It’s been a rough few months for the Sentinels VALORANT roster ever since their group stage exit at VCT Champions 2021. The former kings of NA and international juggernaut have fallen on hard times during 2022. They failed to make the regional playoffs in both Stage One and Stage Two, two of their main players have been in and out of the lineup, and they may finish the Stage Two group stage with a 0-5 record.
But even with everything that’s gone wrong, they’re not out of Champions contention just yet. They can still make the NA Last Chance Qualifier if a few things break their way. With eight North American teams supposedly set to be invited, there’s a path for them to secure a spot at the LCQ.
Here’s how Sentinels can reach the NA VCT Last Chance Qualifier 2022.
If Sentinels lose to Cloud9
Cloud9’s struggles also came as a bit of a surprise to most NA fans, which began after the shocking trade that sent longtime Korean initiator Xeta to T1 (along with coach Autumn) in exchange for curry. Since that trade, C9 have lost three straight, and their most recent loss to FaZe put them out of Stage Two playoff contention.
If Sentinels lose to C9, they will finish the year with 45 total VCT circuit points. With that, they’re guaranteed to finish behind OpTic, The Guard, C9, XSET, LG, and 100T. With two NA teams going straight to Champions, and supposedly eight going to the LCQ, Sentinels just need to finish in the top 10 of all NA teams.
Right now, they’re in seventh. But if they get jumped by all four of NRG, EG, FaZe, and Ghost, then they would be out of LCQ contention. And that could happen. Here’s how each team can pass Sentinels.
- NRG just need to make the playoffs. Even if they lose in the playoffs immediately, making the playoffs would put them past Sentinels. If NRG lose to The Guard in the final week of group stage play, then Sentinels are safe.
- EG and FaZe will pass Sentinels just by making playoffs. Even if they are eliminated first, they will tie Sentinels in total points, and the tie is broken by amount of Stage Two points.
- Ghost can pass Sentinels by finishing fifth or sixth, via the same tiebreaker scenario.
If Sentinels beat Cloud9
If Sentinels beat C9, their VCT point total would jump up to 50 by finishing fifth instead of sixth in their group. While this doesn’t seem like much and wouldn’t guarantee a spot in LCQ, it would afford them a little bit more security.
The group of OpTic, The Guard, C9, XSET, LG, and 100T would still finish above them. Additionally, it would put more space between them and the teams looking to pass them. Here’s how each team can pass Sentinels if Sentinels beat C9 in the final week. As a reminder, all of the teams below would need to pass Sentinels for them to not make the LCQ.
- If NRG makes playoffs, they would at least be tied with Sentinels in total NA VCT points, and pass them based on tiebreaker.
- If EG or FaZe make the playoffs but are eliminated first, they will not pass Sentinels. If they finish fifth/sixth or higher, they will pass Sentinels.
- Ghost can pass Sentinels by finishing fourth or higher in the playoffs. If they finish lower than that, Sentinels are guaranteed to pass them.
