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Sentinels recently signed former FaZe Clan player Shane “Rawkus” Flaherty as the coach for its Valorant roster.
The team had no head coach before and was guided by in-game leader Shahzeb “ShahZaM” Khan. However, after their defeat in the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Stage 3 Masters Berlin Playoffs, the side will have another chance to return victorious, this time at the Champions.
The VCT Stage 2 Masters Reykjavík winners will again fight against the top 16 teams from the world in the Valorant Champions, but this time with Rawkus as their head coach.
Sentinels has a strong set of players:
- Tyson "TenZ" Ngo
- Shahzeb "ShahZaM" Khan
- Michael "dapr" Gulino
- Jared "zombs" Gitlin
- Hunter "SicK" Mims
How can Rawkus help Sentinels win Valorant Champions Berlin 2021?
The Valorant Champions 2021 will start on December 1 in Berlin, which gives Sentinels less than a month to practice with Rawkus.
Before switching to Valorant, Rawkus was an Overwatch player who won gold at the 2019 Overwatch World Cup for the US. He is an experienced player in the esports industry, which can help Sentinels identify the mistakes made at the Masters Berlin and make a strong comeback at the Champions.
However, coming from a team like FaZe Clan, who lost to Sentinels thrice at the VCT North America Stage 1 Masters, and barely made it far in the Last Chance Qualifiers, many Sentinels fans doubt his capability in helping the team. FaZe Clan has not been a comparatively great team, and Rawkus could barely make an impact in his Valorant career as a player. It will be intriguing to see how Rawkus could bring something new to the VCT Stage 2 Masters Reykjavík winning team by sharing his knowledge.
Nevertheless, the addition of a head coach will help bring significant changes to its strategy, as many teams like G2 Esports and Team Envy seemed to adapt at the Masters Berlin. Their playstyle and strategies were studied and predicted by many teams. This resisted them in giving their best in terms of coming up with a new plan during the match.
Previously, ShahZaM used to look at building strategies for the team and guiding them during tournaments. However, having Rawkus on board can take this pressure off his shoulders and help the pro concentrate more on the game.
It will be an intriguing watch, how the team performs after having Rawkus as their head coach, ahead of Valorant Champions 2021. Moreover, it will be interesting to see how much change they bring in their gameplay.
Note: This article reflects the author's views.
