Hours out from Valorant’s first international LAN competition at VCT Stage 2 Masters in Reykjavik, Team Liquid’s Adil ‘ScreaM’ Benrlitom has outlined why he believes North America’s Sentinels to be a “very predictable” lineup.
The competitive Valorant scene is mere hours away from making history. Almost 12 months since Riot’s tactical FPS launched and the world’s best teams are finally locking horns in the first international showdown.
From Brazil’s finest to Korea’s hottest prospects, VCT Stage 2 Masters marks the first time we’ll get to see such a breadth of diverse talent go head to head. Before the first games get underway, however, Europe and NA talent have instigated the first proper beef.
After closing out the top seed in their regions, Team Liquid and Sentinels stand tall as the best rosters from Europe and North America. Liquid’s fan-fave ScreaM added fuel to the rivalry by calling their foreign counterparts “very predictable.”
WE'RE READY TO SHOW THE WORLD WHO WE ARE#LetsGoLiquid pic.twitter.com/TtbBoPO364
— Team Liquid Valorant (@LiquidValorant) May 23, 2021
“What is the biggest weakness in North America’s approach to Valorant?” Dexerto’s own Andy Williams asked ScreaM during a May 24 press conference. “Europe and America have the same style, but I think Europe is a bit better,” the popular Duelist responded.
“Obviously the Sentinels have amazing players individually, but I feel like what they do is very predictable compared to Europe. I think that’s going to be the biggest difference between these two regions.”
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Laughing off the criticism, Sentinels star Shahzeb ‘ShahZaM’ Khan outlined how the European’s mentality is wrong. “The team you saw in Masters 1 and the team you saw in the Regional Finals is a different team from the team you’ll see here,” he countered.
Anthony ‘vanity’ Malaspina of NA’s other representative Version1 expanded on the regional argument. All the regions play relatively similar,” he said.
- Read More: VCT Stage 2 Challengers Global hub
“North American teams and European teams play the same exact style. The notion that European’s utility is way better is just not true.”
For now, Valorant fans will have to hold their breaths for this hotly anticipated clash. Liquid and Sentinels fall on opposite sides of the bracket. If both teams win out, the earliest they can meet will be in the Upper Bracket finals on May 28. Should both teams fall, however, there’s a chance they could matchup in the Lower Bracket.
- Read More: The best players at VCT Stage 2 Masters
We’ll be sure to keep you updated right here and over at @ValorINTEL as the first international LAN event gets underway.