VCT Americas 2023: Sentinels secures impressive 2-1 victory over 100 Thieves

The wait is finally over, VCT Americas officially kicks off today with SEN vs 100T in the first series of the split. Both squads will be looking to improve on their performances at VCT LOCK//IN as they push towards Masters Tokyo. This is an opportunity for both organizations to showcase their star-studded rosters for the first time on North American soil. Here is the roster rundown for both of the teams:

In what was shaping up to be a good defensive game for 100 Thieves, Sentinels clawed back on map one to secure their first map win of the VCT Americas era. With 100T down 7-5 at the half, they were in desperate need of a strong start to their defensive half. And the North American squad did just that. The Thieves raced out to a five-round lead in the second half, taking the map to 10-7 in 100T's favor.

100T were unfortunately not able to close out the game, with Sentinels putting together a 6/7 run to close out the map 13-11. TenZ was the star of the second half for Sentinels, putting up an impressive 1.66 VLR rating, boasting three opening kills and an ACS of 362.

Map two was more of the same in terms of the skill level of both of these teams. It has always been known that Sentinels has a world-class VALORANT roster, the question was could they make it work? Although they did not take map number two, Sentinels are proving to be an early threat in VCT.

Replicating the first map, it was Sentinels that would get the early lead on the defensive side. After a strong map one, it was important for the superstars to come alive for Sentinels, Zekken was the star of the first half with 14 kills.

100 Thieves clearly put in the work over the offseason to ensure their early pistol rounds are up to scratch. In the first two maps alone 100 Thieves won all four pistol rounds. This is where you can never count 100T out, their ability to put together early rounds builds into the momentum they are easily able to play off of. 100T would win out the half seven-to-five to take the map to OT. From there, 100 Thieves would quickly close it out to send the series to Ascent.

In the second consecutive map that went down to overtime, it was X who came out on top to kickstart their VCT Americas split with a win. This was a map that should have been out of sight for 100 Thieves. 100T had secured eight rounds in the first half to put them well in control. The difference maker in this third map was that Sentinels finally won their first set of pistol rounds to give themselves a fighting chance.

In the end, it was Sentinels who would come away with the win. the NA squad put up eight rounds in regulated time to force overtime. 100T had the opportunity to win this series but was unable to capitalize. Just like map two, SEN swept the overtime to secure the series win.

Fans can watch SEN vs 100T, the opening game of VCT Americas, via the official VCT Americas Twitch Channel. We have embedded the stream to this article so that you do not have to leave the page.

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