NRG have saved Sentinels from an early exit in the VCT 2022 season, after a 2-0 victory over Ghost Gaming in the VCT NA Stage 2 Challengers playoffs.
Ghost have been eliminated, finishing 7th to 8th place, locking Sentinels’ unlikely spot in the NA Last Chance Qualifier in August. The team would have needed to place at least 5th to 6th to secure enough circuit points to overtake Sentinels.
Fans had been rooting for NRG, following Ghost’s loss against Evil Geniuses in the upper bracket.
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Sentinels still have a chance at Valorant Champions 2022
Tyson “TenZ” Ngo and his team had thought the 2022 season over, following a dismal group stage run where they did not find even a single win.
The team had also played their last three matches without Hunter “SicK” Mims, after he was called away to deal with an unspecified family emergency.
The team’s LCQ hopes rested on Ghost Gaming exiting the playoffs in last place, which at first appeared unlikely for the Group A second seed.
But the stars have aligned for the former kings of North America. They will squeak through to the LCQ in 10th place with 45 points, ahead of Ghost’s 35 points.
If the same rules from last year apply, the top two NA teams will qualify for Valorant Champions, while the next eight in terms of circuit points will compete in the LCQ for the final spot at Champions.
Several other teams that are out of Stage 2 have already clinched a spot in the LCQ, including Cloud9 and The Guard, even though they were both eliminated in the group stage. Luminosity Gaming also have an LCQ spot, despite a lower bracket loss to FaZe Clan.
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