After the end of the Valorant Champions Tour 2023, a string of VCT OFF//Season tournaments ensured that fans remained entertained. AfreecaTV Valorant League was one of the Riot's 2023 post-season events and throughout the tournament, fans were at the edge of their seats. At the end of the event, Sentinels remained undefeated and were crowned the winners of the AfreecaTV Valorant League. Sentinels met Paper Rex in the grand final match, and with a 3-0 scoreline, they became the second North American team to defeat Paper Rex in the tournament's grand finals.
Sentinels vs Paper Rex was the tournament's first game, where Sentinels defeated the Pacific Juggernauts with a 2-1 scoreline. Intending to avenge their initial loss, Paper Rex gained momentum and entered the grand finals after defeating T1 in the semis. Despite their efforts, Paper Rex couldn't stop the American giants and Sentinels won the tournament and the lion's share of the $90,000 prize pool.
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Sentinels Defeat Paper Rex In The AfreecaTV Valorant League Grand Finals
Sentinels entered the grand finals as the undefeated giants while Paper Rex's only scare was their defeat against Sentinels in the opening match. The grand final was a best-of-five matchup where Paper Rex had five maps to settle the score and win the whole event. In the first game, Sentinels dominated on the map of Split with a 9-3 scoreline after the first half. While Paper Rex tried to activate the 9-3 curse, they lost the game with a 13-7 scoreline.
For the second game, Paper Rex picked the Sunset map where they had to give a tough fight to their opponents to make a comeback. With a 6-6 scoreline after the first half, it felt like Paper Rex might have gained the required momentum. Sentinels didn't let that happen and won the second map with a 13-10 scoreline, adding the second game to their bag.
Breeze was Sentinels' map pick and Paper Rex's final chance to keep their hopes of winning the AfreecaTV Valorant League alive. Sentinels started strong, and the team looked eager to win the trophy. Sentinels defeated Paper Rex on Breeze with a 13-6 scoreline and won the AfreecaTV Valorant League. Sentinels defeated Paper Rex with a 3-0 scoreline to lift the glorious trophy and take the prize money of $25,000 home.
Meanwhile, Paper Rex secured the $15,000 money pot for second place. Both Team Liquid and T1 won $10,000 for making the tournament's playoffs. AfreecaTV Valorant League was Sentinels' first official tournament after revamping their Valorant roster. Sentinels will look forward to continuing their victory run in the upcoming Valorant Champions Tour 2024 and redeeming themselves after a disappointing 2023 season.