The upper bracket finals of the VCT NA Challengers Finals fittingly came down to Icebox with a trip to Iceland on the line. A dominant attack side from Sentinels was the difference-maker, and the Masters One winners will head back to Masters.
Despite a tied series heading into the third map, the momentum favored Cloud9 Blue heading into Icebox. Sentinels narrowly held off a Cloud9 Blue comeback on Haven to start the series, with another clutch from Tyson “TenZ” Ngo giving his team the early series lead.
Then on Split, Sentinels’ pick, Cloud9 Blue got red hot and decimated the Masters One champions 13-1. Everything went right for the dark horse NA roster. Smart utility slowed down Sentinels’ aggression, Mitch “mitch” Semago’s paint can grenade seemed to seek out opponents, and a backbreaking ace from Son “xeta” Seon-ho to end the first half paved the way for a Cloud9 blowout.
Icebox delivered, with the two teams tied 6-6 going into halftime. That’s when Sentinels looked their best all series, winning seven straight rounds to close out the series. Unbeknownst to them, they were almost victim to one of the best ninja defuses ever at the hands of a sneaky mitch, but he arrived just two fractions of a second too late.
With the hard-fought victory, Sentinels have locked in the first of two North American slots at the VCT Master Two LAN in Iceland. Cloud9 Blue will have one more chance, and await the winner of Team Envy vs. Version1.
