Sentinels’ Shahzeeb “ShahZaM” Khan openly shared his opinions about Ignition Series rivals, TSM, during a watch party for VCT NA Stage 3 Challengers 2 Open Qualifier.

When asked about the top Valorant teams in the North American region, Sentinels ShahZaM didn’t mention TSM in his list. He then elaborated in detail why he thinks TSM is no longer a top team in the North American region.


Sentinels ShahZaM identifies the problems of TSM’s Valorant roster

Sentinels ShahZaM, VCT Stage 2 Masters Interview, Valorant
Credit: Riot Games

VCT Stage 2 Masters Reykjavik champion explained how TSM has struggled since the start of the 2021 VCT season. “The thing is in 2021, they could not qualify for Masters 1. They couldn’t even make it to the Main Event,” said Sentinels ShahZaM.

“In Masters 2, once again, they couldn’t even make it out of the qualifiers.”


What is missing from TSM’s roster?

TSM FTX's Valorant roster, Valorant, VCT
Credit: TSM

According to Sentinels ShahZaM, TSM’s Valorant team is missing a good in-game leader (IGL). He also explained that not all IGLs are the same.

“You need a leader that’s going to direct the team, that’s going to hold people accountable, and that’s going to keep things productive,” said ShahZaM, as he questioned who their leader is.

He then told his Twitch viewers why he believes he is the best IGL in Valorant, “No one has had the consistency we’ve had for a year. It’s been exactly a year since we won our first Ignition Series.”

Sentinels’ Valorant tournament wins:

  • PAX Invitational (Ignition Series)
  • Pop Flash (Ignition Series)
  • VCT NA Stage 1 Challengers 1 (VCT)
  • VCT NA Stage 1 Masters (VCT)
  • VCT NA Stage 2 Challengers 2 (VCT) 
  • VCT NA Stage 2 Challengers 2 Finals (VCT)
  • VCT Stage 2 Masters Reykjavik (VCT)
  • VCT NA Stage 3 Challengers 1


Sentinels ShahZaM’s thoughts on TSM’s roster change

The self-proclaimed best IGL wasn’t enthusiastic about TSM’s new roster member Sean “bang” Bezerra, who is new to the professional scene. He believes rival North American squad XSET signed a better player, former CS:GO pro Rory “dephh” Jackson.

Sentinels ShahZaM continued to defend his opinion as more fans asked for his thoughts on his former rivals the next day on his Twitch stream.

After watching TSM’s podcast before the VCT Stage 3 Challengers 1 qualifier where they introduced Chet “Chet” Sing and bang to the roster, ShahZaM believes this is the root problem in TSM.

“When you’ve been struggling repeatedly for seven months or a year now, that means there’s a core problem in the team,” explained ShahZaM. “Bringing in a coach doesn’t mean teams are instantly getting better, you still have to do things right.”

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