Can 100 Thieves Repeat Their Lower Bracket Miracle Run?
Published: Mar 19, 2021 - Last Updated: Jul 11, 2023
The North American VCT Masters has been an action-packed show, and for the past two weeks, we’ve had the pleasure of enjoying NA’s finest teams clash in a series of Bo3 matches.
Sentinels and FaZe have shown dominating performance so far, and both are vying for the top dog spot. Luminosity and Gen.G Esports both suffered defeats in their opening matches and found themselves on the precipice of elimination from the tournament.
Team Envy and 100 Thieves had a strong start, both taking decisive victories. However, they were completely outclassed by the opposition in their follow-up matches. FaZe utterly destroyed Envy in a clean 2-0 sweep, while 100 Thieves suffered a humiliating loss against Sentinels.
Sadly, this is the end of the road for Immortals and XSET. Many had high hopes for XSET, expecting another pleasant surprise, but it never came. Immortals had a great run leading up to the Masters, but this is where things just fell apart.
Which teams will persevere, and which teams will defy the Esports odds as the VCT North America Stage 1 Masters slowly draws to a close? Follow us and find out the best betting sites for Valorant!
FaZe Clan vs. Sentinels
This is the matchup everyone is waiting for. Both teams are at the peak of their performance, with FaZe still riding on their Challengers 3 momentum, and Sentinels having an unexpected morale boost after a set of unfortunate circumstances that turned out in their favor.
In terms of raw power, FaZe and Sentinels find themselves on equal ground. Sentinels are just too good, but Faze have also been destroying everything in their path. The teams faced off back in Challengers 2, and while Sentinels did take an easy 2-0 win, that was the period before FaZe exploded and started dominating.
The recent events surrounding Sentinels turned out to be a blessing in disguise. In a desperate move, the team signed TenZ as a replacement for sinatraa, who was suspended. To everyone’s surprise, this move worked flawlessly and TenZ has been tearing things up. SicK and TenZ is such a terrifying combo, and if we add ShahZaM’s leadership skills into the mix, we quickly get a full picture of just how deadly this trio is.
FaZe should by no means be underestimated here. Sentinels are looking scary, but FaZe has babybay who’s a force to be reckoned with on his Jett. I’m sure many of you remember the Challengers 3 finals where babybay completely dismantled 100 Thieves, with 28 kills on Icebox and 21 kills on Bind. If Sentinels leave him unchecked, they’ll be in a world of pain.
Although Sentinels might be the crowd’s favorite, we believe FaZe can defy the odds, secure the win and book themselves a spot in the Grand Final.
Pick: FaZe Clan
Odds: 2.11 by GG.Bet
100 Thieves vs. Gen.G Esports
100 Thieves has been one of the teams who everyone had high hopes for, and many still do. However, they have revealed a chink in their armor and Gen.G Esports might use that to their advantage.
In the recent match against Sentinels, 100 Thieves found themselves on the defensive. Hiko was reluctant to trade, and steel was often found lurking alone. This can often leave a gap in the team’s defense, and Gen.G could easily force 5v3 fights and take important round wins.
100 Thieves faced Gen.G in the previous two rounds of Challengers and emerged victorious both times. However, the overconfidence coupled with the recent devastating loss against Sentinels could just be the recipe Gen.G needs to cause an upset and take this match.
Pick: Gen.G Esports
Odds: 2.90 by Unikrn
Team Envy vs. Luminosity Gaming
The Challengers 2 winners find themselves in a tricky matchup. Envy started the Masters with a solid 2-1 win against Gen.G Esports, but were swiftly dropped down into the Lower Bracket. Now, facing Luminosity, they risk getting eliminated.
Luminosity is not to be trifled with. They have been a thorn in Sentinel’s side since the beginning of VCT, and have been consistently climbing the ranks each stage. In Masters they eliminated Immortals, who had a relatively smooth sail up to this point. Also, the luck of the draw didn’t serve them well, and they had to face Sentinels right off the bat, but not without winning 1 map on Split. YaBoiDre scored 26 kills with Omen and threw Sentinels off balance.
Luminosity are hungry to prove themselves, and they have an opportunity to do so now. We believe they’ll be able to overpower Team Envy and send them home.
Pick: Luminosity Gaming
Odds: 2.75 by Winners.bet
