"That was a bad mistake that cost us the map": ShahZam on Sentinels' defeat to The Guard at VCT NA LCQ

Shahzeb "ShahZam" Khan took to Twitch to discuss Sentinels' disappointing result in the Last Chance Qualifier. Fans had high expectations since the organization acquired the services of esports veteran Michael "Shroud" Grzesiek.

However, his competitive return ended in a loss after the North American organization lost to The Guard 2-1 in the first round. They will now be placed in the lower bracket, where they will meet the loser of the Shopify Rebellion and Cloud9 match.

Speaking to his stream, ShahZam gave a retrospective assessment of their first-round loss. He added that Dapr should have played, before exclaiming:

"That was a bad mistake that cost us the map."

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ShahZam expresses disappointment after Sentinels lost their first-round match

Shroud's much-anticipated return did not go as planned. Despite the disappointing result, the tournament attracted peak viewership.

According to Esports Charts, Sentinel's match against The Guard shattered the previous viewership record by a country mile. It garnered over 600K concurrent live viewers.

Although Shroud performed impressively, especially through his triple kill to end the first map on Breeze, the group collectively failed to overcome their opposition. Speaking about it, ShahZam added:

"Actually, it is that Dapr should play. That was a bad mistake that cost us the map, it's true. But it'll never happen again, right."

ShahZam added:

"It's okay; it's just okay, bro. You're gonna have things that go your way and things that don't go your way. Bro, I lost for a long time till I won. It's literally nothing you can do but play better next time. That's it."

Despite the loss, his spirits were not dampened. The 28-year-old also commented that losses happen, but the main aim is to have fun and enjoy themselves.

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Fans react to Sentinels' first-round loss

Fans have been waiting for the team to play since Shroud's signing was announced. The peak viewership was a testament to that fact.

Despite the loss, they shared their encouragement with the group. Here are some of the comments made under the YouTube clip:

Fans react as Sentinels took the loss (Image via YouTube/Fileforfun VALORANT)

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Despite the loss, fans remain optimistic about the NA roster's next match, with most believing that they have made quite a few improvements. Their lower bracket match will take place on August 7.