Sentinels defeated Soniqs 2-0 in the open qualifier for Challengers 1 on April 2. In the second stage of the Valorant Champions Tour, Soniqs signed the Oceanic squad formerly under EXO Clan. The match was the first meeting of international squads in North America. Sentinels dominated the team on Icebox and Split, 13-10 and 12-0 respectively. Sentinels are now in the round of 16 while Soniqs are out of the event.
Soniqs fought a close battle with the North American juggernauts on Icebox. Kyran “dizzyLife” Crombie on Jett had many Operator plays, and a few clutches, but could not bring the team over the finish line. They were up 10-7 before Sentinels closed out the map on a six-round win streak. On Split, Sentinels just dominated as the Oceanic crew did not look comfortable on the map. Soniqs had only played Split six times before the matchup with a 50% win rate.
Soniqs journey to North America
Soniqs, formerly EXO Clan, was the top squad in Oceania before they left for North American competition. The team was the Oceania First Strike champion and was the region’s top-ranked squad while competing. They expressed interest in leaving the region after the VCT was announced. For their region, the team would have to win out and then compete in a Last Change Qualifier to make it to the major VCT event, Champions. Wanting to cut out the middle man, the team announced that they would be looking for offers internationally.
Just yesterday, April 1, the Soniqs announced their new lineup with the Oceanic roster. They went through the amateur team Admirals and Game Changers winners Cloud9 White in their journey to the Sentinels matchup. The last official match that the Iyengaran “IyeN” Raju led team played was back in March in the Stage 1 open qualifier for the Oceania VCT.
Soniqs are now out of Challengers 1 and will have to qualify for Challengers 2 on April 15 for more VCT action. Sentinels will move on to the next round of Challengers qualification April 3.
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