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The Valorant Champions Tour is well underway and fans are shocked to see the Sentinels knocked out of the Stage 3 Masters in Berlin. The Sentinels were on a hot streak in the Valorant Champions Tour Reykjavik Masters 2 and were the team to beat in the Berlin Masters. G2 handed Sentinels its first international loss in the Valorant Champions Tour.
After a good performance against the Korean seed F4Q, they lost to Envy in their first playoff stage match, which marked their exit from the Stage 3 Masters in Berlin. Fans across the world are trying to understand the reasons behind Sentinels’ inconsistent performance against these teams when they were the favorites to win the tournament.
5 reasons for Sentinels poor performance at Valorant Champions Tour Berlin Masters
In Valorant, it’s anybody’s game. Every tournament has witnessed some of the greatest upsets and this could be one of them. Here are five possible reasons why Sentinels lost to Envy.
1) Envy’s positioning and aim
In terms of positioning, Envy was always one step ahead of Sentinels. It was clear that Envy had a strong strategy, positioned themselves perfectly, and took gunfights that were in their favor.
Sentinels and Envy are familiar with each other’s play styles as they have faced off nine times before this game. Sentinel’s predictable rotations and Envy’s positioning could be a contributing factor to Envy’s win. Strategy, positioning, and aim are the most important aspects to winning a game in Valorant.
Jacob “yay” Whiteaker was a class act, and his performance played a huge role in Envy’s win. His aim was on point, and he secured 46 kills while maintaining a 1.53 K/D ratio. He was a dominant force in the first half, securing 23 kills for his team.
Victor “Victor” Wong was phenomenal in the second half and had 37 kills in the game. He put on a show with his snappy one-tap 1v2 clutch in round 13 of Map 2.
Jimmy “Marved” Nguyen took charge in the second half and helped Envy dominate the early rounds. This gave Envy the lead and put the Sentinels in a tight spot.
2) G2’s strategy and Sentinels’ predictable play style
In Valorant Champions Tour Stage 3 Masters, G2 had to face off against the Sentinels again after suffering a 2-1 loss in their last matchup. With Icebox being G2’s choice and Map 1, G2 was absolutely dominant. Cista “Keloqz” Wassim on Jett and Žygimantas "nukkye" Chmieliauskas on Raze were a thorn in the opposition’s side. They took a comfortable lead by beating the Sentinels 13-3 in Icebox.
In Map 2, G2 was able to anticipate and hinder Sentinels’ attack routes with ease in the first half. The Sentinels caught up and took the lead just to watch G2 take the game, beating them 13-11 in Split. Sentinels’ predictable play style could be a contributing factor in their exit from the Valorant Champions Tour Berlin Masters.
3) Overconfidence paired with pressure to win the series
When a team is having a hot streak, all eyes are on them making it even more challenging with every game they win. Sentinels’ hot streak in Reykjavik could have been a reason for the team to get slightly overconfident. In such cases it is not uncommon for teams to become complacent.
This, paired with the pressure on them to win every game, can lead to some unforced errors. We witnessed some of the consistent and dominating players falling short during this tournament. It will be interesting to see how Sentinels will react in the upcoming Worlds.
4) Not having a coach
Coaches play a huge role in developing and fine-tuning strategies for teams to follow. Their sole job is to analyze and prepare strategies that give their team an edge to win games. The Sentinels did not have a coach, and Shahzeb “ShahZam” Khan took the role of in-game leader. In an interview conducted by Nerd Street Gamers, he was asked about the management’s concern for not having a coach or analyst:
"I know our manager is concerned; he wants us to get an analyst at least to help me. There’s a whole lot of work, but it’s not like I don’t enjoy it. “That’s why I really like doing it, I really like feeling prepared when I go into a match. Even if they change all their stuff, it’s the confidence it gives you when you have a good grasp on how the other team is going to play."
"You just go into the server way more confident, and I can tell that my teammates feed off of that confidence. When they feel like I know exactly what they’re going to do, I can tell that they’re feeling super confident too, and it’s a whole mental game as well. It is a lot of work, and eventually we do want to distribute the responsibilities”
When a team lacks specialists who can strategize and relay key information during games that players tend to miss, chances are that it will impact the team’s probability of winning in Valorant.
5) TenZ choice of Raze against Envy in Map 2
Tyson “TenZ” Ngo is arguably one of the best players in Valorant. When a player of his stature fails to get a kill for nine consecutive rounds, something's clearly wrong. Tyson “TenZ” Ngo on Raze was clearly struggling in Map 2.
By the time he found his rhythm and secured a few kills, Envy took the win in Map 2 and knocked out Sentinels from the Valorant Champions Tour Stage 3 Masters in Berlin.
Note: Sentinels are already qualified for Valorant Champions 2021 based on their circuit points.
