When it comes to off-season matches for big organizations like Sentinels, fans will have their eyes on it no matter what. Add onto that a matchup against new rival G2 Esports, and you have pressure to win, and that’s what they did on Oct. 26.
Despite a late roster change, Sentinels won their showmatch against G2 2-1, notably making a comeback from a 10-2 half to win map one on Sunset. With a confident performance on Bind, that was enough to show some improvements over their 2-1 showmatch loss on Oct. 23 to Moist x Shopify Rebellion.
It’s just a preseason matchup, but facing G2 had some extra bragging rights. Both teams offered up their punishments if they lost, and Sentinels ended up with the last laugh despite not even playing their starting roster. Smokes player Bryan “pANcada” Luna was replaced with substitute Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro, while G2 were playing their first official match as a full team after revealing their fifth roster player: Nathan “leaf” Orf.
Those two things happening just before the showmatch put expectations on G2’s side, and the start of the game said just as much. Sentinels looked as disorganized as they did against Moist x Shopify on defense, but their offense only lost one round, turning a 10-2 half into a 13-11 map win. The combination of Gustavo “Sacy” Rossi on Fade and Tyson “TenZ” Ngo on Breach allowed for Zachary “zekken” Patrone’s Raze to get plenty of space on their attack.
Bind was easier, and proved to everyone that TenZ on Yoru was not only here to stay but viable against tough opponents. Sentinels lost both pistol rounds, and it didn’t matter as they won 13-7.
With this being a showmatch, the teams played the third map anyway, and Ascent proved to be G2’s best map of the three. The tables were turned in a 13-7 map win for G2, but they wouldn’t be able to hold the win over their rivals heading into the 2024 season. Leaf’s debut on G2 was a loss but with the asterisk of the preseason attached to it. Sentinels couldn’t wait to rub the win in their opponent’s faces, from a jab at what happened with G2’s former owner to Zellsis dancing post-win.
It’s safe to say Sentinels were also happy with their improvements, getting that off-season win that might wash away some worries for their fans. Even if it means little to nothing for the 2024 season outside of practice, getting your rival to admit they “spent all our money on a VALORANT team and still can’t beat Sentinels” won’t hurt morale.
