Everything you need to know about VCT Stage 3 Masters

The next major VALORANT Champions Tour event, the VCT Stage 3 Masters, begins on September 9 with higher stakes than any other tournament in the scene to date. In Berlin, not only will sixteen teams battle for an international title and an extra spot for their region in the forthcoming global championship, but the Sentinels must also defend their position as the best team in the game.

When compared to the VCT Stage 2 Masters, there are a lot of new faces, which means there will be a lot of first-time games between the top from each area. Masters Berlin features 16 teams from seven different countries, making it the largest international competition to date. Four represent Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, three represent North America, two each from Brazil, South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia, and one from Latin America.

Can Sentinels become the first “era” in VALORANT history?

The VALORANT community has been debating whether Sentinels have done enough to claim that this last year of supremacy should be dubbed “the Sentinels period.” For me, the Sentinels era will be remembered as the first year of professional VALORANT in North America. Sentinels have heeded the call and protected their kingdom from the early days of TSM to more recent competitors such as FaZe, Version1, and 100 Thieves. However, the VALORANT world encompasses far more than North America. While they did win the inaugural international LAN in Iceland, they must finish the year strong if the Sentinels era is to be recognized. It will be difficult to crown Sentinels as the major characters of the pro VALORANT era if they falter in Berlin and then fail to win or even make a deep run at Champions. However, what if they perform well in Berlin and win the Champions League? The question of whether or not we are in the “era” of the Sentinels will be moot, and we will be able to congratulate Sentinels on their reign over the VALORANT scene.

The Sentinels have a superstar at every position and the confidence to back it up. With Champions just around the corner, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they didn’t win gold at Masters Berlin, but that’s not the Sentinels’ style. Sentinels will not be pleased unless they have the Masters trophy in their grasp when they return to North America.