crowned as champions of the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) 2024 Masters Madrid after they outlasted South Korea's Gen.G Esports, 3-2, in a hard-fought Grand Finals showdown on Monday (25 March).
With their victory, Sentinels claimed the grand prize of US$250,000 out of the tournament's US$500,000 prize pool. They also earned 3 VCT points that will go towards securing a spot in this year's VALORANT Champions.
This is also the second Masters championship for the Sentinels organisation after they won their first in the VCT 2021 Stage 2 Masters Reykjavík in Iceland.
Meanwhile, Gen.G bow out of Masters Madrid in second place and will go home with US$100,000 in consolation.
Both Sentinels and Gen.G entered Masters Madrid as the top seeds of the Americas and Pacific region, respectively, after claiming the championships of their regions' Kickoff tournaments.
During the Swiss format Group Stage, both Sentinels and Gen.G exhibited dominance and had a flawless 2-0 record to be the first teams to secure spots in the Playoffs. Sentinels defeated Europe's Team Heretics and Karmine Corp while Gen.G went through Brazil's LOUD and China's EDward Gaming.
In the Playoffs, Gen.G showcased their prowess by sweeping regional rivals Paper Rex in a convincing 2-0 victory at the upper bracket semifinals. Meanwhile, Sentinels engaged in a tense battle against LOUD, ultimately emerging triumphant with a hard-fought 2-1 victory.
Both teams then faced off at the upper bracket finals, where the South Korean team gained the upper hand emerged victorious, 2-1, to become the first team in the Grand Finals.
This dropped Sentinels down to the lower bracket finals, where they defeated Paper Rex, 3-1, to earn a rematch with Gen.G for the Masters Madrid championship.
In the first game on Breeze, Gen.G and Sentinels were at each other’s heels, with Gen.G taking the upper hand in the first half 7-5. They then continued to dominate in the second half scoring 6-3 in their favour to win the first game 13-8.
Both teams remained deadlocked throughout the second game on Bind, scoring evenly in the first half 6-6, and evenly once again 6-6 in the second half, bringing the second game to overtime after a 12-12 scoreline.
But it was the Sentinels that stepped up and took the next two rounds for themselves, winning Bind 14-12.
In the third game, Gen.G and Sentinels continued to be evenly matched in the first half 6-6. However, Gen.G accelerated their pace in the second half, giving their North American opponents barely any room to breathe. As a result, Gen.G won more rounds in the second half 7-2, to take the third game 13-8.
In the fourth game on Split, Sentinels gained the upper hand in the first half 8-4. However, the South Korean team caught up in the second half so that their scores were evenly matched. But Sentinels pulled through, closing the second half to win 13-10.
In the pivotal fifth game, Sentinels surged ahead in the early stages, securing a 7-5 lead in the first half. Despite a slower pace in the second half, the North American team steadily expanded their advantage to 6-1, ultimately clinching the fifth game 13-6 and claiming victory as the champions of Masters Madrid.
Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers, and is a League of Legends geek. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup of black coffee.
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