First Strike Champions, 100 Thieves, have been eliminated from Valorant Masters NA after losing 0-2 to Gen.G in the Loser’s Bracket.
Gen.G were able to start the best-of-three series off hot on their map pick of Ascent. Before the third closed qualifier, 100 Thieves were usually favored on Ascent, but have since looked rough. Gen.G capitalized on this by taking the first game 13-6 after leading the half 9-3. They learned their lesson from the last time they faced off against 100 Thieves who came back from a 10-2 deficit to beat Gen.G.
On Icebox, 100 Thieves map pick of the series, things began to look up as they were able to take the lead at the half 7-5. However, it was no match for Gen.G’s attack as they were able to win three rounds in a row after the initial pistol round. From there they traded rounds back and forth with the Thieves before eventually winning back-to-back rounds to eliminate any chance of overtime. After winning 13-11 on Icebox, they will advance in the loser’s bracket, securing top four overall at the Masters event.
100 Thieves unable to beat Gen.G a second time
Gen.G was knocked down to the lower bracket after losing in their first match against Envy. They were able to stay alive after defeating XSET and will now be continuing in the tournament after beating 100 Thieves. Since winning First Strike,100 Thieves have looked shaky in most of the tournaments they have competed in. However, they have been able to bring things back and recently made it to the finals of the third closed qualifier. Ultimately, they fell to FaZe Clan who swept them 3-0 in the final match.
Gen.G has also been rocky with their performances in recent tournaments. They recently lost to 100 Thieves in the lower bracket of the last closed qualifier. Where the two teams have differed is in their team compositions, which has recently favored Gen.G’s approach. After benching Quan “Dicey” Tran, 100 Thieves picked up Ethan “Ethan” Arnold from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. With the addition of Ethan, 100 Thieves moved away from the double duelist meta. Peter “Asuna” Mazuryk is currently the only duelist for the team.
