While not everyone loves Sentinels, especially their approach to the LATAM scene, there is something sad about not seeing this legendary roster at the first VCT major. Let's analyze what exactly happened this weekend.
Almost a year after the Sentinels' victory at Masters Reykjavík and their domination of the global Valorant scene, we write about this legendary roster getting eliminated from Stage 1 shortly after the VCT Challengers Playoffs began. Weird times, we're living in, but one thing is for sure – they need some changes. We recently informed you about Sentinels hiring a new coach, so something is definitely about to change, but unfortunately, nothing will change the fact that we won't see them at Masters Reykjavík. In fact, this will be the first VCT major tournament where we won't see them.
Version1 Beats Sentinels
And it's all because of Version1, who are fiercely going after their Masters Reykjavik slot. Once again, these two teams had to face each other during VCT Challengers, but this time the stakes were higher – the winner stays in the game, and the loser loses any chance of qualifying for the major tournament. And well, it wasn't easy for both teams:
.@TenZOfficial won't be denied his ACE!@Sentinels | #VCTChallengersNA pic.twitter.com/9v8GD3xfaM
— VALORANT Champions Tour NA (@valesports_na) March 21, 2022
Talk about being BACKSTABBED. @zander_fps @version1gg | #VCTChallengersNA pic.twitter.com/Skhabu2eoJ
— Nerd Street (@nerdstreet) March 21, 2022
However, Sentinels had to acknowledge the superiority of penny and his colleagues, and the match ended with a score of 2:1 for Version1. From our perspective, the game was very tight, but as both teams are top-tier, the margin for error was minimal. Some unfortunate picks on the part of Sentinels, some big brain tactics from Version1, and that's just the way it ended.
Version1 vs. Sentinels: Match Stats
To get a better idea of exactly what happened during this match, we've prepared some statistics:
Players' KDA Ratio
| Player | Team | Kills | Deaths | KD Ratio | Headshot Percentage |
| penny | Version1 | 54 | 47 | +7 | 26 |
| zander | Version1 | 48 | 51 | -3 | 22 |
| wippie | Version1 | 48 | 44 | +4 | 20 |
| effys | Version1 | 45 | 40 | +5 | 17 |
| Zellsis | Version1 | 38 | 47 | -9 | 17 |
| Team Score | 233 | 229 | 4 | 20.4% average | |
| TenZ | Sentinels | 64 | 46 | +18 | 22 |
| ShahZaM | Sentinels | 50 | 42 | +8 | 23 |
| SicK | Sentinels | 46 | 40 | +6 | 19 |
| dapr | Sentinels | 34 | 53 | -19 | 16 |
| zombs | Sentinels | 34 | 52 | -18 | 27 |
| Team Score | 228 | 233 | -5 | 21.4% average |
TenZ was in a great shape, which you could repeatedly see during the match; he scored 64 frags total. Still, in the end, rounds matter, not frags.
Map Scores
| Version1 | Sentinels | |
| Haven | ||
| First half | 4 | 8 |
| Second half | 7 | 13 |
| Ascent | ||
| First half | 6 | 6 |
| Second half | 13 | 9 |
| Fracture | ||
| First half | 6 | 6 |
| Second half | 13 | 8 |
In fact, Version1 only won two rounds more in total, which shows how close this match actually was.
The Future of Sentinels
After this tournament, Sentinels have collected 40 VCT Circuit points, so they will have at least 7 teams above them after Stage 1 ends. If they want to qualify for the next World Championships, they definitely have to qualify for a Stage 2 major, and probably do reasonably good there (top 4 finish at least). The VCT 2022 season is a little shorter than the previous one, so they won't have so many opportunities to prove themselves – it's all about their Stage 2 performance at this point.