Gen.G, Paper Rex, Sentinels, and LOUD will battle it out in the double-elimination playoffs of the US$500,000 tournament.
SPAIN – VALORANT Masters Madrid has reached its playoff stage following five days of Swiss play.
The first international event of the year started with eight teams vying for the championship, but the field has since narrowed to four contenders. This Thursday, the action will resume with two regional showdowns featuring rematches of the Pacific and Americas finals: Gen.G taking on Paper Rex before we see Sentinels vs. LOUD.
The Korean team had a tightly contested battle against LOUD, ultimately clinching victory with a 2-1 scoreline (Icebox 13-11, Breeze 8-13, Ascent 13-5) thanks to stellar performances from Kim “t3xture” Na-ra and rising star Kim “Karon” Won-tae. This was followed by a match against EDward Gaming, where despite trailing in the first map on Icebox 8-13, Gen.G rallied to dominate the subsequent maps on Bind and Split with scores of 13-9 each, securing a 2-1 victory and qualification.
ALSO READ: VCT Pacific Stage 1 Group matchups revealed
(Photos courtesy of Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games)
The Sentinels became the first representatives from the Americas region to advance into the top four by defeating both EMEA representatives. Initially, they thwarted Team Heretics’ comeback bid in the first round with a 2-1 victory (Lotus 13-9, Sunset 5-13, Bind 13-11), followed by a relatively swift triumph over Karmine Corp with a 2-0 scoreline (Split 13-8, Lotus 13-11).
Meanwhile, LOUD bounced back from their defeat to Gen.G in the first round by showcasing much better form by not letting both CN representatives FunPlus Phoenix (Sunset 13-5, Breeze 13-11) and EDward Gaming (Icebox 13-2, Sunset 13-3) steal a single map off of them. Two 2-0 victories ensured LOUD could claim the third spot on offer in the playoffs.
On a related note, EDward Gaming finished their third international tournament in a row in 5-6th place and will now turn their attention to VCT CN Stage 1.
Paper Rex managed to recover from their loss to EDward Gaming by playing their hearts out and seeing off Team Heretics in the second round 2-1 (Sunset 13-10, Lotus 10-13, Split 13-7) and followed that up by dispatching the other EMEA side in attendance, sending Karmine Corp home 2-1 (Bind 13-10, Lotus 6-13, Ascent 14-12) to join Gen.G in the top four and complete the list of teams fighting for the title heading into championship Sunday.
The complete schedule for the VALORANT Masters Madrid playoffs can be found below (time in SGT / UTC+8):
Thursday, March 21
- 11 PM – Gen.G vs. Paper Rex
- 2 AM – Sentinels vs. LOUD
Friday, March 22
- 11 PM – Lower semi-final
- 2 AM – Upper final
Saturday, March 23
- 11 PM – Lower final
Sunday, March 24
- 12 AM – Grand final
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Cover photo courtesy of Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
