?The first game of the VCT NA Last Chance Qualifier sees the return to competitive gameplay of an esports great for Sentinels as they look to get back to the top of the Valorant NA rankings, with their first series against The Guard.

The Guard come into the VCT NA Last Chance Qualifier as the no.6 ranked team in the Valorant NA rankings and the team that has the most circuit points in this qualifier. The Guard contested the VCT Masters in Reykjavik this year as the top North American team but they were knocked out after two series. Since the VCT Masters, The Guard went 1-4 in the VCT NA Stage 2 Challengers, meaning they didn’t make the playoffs and therefore have to go through this Last Chance Qualifier.

Sentinels have been on a slow decline for the last 12 months. They had been the best team in North America from August 2020 until November 2021, winning almost every event that they participated in. However, since the turn of the year and throughout 2022, Sentinels have dropped off a long way with their ranking now sitting at no.16 in North America, forcing the organisation to make a massive change.

This is where the organisation went out and signed the esports legend that is Michael “shroud” Grzesiek. Considered by many as the greatest to ever to play competitive esports, his signing to Sentinels will bring a lot of attention to the emerging Valorant scene.

Sentinels and The Guard come into this series with a must-win mentality as they both have points to prove, with both teams having horrible VCT NA Stage 2 Challenger events. We will be taking the overs in the total maps market, paying $2 with online bookmakers.

?The second series of the day brings us FaZe Clan and Evil Geniuses with both teams making big waves in the NA Valorant scene with their rise into the top 10 of the NA Valorant rankings.

FaZe Clan have jumped right up from no.13 to no.4 in the North American rankings with their third-place finish in the VCT Challengers Stage 2 event, giving them 65 points. After a big Stage 2 Challengers event, FaZe Clan are now the no.3-ranked team in North America, which actually makes them the highest-ranked team at this event, although The Guard have more circuit points. FaZe Clan are one of the best new teams on the scene, and they defeated their first-round opponents, Evil Genuises, 2-0 in the Stage 2 Challengers event in May of this year.

Evil Geniuses have also rocketed their way up into the top 10 in the North American Valorant scene. The team has improved from no.21 in the NA rankings in March 2022 to now sit at no.6 after a solid VCT Stage 2 Challengers event in May and June of this year. EG had to go through the VCT Stage 2 Challengers Open Qualifier to make the main event and they did that with relative ease, not dropping a single series through their four series. Evil Geniuses come into this event in their best ranking position and the best form they have ever been in, so they will be looking for a strong showing in their first series here.

Last time these two teams played FaZe Clan took the series 2-0, but with so much on the line and the form of both of these teams currently, this series could be quite different. Therefore, we are going to take the overs in the total maps market.

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