Sentinels vs 100 Thieves: VCT Americas Kickoff 2025 Prediction and Analysis

The highly anticipated match between Sentinels and 100 Thieves is set to take place on January 19, 2025, at the Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles as part of the VCT Americas Kickoff 2025. Here’s a detailed look at the key factors that could influence the outcome of this crucial matchup.

Match Overview

This upper quarterfinal match will be a pivotal encounter for both teams, with the winning team advancing to the upper semifinals and the losing team dropping to the lower rounds. The stakes are high, as the teams compete for two invitations to the Masters Bangkok tournament and crucial Americas Points needed for World Championship qualification.

Current Team Form

Sentinels

Sentinels have had a mixed off-season. They finished second at the SEN City Classic 2024 but struggled at the SOOP VALORANT League 2024, ending in 5th-6th place. They also failed to qualify for Red Bull Home Ground #5. Despite these setbacks, Sentinels have made significant roster changes, losing TenZ and Sacy but gaining promising newcomers N4RRATE and Bang. These changes could bring fresh dynamics to the team.

In their last five matches, Sentinels lost three, but these losses were during the off-season and may not fully reflect their current form. The integration of new players, particularly N4RRATE and Bang, will be crucial in determining their performance in VCT 2025.

100 Thieves

100 Thieves had a relatively quiet off-season, participating in only one tournament, For Those Who Dare 2024, where they placed last against tier-2 teams. However, they started the VCT Americas Kickoff 2025 strongly, securing a flawless 2-0 win against MIBR. Players like Cryocells and Asuna have been standout performers, maintaining impressive KDRs of 193 and 187, respectively. The rest of the roster, including Boostio, zander, and eeiu, have also shown solid support.

Team Map Pool

Sentinels

Sentinels commonly ban Abyss and have a strong map pool, particularly on:

• Split: Played 19 times with a 74% win rate.
• Lotus: Played 19 times with a 74% win rate.

These maps are their best-performing ones, and they are likely to pick Split if given the opportunity.

100 Thieves

100 Thieves also ban Abyss and have their strengths on:

• Bind: Played 16 times with a 56% win rate.
• Split: Played 9 times with a 56% win rate.

Bind is their most favored map, and they are expected to pick it in this match.

Predicted Map Pool for the Match

• First Stage Bans:
  • Sentinels ban Abyss.
  • 100 Thieves ban Pearl.
• Picks:
  • Sentinels pick Split.
  • 100 Thieves pick Bind.
• Decider:
  • Haven.

Head-to-Head Matches

Sentinels and 100 Thieves have a long history of competition. Over the past four years, they have faced each other 15 times, with Sentinels leading the head-to-head series 11-4. In the past year, they have met three times, with the most recent match resulting in a 2-0 victory for 100 Thieves, but Sentinels won the previous two encounters.

Match Prediction

Considering the current form, map pool, and head-to-head history, Sentinels appear to be the favorites. Their broader map pool and stronger statistics give them an edge over 100 Thieves. However, the addition of new players to Sentinels could introduce some uncertainty, and their performance will depend on how well these new members integrate with the veteran players like johnqt, zekken, and Zellsis.

100 Thieves, despite their recent victory against Sentinels, have shown inconsistency, particularly due to their limited activity in tournaments during the off-season. However, their strong start in the VCT Americas Kickoff 2025 against MIBR is a positive sign.

Expected Score

Given the factors mentioned above, the expected score is 2:1 in favor of Sentinels. However, if the new faces in Sentinels fail to gel quickly, 100 Thieves could capitalize on this and make the match much closer.

Player Lineups

Sentinels

• Mohamed “johnqt” Amine Ouarid (IGL)
• Marshall “N4RRATE” Massey
• Sean “bang” Bezerra
• Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro
• Zachary “zekken” Patrone
• Adam “kaplan” Kaplan (Head Coach)

100 Thieves

• Kelden “Boostio” Pupello (IGL)
• Alexander “zander” Dituri
• Matthew “Cryocells” Panganiban
• Daniel “eeiu” Vucenovic
• Peter “Asuna” Mazuryk
• Anthony “Zikz” Gray (Head Coach)

Watch the Match

The Sentinels vs 100 Thieves upper quarterfinal match will be played at the Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles on January 19, 2025. Here are the region-wise timings:

• US (West): 5 pm PT (January 19, 2025)
• US (East): 8 pm ET (January 19, 2025)
• Berlin, Madrid, Paris: 2 am CEST (January 20, 2025)
• India: 6:30 am IST (January 20, 2025)
• China: 9 am CST (January 20, 2025)
• Japan and Korea: 10 am JST/KST (January 20, 2025)

You can watch the match on YouTube or Twitch through the provided links.

Conclusion

The match between Sentinels and 100 Thieves promises to be an exciting and closely contested encounter. Both teams have their strengths and weaknesses, and the outcome will depend on how well they adapt to each other’s strategies and the new dynamics introduced by roster changes. Fans are eagerly anticipating this matchup, which will be a significant step towards securing spots in the Masters Bangkok tournament and accumulating valuable Americas Points for the World Championship.