Total Shorty Kills
Sentinels dominates rematch with FaZe in NA Masters 1 Grand Final
Brandon "Mothman" Moore
03/21/2021
Nothing was going to stop this rematch from happening. FaZe Clan was on the hottest streak, especially in the VCT NA Stage 1 Masters tournament. After falling to Sentinels in the Upper Final, they bounced back with a huge statement against Gen.G Esports. The very first Masters event is over and done with. One team came out on top with plenty to prove against the other. FaZe Clan simply had to show Sentinels that they can hang. Sentinels, on the other hand, were ready to cement their name at the top of North American Valorant by dismantling a team with a whole lot of hype.
Read ahead as Run It Back details the Grand Final of the VCT NA Stage 1 Masters tournament between FaZe Clan and Sentinels.
Sentinels dominates rematch with FaZe in NA Masters 1 Grand Final
Ascent
FaZe Clan immediately took charge on defense by winning the pistol round and buying up for round two. A Flawless kept their economy looking great as they entered a bonus. Andrej “babybay” Francisty styled on Sentinels to end the round with two aggressive kills. An incredible flank by Tyson “TenZ” Ngo netted him a 3K and Sentinels their first victory on Ascent. FaZe responded with another Flawless. Jimmy “Marved” Nguyen snagged himself a 3K, shutting down Sentinels even further. Jared “zombs” Gitlin managed a 3K, as well, preventing a very possibly retake for SEN’s second round. The next saw a very good retake by FaZe, but there was no time to defuse the Spike and Sentinels inched closer. Michael “dapr” Gulino took his own 3K to keep the Sentinels momentum rolling. FaZe slowed it down just in time to stay ahead 8:4.
The second half started with FaZe Clan rushing straight to A site. TenZ put a stop to that with a 4K as FaZe funneled under the archway. Sentinels shut them down all the same in the next round. Once guns came into play, a babybay 4K halted a comeback streak. Sentinels kept pushing, but FaZe would often have an answer in the form of their aggressive attacking strategy. Some back and forth rounds happened, including a round where the timer ran out before FaZe could plant the Spike. That brought Sentinels within one. None other than babybay with a 3K gave them their 11th round of the map. Match point was on the horizon, but Hunter “SicK” Mims stuck the defuse. Incredibly, Sentinels pulled it together to win 13:11.
Bind
Bind started with a dapr 3K in a Flawless pistol round for Sentinels. The second round went to Sentinels as well, with only one player taken out. The first gun round saw things turn around for FaZe Clan. SEN refused to let that contribute to any momentum as dapr continued performing well and holding sites as Cypher. As things looked bleak for FaZe, they continued to make huge plays, keeping the rounds tight. The two teams traded rounds with one looking dominant and the other immediately doing the same. An amazing 4K by Zachary “ZachaREEE” Lombardo completed a successful post plant for FaZe, but TenZ really started to pop off. As insanely close as the map appeared while watching it, Sentinels entered the second half up 8:4.
The pistol round following halftime pushed Sentinels lead by another round. Their tenth came shortly after. The first gun round was FaZe Clan’s chance to gather some momentum and get right back into this one. That is exactly what they did with a babybay 4K. A wild retake on the following round showed that the momentum truly was there. They just needed to keep it up. The FaZe Clan defensive strategy seemed to be working until a huge 2v2 was won by zombs and TenZ. That brought FaZe Clan to a screeching halt. At match point, dapr delivered with a 4K, shutting down a retake, and giving Sentinels Bind 13:7.
Haven
Haven was the last chance for FaZe Clan to take a map in the Grand Final. Sentinels continued running through the opposition with an important pistol round. The second round saw FaZe Clan five stack A, allowing SEN to retreat to C and plant the Spike. TenZ reeled in a 3K to prevent any sort of retake. Sentinels showed no signs of letting up, taking a very fast 4:0 lead. The attacking side of SEN was as overwhelming as it could be. Some incredible kill trades by babybay got him a 3K, but there was nothing he could do to stop the Spike from detonating. Sentinels went up 9:0 at this point. Finally, FaZe Clan put together a solid defensive round, gaining their first on Haven. The next round went their way as well, but Sentinels took the final of the half.
FaZe would have to come back from a 10:2 deficit to stay alive in the VCT NA Stage 1 Masters Grand Final. A third round came very quick after halftime. Then a fourth was theirs for the taking. This high speed FaZe roster were looking to make the journey to Icebox. Sentinels had other plans, however. As FaZe Clan were able to take their fourth rounds, the smothering defense of SEN stayed intact. Series point began to signal the end for FaZe. A fight near B after some scattered engagements was the final nail in the coffin. Sentinels defeated FaZe Clan 13:4 to take the VCT NA Masters 1 Grand Final 3:0. Congratulations to them on a dominating tournament.
That wraps up the first portion of the Valorant Champions Tour. Stay tuned to Run It Back as the Tour continues, with plenty more Challengers and Masters events ahead!
