Gen.G defeat Sentinels to secure spot at grand finals

Gen.G Gen.G Korea Rank #2 Munchkin Byeon Sang-beom (변상범) t3xture Kim Na-ra (김나라) Meteor Kim Tae-O (김태오) Lakia Kim Jong-min (김종민) Karon Kim Won-tae (김원태) have advanced to the grand finals, defeating Sentinels Sentinels North America Rank #2 TenZ Tyson Ngo Zellsis Jordan Montemurro zekken Zachary Patrone johnqt Mohamed Amine Ouarid Sacy Gustavo Rossi 2-1 in the upper bracket final of the Valorant Champions Tour 2024 Masters Madrid tournament. Gen.G will move on, competing in the first global finals of the 2024 season. Sentinels were sent to the lower bracket, one loss away from elimination.

The map draft started with Sentinels picking Split and Gen.G picking Lotus, leaving Breeze as the decider.

Due to the map pick system, analysts knew that one of Sunset or Split would go to Sentinels. After Gen.G banned Sunset, Sentinels got their best map in 2024 so far. While Gen.G chose double duelist with Meteor and t3xture on Jett and Raze, Sentinels ran double smokes and Cypher.

The first pistol of the series went to Gen.G, but then the teams traded three straight thrifty rounds against each other. It took some hero moments from Munchkin to give Gen.G an early lead. Sentinels' strategies of flood retakes didn't seem to work on them, as Gen.G won too many duels both on entry and post-plant. The half ended 8-4, showcasing an impressive Gen.G attack half against one of the best Split teams in the world in Sentinels.

Sentinels had to win the second pistol of Split to keep the game close, but Gen.G won the round off of t3xture being the most patient Raze player possible.

Gen.G reached double digits, up significantly at 10-4. They weren't able to convert their bonus, but Sentinels lost a key round to the clock soon after. Gen.G made Split look like their own map pick with how comfortable they were at mid-rounding, winning the map 13-5.

The true standout was t3xture, who not only dropped 18 kills but led the lobby in first kills (4) and was the catalyst for multiple crucial round wins.

For map two, Lotus, the teams ran mirror compositions with the Raze, Fade, and double smokes. An aggressive C Mound defensive rush from Gen.G led to their third pistol win of the series, but a force from Sentinels on their eco tied it up and helped propel them to an early lead.

The map could've spiraled out of Gen.G's control, but a 1v2 from Meteor kept the game close.

Sentinels ended the half up 7-5 thanks to key clutches, one from Sacy and another from zekken .

Gen.G had the opportunity to tie the game up with a fourth consecutive pistol win, and Munchkin led his team with four kills to get it. For an attack-sided map, Gen.G struggled for the first time in the series. Zellsis looked to be an unkillable anchor, his Odin plays on C site winning multiple rounds single-handedly.

Sentinels were immaculate on defense, winning Lotus 13-7. For the second map, zekken's Raze proved to be the difference, with 23 kills and six first kills.

The first grand finalist would be decided by the winner of Breeze. Gen.G returned with the Yoru pick, as strong as they did against EDward Gaming earlier in the tournament. Gen.G won their fifth straight pistol in the series after a clutch shock dart from Lakia, and also converted their first bonus to go up 3-0.

The key for Gen.G's success on Breeze were Meteor's Yoru value and Lakia hitting crucial shots. The Yoru ultimates seemed to secure at least one kill every round, while his decoys and flashes were perfect. Crucially, Lakia was outclassing Sacy on Sova, both in utility and in aim.

Sentinels needed to take two timeouts on their attack to try and force back this game, but the half ended with them down 3-9. They took too long to start pushing down mid on their attack, and that only got them an extra round at the end.

First, Sentinels would need to win their first pistol round of the series, but Gen.G got their sixth in a row off of Meteor's 3K. Down 3-11, Sentinels would need to do the impossible and replicate FNATIC FNATIC Europe Rank #1 Leo Leo Jannesson Derke Nikita Sirmitev Boaster Jake Howlett Chronicle Timofey Khromov Alfajer Emir Ali Beder 's comeback against LOUD LOUD Brazil Rank #1 Quick Gabriel Lima saadhak Matias Delipetro Less Felipe de Loyola tuyz Arthur Andrade cauanzin Cauan Pereira from LOCK//IN 2023. Instead, t3xture laughed in their faces and dropped a 4K to end any hopes of a comeback.

Gen.G won Breeze 13-3, stomping Sentinels down into the lower bracket. A standout among Gen.G, Lakia has reached new heights after a long-awaited return to global competition. His team is clearly near the top, but he knows they can be better and win a title.

“If we clean up our mistakes, we have a good chance of winning it all,” Lakia said post-match. “We just have to keep the ball rolling.”

Heading into the grand finals, Gen.G will face the winner of the lower bracket final. Either way, history will be made, as a Pacific or lower bracket team will win a title.