The AfreecaTV VALORANT League kicked off and will end with Sentinels and Paper Rex, coming full circle in the grand final.
SOUTH KOREA – The AfreecaTV VALORANT League is down to the final two teams and will pit one of North America’s best against the reigning VCT Pacific champions and Champions LA runners-up. Sentinels emerged victorious over Team Liquid in the first semi-final, while Paper Rex bested T1 in the second semi-final’s APAC derby.
The best-of-five grand final, which will take place on Sunday, December 10 starting at 4 PM SGT, will determine who will take home the first-place prize of US$25,000 and bragging rights. Despite being an OFF//SEASON event, the competition involving all eight attending teams has been far from irrelevant, offering a highly compelling viewing experience full of fresh narratives.
The Seoul event has also been a massive opportunity for both teams to try out new things both inside and outside of the server, particularly for Sentinels. Their recent decision to pick up in-game leader Mouhamed “johnqt” Ouarid and former player Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro turned out to be one of the best OFF//SEASON moves for the North American region, shaping what is arguably Sentinels’ most promising lineup since their triumph at VALORANT Masters Reykjavík two years ago—even though it meant benching Bryan “pANcada” Luna to make room.
On the other side of the table, as a team that is very much accustomed to playing grand finals, Paper Rex have been actively rotating and experimenting with all six of their players, including Wang “Jinggg” Jing Jie.
The final brings added pressure for both teams as they carry the weight of their respective regions: Paper Rex having the status as the inaugural VCT Pacific champions and most recently finishing as runners-up at VALORANT Champions LA, and Sentinels being the NA flag bearers now that the 2023 VALORANT world champions Evil Geniuses are nearing defunct status.
On an individual level, much of the focus surrounds the head-to-head between Tyson “TenZ” Ngo and Jason “f0rsakeN” Susanto. Once the star players of their respective teams, the two players have since shifted to more supportive roles to allow new rising talents to step into the spotlight while they contribute in ways beyond just scoring frags. The showdown between Zachary “zekken” Patrone and Ilia “something” Petrov will be another thing to look for in the grand final, being among the tournament’s top duelists.
We’re in for a treat this Sunday.
Paper Rex are:
- 🇲🇾 Khalish “d4v41” Rusyaidee
- 🇷🇺 Ilia “something” Petrov
- 🇮🇩 Jason “f0rsakeN” Susanto
- 🇮🇩 Aaron “mindfreak” Leonhart
- 🇮🇩 Cahya “Monyet” Nugraha
- 🇸🇬 Wang “Jinggg” Jing Jie
- 🇫🇷 Alexandre “alecks” Sallé (Head coach)
Sentinels are:
- 🇺🇸 Zachary “zekken” Patrone
- 🇧🇷 Gustavo “Sacy” Rossi
- 🇨🇦 Tyson “TenZ” Ngo
- 🇲🇦 Mouhamed “johnqt” Ouarid
- 🇺🇸 Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro
- 🇧🇷 Bryan “pANcada” Luna
- 🇺🇸 Adam “kaplan” Kaplan (Head coach)
- 🇬🇧 Drew “DrewSpark” Spark-Whitworth (Coach)
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Cover photo courtesy of AfreecaTV
