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The VCT's Last Chance Qualifiers 2022 for North America was a roller-coaster ride for many fans, as Sentinels took to the stage and fought for their last chance to enter Champions 2022.
The ShahZaM-led Valorant roster is extremely popular in the game's community. Thousands of fans tuned in for their matches in the VCT NA LCQ, hoping for an astonishing comeback. To top this, Shroud joined the Sentinels last month, marking his return to competitive gaming.
Sentinels lost their first match in VCT NA LCQ against The Guard, moving to the lower bracket. However, fans didn't back away from supporting the team during the game. The community broke astonishing viewership records, surpassing 600,000 peak viewers on the day of Shroud's return.
The Sentinels couldn't qualify for VCT 2022 but still garnered the highest viewership in LCQ
The NA LCQ final couldn't manage to garner as much viewership as the upper bracket quarterfinal game.
According to viewership statistics from Esports Charts, a significant number of fans tuned in to watch Sentinels take on The Guard in the upper quarterfinal of NA LCQ. The numbers remained high during subsequent matches in which Sentinels participated.
That said, the grand final that witnessed 100 Thieves take on The Guard only garnered one-third of the matches that featured Sentinels.
Sentinels managed to defeat Shopify Rebellion in the lower bracket quarterfinals, but they failed to counter 100 Thieves in their next knockout game. All three NA LCQ games with Sentinels as a contender garnered a massive viewership.
Reddit user u/boywithluv77 pointed out that it would be interesting to see what happens when Sentinels qualify for a LAN tournament. A lot of fans will likely show up, probably breaking an offline ticket sales record.
Some Redditors pointed out that 270k wasn't an unsatisfactory number for a VCT LCQ game. Riot Games has done an excellent job promoting the game's esports scene, and the boost in viewership is likely a result of this.
Similarly, a considerable fraction of the 623,475 viewers who tuned in for the Sentinels vs The Guard match were there to watch Shroud. Needless to say, Shroud's addition to Sentinels was a direct trigger for the massive viewership.
The Sentinels undoubtedly features one of the most popular rosters in the world, with legends like ShahZam and TenZ showcasing their skill. With Shroud added in, the roster's popularity is at an all-time high.
