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SEN City Survives and Makes it to Masters Toronto Playoffs: Sentinels vs Bilibili Recap

Can NA's most famous org uphold its legacy (and clean up its defender-side strategies), or will 'SEN City' topple under pressure? Let's recap SEN's progress to the Masters Toronto Playoffs after a reverse sweep on BLG.

Gabby DeSena

Sentinels is headed to the Masters Toronto Playoffs after defeating Bilibili Gaming.
Sentinels is headed to the Masters Toronto Playoffs after defeating Bilibili Gaming. / Sentinels via X.com; Colin Young-Wolff and Riot Games

Yesterday, VALORANT viewers saw SEN struggle against Wolves Esports but ultimately emerge victorious. Sentinels has now defeated Bilibili Gaming, its second China-region opponent, in a reverse sweep and progressed into the VCT Masters Toronto playoffs. While Zellsis and Zekken are popping off, Sunset remains SEN's playground and johnqt is comfortably calling the shots, both matches were extremely close, and fans are wondering what comes next.

Will 'SEN City' build on its strong Master's foundations, or will it topple under the Playoffs pressure? Let's recap SEN vs BLG and analyze what it means for VALORANT.

  1. Map 1 (Icebox): Big Bilibili Plays
  2. Map 2 (Sunset): The Real SEN City
  3. Map 3 (Lotus): SEN Locks In
  4. What Does This Mean for VALORANT Esports?

Map 1 (Icebox): Big Bilibili Plays

TEAM COMPS:

  • SEN zekken: Omen
  • SEN Zellsis: Killjoy
  • SEN bang: Viper
  • SEN johnqt: KAY/O
  • SEN N4RRATE: Gekko
  • BLG rushia: Harbor
  • BLG Knight: Sova
  • BLG Nephh: Viper
  • BLG whzy: Jett
  • BLG Levius: Killjoy

Both Sentinels and Bilibili locked in a double-controller comp on Icebox, optimal for its tricky long-range angles and devious lurk spots. Uniquely, VCT fans got to witness some Harbor gameplay from Bilibili's rushia — the agent has experienced a resurgence in the meta after recent Patch Notes changes making him more viable. Sentinels also prioritized double-initiator with Gekko and KAY/O flashes, which ideally would counter double-smokes effectively.

Bilibili appeared extremely confident on its Attacker half. After securing the pistol round, Bilibili swept to a 3:0 start as SEN struggled to coordinate retakes and deal with BLG's util dumps. Despite abundant entry flashes, SEN simply could not secure timings on Harbor and Viper's walls. BLG Nephh made Icebox his playground with well-placed smokes and Ultimates. Zellsis and johnqt had several clutch rounds, but BLG ended the first half 8:4.

SEN fans lost confidence as BLG snatched the next pistol round. For a while, SEN found some success with fast rotates and caught up to a 9:10 score, but BLG soon matched their speed and ended the game victorious.

Final Score: SEN 9, BLG 13

Key Moments:

  • Round 1: Nephh secures pistol round with a devious Sheriff 2k.
  • Round 4: johnqt clutches a 1v4 with little time to spare on B, winning SEN's first round.
  • Round 5: Nephh 1v4s on A-site to clutch.
  • Round 10: Zellsis clutches with a KJ ultimate and johnqt's 3k.

Map 2 (Sunset): The Real SEN City

TEAM COMPS:

  • SEN zekken: Neon
  • SEN Zellsis: Cypher
  • SEN bang: Omen
  • SEN johnqt: Breach
  • SEN N4RRATE: Fade
  • BLG rushia: Omen
  • BLG Knight: Sova
  • BLG Nephh: KAY/O
  • BLG whzy: Neon
  • BLG Levius: Cypher

Sentinels and Sunset go together like a Raze 'nade and a Fade seize. This is the team's favorite map, and Sentinels did not disappoint: their performance against BLG resulted in a resounding victory.

BLG immediately gained a 2:0 score following its Attacker pistol round. whzy impressed with effective Neon play. However, SEN wasn't having it: johnqt reset the eco with a 4k, restoring SEN's confidence. SEN took the opportunity to snowball its eco advantage, contest and maintain mid control, and farm zekken's powerful Neon ult to match BLG's aggression with fierce retakes. SEN ended its Defender half at a 7:5 advantage.

Interestingly, Sentinels did not lose a single round on its second Attacker half. After bang saved an otherwise shaky pistol, SEN's momentum was in full swing. Zellsis' A-site postplant was impenetrable and largely aided the team's holds. Viewers could see the stark difference in SEN's coordination, and the team was much more comfortable gaining value from N4RRATE and johnqt's initiator utility.

Final Score: SEN 13, BLG 5

Key Moments:

  • Round 3: johnqt decimates BLG's B push with a 4k from Market.
  • Round 5: Zellsis shows off his Outlaw skills.
  • Round 13: bang's 3k saves SEN's shaky pistol round.

Related Article: Sentinels Sells Bundles While Wolves Esports Sells Rounds: Masters Toronto Match Recap

Map 3 (Lotus): SEN Locks In

TEAM COMPS:

  • SEN zekken: Raze
  • SEN Zellsis: Vyse
  • SEN bang: Omen
  • SEN johnqt: Viper
  • SEN N4RRATE: Fade
  • BLG rushia: Omen
  • BLG Knight: Fade
  • BLG Nephh: Viper
  • BLG whzy: Raze
  • BLG Levius: Vyse

Lotus was a far closer game: after SEN secured its Defender pistol round, BLG quickly thriftied them in response. They continued neck-and-neck until Round 7, when BLG began building an advantage. Duelist whzy's Raze plays caught viewers' attention: he favored the Operator throughout the match (an unconventional choice for the Agent). whzy saved one BLG postplant in an Operator and Shorty 3k, and scored another soon after on B site. The first half concluded with BLG ahead 7:5.

Zellsis was in the zone and 3v1 clutched SEN's Attacker pistol. Sentinels was not risking any funny business and carefully held their flanks, adopting a slower and more strategic style. BLG only won two more rounds, and SEN fought to a 12:9 advantage until zekken and Zellsis clutched one final A-push to win.

FINAL SCORE:

Key Moments:

  • Round 2: BLG thrifties SEN.
  • Round 6: Viper vs Viper; Nephh and johnqt face off with matching 2ks.
  • Round 9: whzy saves a BLG C-push with only an Operator and a Shorty.
  • Round 13: Zellsis clutches pistol round for with a 3k.

What Does This Mean for VALORANT Esports?

Sentinels won VALORANT's first-ever Masters event (Reykjavík 2021) with VALORANT legend TenZ in tow. The team continued exhibiting some of NA's strongest performances until his 2024 departure after winning Masters Madrid 2024. SEN's first Masters event without TenZ, Masters Bangkok 2025, was lackluster. The org did not qualify for the Playoffs after a 0:2 Swiss Stage loss streak, leaving many fans disappointed.

With this context, SEN's Masters Toronto Playoffs qualification indicates huge progress for the team's coordination and competitiveness. It also puts them closer to possibly winning a third Masters event and scoring a placement in Champions Paris 2025, upholding their legacy as one of NA's VALORANT greats.

TenZ posing with Valorant Champions trophy
TenZ and Sentinels crushed VALORANT's early circuits. / Photo by Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games

While Sentinels ultimately won its matches against Wolves and Bilibili Gaming, the games were unexpectedly close. Watchers witnessed the team struggle with the same patterns repeatedly: SEN has a weak Defender-side hold but regains its footing on the attack. In addition, both Wolves and Bilibili are Chinese orgs with a playstyle distinct from the North American scene: they play with intense discipline, are rather risk-averse and prioritize map control over rapid steamroll pushes. Chinese VALORANT has dominated since its 2023 introduction, and EDward Gaming even won Champions 2024 with just a year of VCT experience.

In the Playoffs, Sentinels will face an even stronger Chinese-region opponent: XLG, winner of VALORANT's VCT China Stage 1 and a direct Playoffs seed, imposes in the distance. In the circuit, XLG esports crushed Wolves Esports, Bilibili Gaming and previous Champs winner EDward Gaming, which many fans thought was a shoo-in for Masters Toronto.

SEN will also reckon with its greatest NA opponent G2 Esports, which Zellsis describes as "the only team" he is worried about. Indeed, G2's performance was stellar throughout VCT Americas Stage 1, and star player jawgemo won VALORANT Champions in 2023 under the Evil Geniuses banner.

Sentinels' Swiss Stage reverse sweeps surprised and impressed the VALORANT community, but most analysts favor G2 as the likely Masters Toronto winner. Will Sentinels prove them wrong, or does NA have a new 'Last Hope?'

Related Article: VCT Masters Toronto Power Rankings: Who's the Best Team in VALORANT?

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Gabby DeSena
GABBY DESENA

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