The “New Era” of Sentinels ‘Valorant‘ team may be coming to a premature end as reports surface that the organization is trialing 2024 Masters Madrid champion TenZ and former G2 star JonahP. Following a devastating 9th-10th place finish at VCT Americas Kickoff, the organization is shaking things up to save its 2026 season.
A few weeks ago, the org bid farewell to its head coach, Kaplan and brought in RRQ’s former coach Ewok. Many fans saw this roster shakeup coming as the team looked too dysfunctional and was failing miserably in the VCT Americas Kickoff.
TenZ Is Reportedly Coming Out Of Retirement
Sentinels, nay, ‘Valorant’s poster boy TenZ announced his retirement from the eSports circuit in 2024 and moved to a content creator role. He dedicated his time to streaming and taking care of her ex-girlfriend Kydae. After his breakup, many fans speculated that TenZ might return to the professional league.
Now, recently, some fans spotted him scrimming with Reduxx alongside Johnqt and N4RRATE. While TenZ hasn’t weighed in on returning to pro play on his streams, he was recently grinding in ranked hours, hinting at a Tier 1 return. Rob Mooree, Sentinels CEO, earlier said that TenZ always has a spot in his roster no matter what.
Related: VCT Americas Kickoff: What Went Wrong With Sentinels?
TenZ, like previously, would take up the Flex or secondary Duelist role. This move could provide the veteran stability that was visibly lacking during the team’s losses to FURIA and Leviatán.
JonahP Might Be Taking Up The Initiator Role
Another name that was reported to be trialing and scrimming for Sentinels was former G2 player JonahP. Following his surprise benching from G2 Esports, JonahP became the most sought-after free agent on the market.
During the Kickoff, Sentinels were struggling with their Initiator utility, and often looked completely lost during mid-round executes on maps like Bind and Abyss. JonahP can be the perfect “missing piece” to stabilize the team’s tactical depth. His presence would allow Johnqt to focus entirely on his IGL role, which he was relieved from earlier this season.
Potential Roster Shuffle for VCT Americas Stage 1
If the coaching staff gets satisfactory results from the trials, fans may see a very different team in VCT Americas Stage 1 than what they witnessed crumbling earlier in Kickoff. The lineup may consists:
- Johnqt (Sentinel / IGL)
- N4RRATE (Duelist)
- TenZ (Flex / Duelist)
- JonahP (Initiator)
- cortezia (Controller)
This means that Kyu and Reduxx would be moving to the bench. Reduxx had a great showing in the Kickoff; however, his coordination with N4RRATE was completely off, and it was looking like they were on each other’s toes.
For Kyu, it’s a completely different story. He was given the microphone from Johnqt to be the IGL; however, this experiment was unsuccessful. The team often looked off, and mid-round executes were unimpressive. They lost many winnable rounds and even maps that they should’ve closed easily. In addition, his individual performances were also forgettable. So, players can expect Johnqt being back as the IGL.
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Sentinels CEO Rob Moore had stated that the organization would be taking immediate steps to rectify their mistakes to get back on track toward ‘Valorant Champions 2026.‘ With Stage 1 just a few weeks away, the organization is seemingly going back to veteran experience to turn the tide in their favor.
As of now, Sentinels has not made an official announcement regarding roster changes. However, as they prepare for the next split, all eyes are on the Sentinels to see how they can bounce back and to punch their ticket to ‘Valorant Masters London‘ and ‘Valorant Champions Shanghai.‘
