Gen.G have the champions mentality – VCT Masters Toronto Day 9 Preview

The opening round of the Masters Toronto playoffs infamously saw all first seeds lose and immediately move down to the lower bracket, quickly sparking debate around the current format, which sees top seeds enter the tournament late and with little momentum. But those from Swiss march on, and now the four sides will all compete to continue their upper bracket runs.

Paper Rex vs Sentinels – PRX train meets the home favourites

Starting off the day’s action at 12:00 local time (18:00 CEST) is a clash between Paper Rex and Sentinels — two fan favourite teams, each with plenty of global experience. Sentinels have been the better of the two through the season, but PRX’s current momentum will see them enter the series full of confidence.

The train was full steam ahead for Paper Rex in their 2-0 win against G2. The Americas team were making their debut in Toronto, having been widely thought of as tournament favourites. Before this match, Paper Rex’s form had been rocky — they beat Team Liquid by the skin of their teeth to avoid Swiss stage elimination.

But the win against G2 was easily their most impressive so far, even considering the ‘first seed nerf’. By comparison, Sentinels should be an easier matchup on paper, but SEN’s own momentum could prove otherwise.

The Americas second seed has just finished beating all Chinese representatives back-to-back, and now they’re moving on to Pacific. A win against PRX could set them up for an upper bracket final series against Gen.G, with RRQ then a potential opponent for the grand final.

That’s obviously a long way away. In front of Sentinels right now is a side full of confidence and one with vibes that can match their own. Arguably the biggest factor in SEN’s favour is the crowd who, so far, have been cheering for the side as though they are the home team.

Wolves Esports vs Gen.G – Wolves’ run may have reached its climax

Following the first series will be a matchup between Wolves Esports and Gen.G, expected to start around 15:00 local time (21:00 CEST).

Masters Toronto has been the Wolves story, so far. They’ve defied the odds over and over again, each win more impressive than the last. Their most recent victory over RRQ was their first against a number-one seed, with RRQ’s star Duelist Maksim “Jemkin” Batorov totally shut down during the series, while Wolves’ own Duelist Tyler “juicy” Aeria was the best performer on the day.

But Wolves’ wins have each had some form of extenuating circumstances. Team Heretics suffered from their own big-game mental block. Bilibili were one of the weakest teams in the tournament. RRQ were victims of the ‘first seed nerf’. Gen.G are a different beast — an elite side on paper who are also in top form during their own Toronto run.

Gen.G will be thankful to be facing Wolves over either of Paper Rex or Sentinels. The team will still be considered the weakest of the four upper-bracket teams.

Gen.G will fully expect victory and will be the clear favourites. They’ve already beaten strong opposition in the shape of PRX and Fnatic, while their victory over the latter brought with it mental fortitude to fight back from an easily tilting situation.

Map two in their Fnatic win saw Gen.G 12-7 up and with Ha “Ash” Hyun-cheol mere milliseconds from completing a defuse that would’ve ended the game. But the defuse was not completed in time, Fnatic won the round, and the EMEA side clinched an additional six rounds back-to-back to find an overtime victory.

Gen.G’s heads could’ve easily dropped from such a stunning comeback. But rather than capitulate, Gen.G came back even stronger to not only win map three, but claim the most dominant win of the series with a 13-6 score. The response was that of a side with a winner’s mentality.

They’re clearly the best-performing team in the tournament and, despite Wolves’ Cinderella story, seem destined for the upper bracket final.