Sentinels vs Evil Geniuses – VCT Americas 2024 Stage 1: EG shocks SEN with a Map 3 victory

Last year, this match was must see VALORANT. Now, Sentinels vs Evil Geniuses might be a little less anticipated. While SEN still has a rabid fanbase that will tune in, EG is a far cry from the 2023 World Champions. Still, it is VALORANT, and on any given day, who knows what will happen.

A handful of games throughout Super Week have been utter beatdowns. LEV destroyed NRG and 100T shocked C9. Of course, many spectators would have imagined the one-sidedness going the opposite direction.

Will that happen here? It could, but on paper, it is unlikely. Sentinels has a chip on their shoulder after giving up a loss to LEV, after showing off their strength with a Masters Madrid win. This could be a match where they let out their frustration.

As for Evil Geniuses, their match against Sentinels is a must-win. They haven't a had victory since their first series of VCT Americas Kickoff. Can they channel anything at all to upset SEN, or will they just be another mark in the win column?

You can watch Sentinels vs Evil Geniuses, along with all of the VCT Americas action on official Twitch and YouTube channels. To save you the trouble, we've got a stream embedded below so you can watch along with us.

Read on for a recap of each map and clips that highlight the action.

A 1v1 to end the pistol round in favor of EG, as they hoped for some early momentum. A 3K from Jawgemo followed, getting them up by two early on. Another 3K from Jawgemo happened in the bonus round, and EG were sitting pretty to start.

The Evil Geniuses did not slow down a bit, taking five straight. Shortly after, they ensured themselves a halftime lead. SEN finally got their first after, of course, a TenZ 3K. That very well could have salvaged Lotus for them, giving them momentum for a couple rounds more.

The second half pistol round was all SEN, giving the Madrid victors a chance at fighting back in this one. And a fighting chance they had. Soon enough, they were within two rounds. EG was completely stumped at this point, as Sentinels came back to tie it.

A round later and SEN was in the lead at double digits. What looked to be an EG beatdown turned into an almost flawless second half for Sentinels. Without giving up just one round as the attackers, their resiliency showed no mercy to Evil Geniuses.

The winning ways of Sentinels continued into the pistol round of Bind. The crowd erupted, clearly on their side. As it typically goes, SEN got the next and EG took their bonus. From there, SEN had the upper hand as the attacking team.

While Evil Geniuses managed a couple of rounds, Sentinels was on a roll. They guaranteed themselves a halftime lead with incredible utility and Ultimate placement. A 4K with a massive clutch for johnqt put another on the round of SEN, and onto the second half they went.

Evil Geniuses looked to replicate what SEN did on Lotus. They took the pistol round and would need quite the comeback to stay in this one. It looked possible as they cut the lead in half very quickly into their attacking side of the map.

A late Brimstone molly landed to lock down a clutch from Apoth, putting Evil Geniuses to seven. Leave it to TenZ to stop the bleeding with a 3K near A Short. EG wasn't down yet, though, as a fast Flawless kept them in it, eventually tying it at 11. And with that, another miraculous comeback forced map three.

The pistol round went to EG, but we all know that means nothing when you look at the prior two maps. Still, they progressed well through the opening rounds of Sunset. A nice stun and 2K from NaturE kept them leading. This was really the first signs of life from a defensive team this entire series.

But you can never count Sentinels out. They flipped the economy and tied it up. EG immediately took back the lead. This began a series of traded rounds. And as halftime on map three hit, we had our closest half of the match with a tied score.

A massacre at Mid gave EG the man-advantage in the pistol round, setting them up to take it and the lead. SEN then stole away the bonus, but EG did not stumble after that. They quickly reached double digits.

Their attacking side was too much for SEN to overcome. They pushed sites, took space, and shut down any hopes for Sentinels. A timeout did help SEN reset for a moment, but Evil Geniuses soon hit map and series point. And with a Derrek clutch, the upset of the year occurred.

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