Sentinels’ Valorant roster has proven they are a force to be reckoned with, particularly in the VCT off-season.
The Americas League squad is on a three-match win streak at the AfreecaTV Valorant League 2023. SEN started their run by defeating VCT Pacific League champions Paper Rex 2-1 in their opening match.
The team came out victorious against Korean powerhouse team DRX 2-0 in their next match.
Continuing their hot streak, SEN beat VCT EMEA League champions Team Liquid 2-1 to advance to AVL 2023’s grand final.
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SEN’s Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro and Gustavo “Sacy” Rossi sat down with ONE Esports for an exclusive interview to share insights into the team’s formula for success.
Zellsis and sacy attribute Sentinels’ success to the team’s pursuit of consistency and Paper Rex-inspired vibes
Seeing AVL 2023 as a warm-up tournament for the VCT 2024 season, sacy talked about the team’s primary objective since the start of the off-season.
“Our main goal is to create consistency with our main roster,” he said.
Reflecting on SEN’s VCT 2023 run, zellsis believed the team struggled. He said they lacked team synergy because they didn’t have a clear leader in the team.
“They didn’t have someone who could provide a certain vibe, who could get the players out of their shell,” he said.
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Zellsis stresses the importance of creating a brotherly team dynamic rather than “players just showing up for work, and that’s it.”
Coming in as the team’s substitute player, he knew that they had exceptional players who found Valorant an easy game to play. But to him, the group could have performed better if they were closer.
Zellsis explained that when he sat down and talked to the team’s coach, Adam “kaplan” Kaplan, they both agreed that the team needed to be more comfortable with each other and become a brotherly team.
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“Even if we’re losing, even if we’re down, we’re all bringing the vibes up,” he said. “We all still feel we can win every round.”
Drawing parallels with Paper Rex, he points out that the Southeast Asian squad’s success is rooted in the team’s positive attitude towards each other.
“They’ve always been a top team since the game came out,” said zellsis. “That’s because they’re always having fun. They’re always hyping each other up and running at their opponents with utility.”
“You just have to believe in each other, believe in what you have, and trust your team,” he continued.
Zellsis and Sacy, along with their coach Kaplan, told ONE Esports they were the first team in the Americas region to practice and play scrims at the start of the off-season.
This improved the team’s camaraderie and synergy, as we see at AVL 2023. Zellsis added that they’ve been spending more time together outside the game.
From shared meals to playing other games and late-night TV sessions, these activities have forged a stronger bond among the players.
And now that they’re closer together, zellsis said they can be more blunt with each other when practicing.
“We’re not here to hurt feelings,” he said. “We just want to win together.”
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