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VALORANT Masters Madrid Playoffs Preview and Predictions
The first international VALORANT tournament of 2024, VCT Masters Madrid kicked off with the Swiss stage about a week ago.
The first stage of competition has concluded since and we have the four playoff teams that will compete for the title, three championship points and prize money.
VALORANT Masters Madrid Swiss Stage Recap
The competition started with eight teams representing the four International Leagues. These teams took on each other in a new Swiss format.
In the first round of competition, Karmine Corp, Gen.G, EDward Gaming and Sentinels won, securing the qualification game. The first set of elimination games featured LOUD eliminating FunPlus Phoenix followed by Paper Rex eliminating Team Heretics.
In the qualification games, Sentinels and Gen.G reigned supreme locking in their playoff spot. For the final two spots, LOUD eliminated the second CN team and Paper Rex eliminated the second EMEA team, thus eliminating CN and EMEA from VALORANT Masters Madrid.
VALORANT Masters Madrid Playoffs Format and Fixtures
The playoffs of the tournament will feature a four-team double-elimination bracket. All the games during the playoffs will be best-of-three with the exception of Lower Finals and Grand Finals which will be best-of-fives.
The draws for the opening fixtures were made after the conclusion of the Swiss stage games. In an interesting turn of events, both the opening fixtures feature rematches of regional kickoffs finals.
The Grand finals day will also feature a Team Spain vs. Team International Showmatch showcasing the upcoming VALORANT agent Clove.
Preview and Predictions
Game 1 - Gen.G vs. Paper Rex:
The VCT Pacific Kickoff Finals rematch will definitely be an exciting game to watch. In their previous encounter, Gen.G outclassed Paper Rex and dominated them to win the Pacific title.
Paper Rex will be looking to return the favor and send Gen. G to the lower bracket.
At VALORANT Masters Madrid, Gen.G took down LOUD in the opening game and followed it with a win over EDward Gaming to qualify.
Paper Rex started with a loss to EDG but bounced back by eliminating two tournament favorites in Team Heretics and Karmine Corp.
Both teams have learned a lot during their international expedition, both have made mistakes and constantly adapted to the games.
The fixture will be a 50-50 with no clear favorite. Both teams have the potential to defeat the other and it will come down to the performance during the gameday.
Strafe Voters however, favor Paper Rex in the re-match-up, with 61% voting in the team’s favor.
Game 2 - Sentinels vs. LOUD
The VCT Americas Kickoff finals will give LOUD an opportunity to exact revenge on Sentinels. In their previous fixtures, Sentinels and LOUD fought hard in a best-of-five series, which concluded with TenZ and Co. taking down the Brazilian squad.
At the Masters, Sentinels took down Team Heretics and Karmine Corp, two EMEA juggernauts and favorites to win to qualify for the playoffs.
While LOUD started on the back foot after the Gen.G loss, they came back stronger defeating FPX and annihilating EDG to qualify for the playoffs.
LOUD’s form going into the match-up is exquisite, their game against EDG was dominant. But the same can be said about Sentinels and how they took down Karmine Corp, who were considered tournament favorites.
The match-up slightly favors LOUD’s sharp form, with their experience and individual ability to show-up for big games. But, it won’t be a surprise if Sentinels win either. The Strafe Votes have chosen Sentinels as their pick to win the duel.
The playoffs start tomorrow, 21st March, 2024. Follow Valorant Champions Tour X (formerly Twitter) for all the latest updates. You can also follow Strafe for upcoming fixtures, press conference coverage, and more.
Follow Strafe Esports on YouTube for all the upcoming VALORANT Masters Madrid Press conferences.
Featured Image Source: Riot Games
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