The esports organization Sentinels made a post on social media to offer some encouragement to their previous Valorant player, Zachary ‘zekken’ Patrone. The tweet simply stated ‘rooting for ya buddy’ with a clapping hands emoji plus a photo of a smiling zekken, who was next to the current Sentinels star Erick ‘aspas’ Santos. The tweet sparked an emotional reaction from the entire gaming community. This tweet was more visible and pointed out the mixed emotions among the fans in professional esports caused by player transfer and team loyalty.
So, it’s like, you know all the great plays and drama in esports have become synonymous? Yes, but sometimes it is a little more than that; it could be a little sweet and sad at the same time. That is what the Sentinels Twitter account did when they posted this pic of zekken and aspas looking all friendly. The caption was just “rooting for ya buddy 👏” and honestly?? It had a different impact. It did. For anyone who is not that deep in the Valorant scene, zekken was one of the main players for Sentinels for a long time. He was like their ace. Then, he moved to the Brazilian team MIBR last offseason. It was a big deal for sure.
And talk about the replies to the tweet?? They are the ones who tell the whole story. You find Zekken himself replying with the words “thanks fellas ❤️”. Which is a really nice thing, isn’t it? And then you scroll the replies and find it is just a wave of nostalgia and pain from players. “It’s been months and it still hurts,” one user wrote. Another commented, “Damn… 😭🥀” as if they were mourning something. And then the MIBR team official account comes in with their blue heart emojis, which is quite striking when you relate it to – the new team recognizing the love their new player gets from the old team. The whole thing is a vibe.
The drama that is surrounding him leaving isn’t just that people will miss him. There is more drama in the replies too. People are having heated arguments about why Zekken left. One thread is getting back and forth about whether he had “an offer he couldn’t refuse” which was supposedly just the chance to play with aspas, not even a huge amount of money? Some one says he took a pay cut just to make his dream come true. Can you imagine? Leaving a top org like Sentinels, perhaps for lower salary, just to couple up with a specific player. That is the kind of commitment to a duo that is off the charts.
And the picture that accompanied the tweet? It is showing a lot of the work as well. Zekken’s smile hits the hardest. One user pointed out that he is even in a Sentinels jersey in the picture, which one more reply said was “taking me out 😭”. It is this strange overlap of past and present, you know? He is looking happy but at the same time wearing the team colors of the team he is no longer a member of. The Triumph Games account even tweeted, “It is enough to make a grown man cry.” Even Zekken’s mother (or maybe it is someone who has the handle MamaZekken, which is so cute) popped up to say, “Woohoo 🥳”. The family support is very much alive!
However, some of the replies are just hilarious but in a very chaotic gamer way. One user is just extremely confused: “I haven’t followed the esports scene for some time… but when tf did Zekken go to mibr 😭.. You guys really let him go 💔”. Like, welcome back to the mess, buddy! Another user is completely distracted by Zekken’s profile picture in the thread and is asking, “Why does zekken have ralsei as his pfp?” People, what are your priorities? And of course, there is always that one guy who likes to do the classic esports banter and writes “Loud CHAMPINS mibr nop” – which for the uninitiated probably sounds like some regional vs. regional trash talk that is completely nonsensical to outsiders but the insiders know what it is about and how it feels.
It is not difficult to view this as just another social media post but the reality is, it is more than that. It is a moment in time showing how esports organized and players are able to cope with these super public career changes. The Sentinels did not have to post this. They could have simply moved on quietly. But giving a shout out to a former player like this, especially one that left for direct competition? That builds a different kind of reputation. It shows the player that even if you leave, you are still part of the community, a sentiment that resonates across gaming platforms like PlayStation and Xbox.
