In the first match of day three of VCT Masters Toronto, Sentinels would look for a chance to beat BiliBili Gaming (BLG).
Before the match, Sentinels In Game Lead (IGL), JohnQT said to BLG.
“Sorry you drew us,” He said.
Both teams would enter the match with a win apiece; another win would secure both teams a spot in the playoff stage.
BLG would have the advantage as they would get the first map pick, which was Icebox.
BLG would have an aggressive start as attackers while Sentinels would start the first half sloppy on the defensive side.
They did not look like the team that'd 2-0’d Wolves Esports, and BLG took advantage of the sloppiness, building an 8-4 lead going into the switch.
That didn’t stop Sentinels from trying to fight back after the switch to attacking, winning 5 rounds, BLG's lead was too big to make a comeback.
Map MVP would be BLG Rushia with 23 Kills, 13 Deaths and 7 Assists.
Sentinels would lose map one and would look for a way to get a win to extend this match to a third map.
Sentinels for the first time would pick the map sunset, a map they haven’t played this season.
In choosing a map they haven’t played this season we had the opportunity to see some old-school Sentinels dominance and dominate they did.
In the first half, it would be a back-and-forth event with BLG being effective on the attacking side, but Sentinels would easily get the upper hand having the better utility and positioning on each site.
At the end of the first half before switching, Sentinels would have a lead of 7-5, and BiliBili Gaming would have a few opportunities to tie the map up, but Sentinels would shut down any idea of a comeback.
BLG wouldn’t get a single round in the second half and would lose 13-5.
Map MVP would be Sentinels Zekken with 20 Kills, 8 Deaths and 2 Assists.
Going into the decider map of Lotus, the same map Sentinels beat Wolves Esports on, both BLG and Sentinels were eager and hungry to get a win.
Sentinels would be on defence, and BLG would be on the attack.
The first four rounds on Lotus were a back-and-forth affair, with both teams showing their aggression in their engagements.
It was a constant battle for control on C site, but BLG showed they weren’t afraid, as they would gain the lead during the first half with a score of 7-5.
In some cases, other teams would have let their frustration boil over, but Sentinels kept their heads down and regrouped as they switched over to the attacking side at halftime.
After halftime, Sentinels would start strong as they were able to tie the game and gain the lead.
BLG would try and gain a comeback, but it didn’t matter as Sentinels would extend their lead in round 20 and play an excellent site control game, taking away BLG’s heavy hitters, and leaving the Chinese team to let spike go off.
Ultimately, it would be Sentinels who would get the win and advance to the playoff stage, their first since Madrid last year.
BiliBili Gaming would be knocked down to the losers' bracket in a do-or-die situation where a win would bring them to the playoffs and a loss would have them eliminated from VCT Masters Toronto.