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The VCT Americas League has begun its set of matches in Week 2. The franchised teams have been fighting for the top six spots to qualify for the Playoffs. Here, they will follow a standard double-elimination bracket, wherein the top three teams will qualify for the Masters Tokyo. Day 1 of Week 2 produced some exciting matches.
Trending
The first one was between Cloud9 and LOUD. With their new roster, Cloud9 surprised everyone as they won Map 1 before LOUD stopped their streak. They were victorious in Map 2 and Map 3 to win the BO3 (Best of Three) series 2-1.
The second match was between FURIA and Leviatán, wherein the former produced a shocking upset as they went on to win the series 2-1 despite losing the first map.
NRG Esports vs Sentinels - Who will win NA vs NA matchup at VCT Americas League?
Predictions
NRG Esports saw a huge change to their roster during franchising. They brought in a former OpTic Gaming core, including the renowned IGL (In-game Leader) FNS alongside Victor, crashies, and Coach Chet. They also roped in ardiis from EMEA. NRG had a great showing at LOCK//IN and have a good chance of qualifying for the VCT Masters Tokyo.
Sentinels saw a complete revamp of their roster during franchising, bringing in talent from the likes of former XSET players dephh, zekken, and Coach SyykoNT, along with players like Sacy and pANcada from LOUD, making TenZ the only core member from the previous roster. Sentinels didn't perform well at LOCK//IN but are looking better in the Americas League.
This VCT Americas matchup will likely favor NRG Esports due to the fact that the core roster of players has been together a lot longer and has produced much better results. However, it won't be an easy win for NRG as Sentinels are also formidable opponents.
Head-to-head
Both teams have faced each other several times, with the most recent being during the Champions Tour NA Stage 1: Challengers in 2022, where Sentinels won the BO3 series 2-1. However, both teams' rosters were quite different at the time.
Recent results
NRG Esports' last match was in the VCT Americas League against Leviatán. NRG lost the BO3 series 0-2.
Sentinels' last match was in the same VCT league against another NA team, 100 Thieves, where they won the series 2-1.
Potential Lineups
NRG Esports
- Pujan "FNS" Mehta (IGL)
- Sam "s0m" Oh
- Austin "crashies" Roberts
- Ardis "ardiis" Svarenieks
- Victor "Victor" Wong
- Chet "Chet" Singh (Coach)
Sentinels
- Rory "dephh" Jackson (IGL)
- Bryan "pANcada" Luna
- Tyson "TenZ" Ngo
- Zachary "zekken" Patrone
- Gustavo "Sacy" Rossi
- Don "SyykoNT" Muir (Coach)
When and where to watch
Fans can watch their favorite teams compete on the official VCT Americas YouTube and Twitch channels. They can also tune into the watch parties conducted by streamers and pro players. The matchup will take place on Sunday, April 9, at 12 pm PST/ 9 pm CEST/ 12:30 am IST (next day).
