This is the kind of weekend the Sentinels truly struggled with, and nothing seemed to make sense, floating in a pool of everything going south. The community understood. It’s the kind of weekend you try to forget and move on from. Their community fully understood. Sentinels tweeted a short, powerful message that encapsulated their feelings, “Nothing goes right on a given weekend, and everything seems to be going south, but that one weekend will not stop us. See you in Paris 🇫🇷.” The replies erupted in an unforgettable way.
This weekend was no different, and Valorant esports certainly did not disappoint with drama. In the middle of the hype, one of the biggest names in the scene, Sentinels, took a big L. The remainder of the weekend was a mess of feelings from the community. The tweet felt like a typical post-tournament shrug- “We’ll get ’em next time,” but the comments said otherwise.
First, there’s the positive group of people. People like Optimaver with their “GG’s guys, reset for champs. Time to lock in when it matters 🫡”(which is the preferred, good sportive term), then there’s Max with a little laid back no drama approach “Gg’s good luck to you guys! See you in Paris.” Even Strafe Esports hops in with a “Tough weekend indeed, Champs looks rough for you guys, but GL in Paris!” which has a bit of passive aggressive tone but still somewhat supportive.
And then… oh, then is the other side. Caterpillar and OPĐĶ lead the charge, and the rest just follow. OPĐĶ, the more vocal one, said, “How are we gonna take on other regions teams if we can’t win from NRG 😭😭😭.” The pain is clear. Caterpillar says “Just woke up and how tf are we losing to ShitRG? 😭😭.” The “ShitRG” clearly shows no love for the team, and the rest feel the same way.
Following, we have the haters. G2AlwaysOnTop came out and said, “You guys are frauds, and it was obvious from the beginning. You didn’t even need us this time to get you knocked out.” Now that is just mean. Even on the hate, there is a conversation. Another user, 00bja, “When is it finally time to change the coaching staff? We need a refresh.” Doesn’t sound like hate; it sounds like someone calling out the real issues. Doesn’t seem so far-fetched after a poor showing?
This is all a representation of esports fandom in a nutshell. You have the loyal fans who support the team through thick and thin, the disappointed fans who want the team to improve, and the trolls who just want to make trouble. There’s even one person who put the team into ChatGPT, which is… something. What it said? Maybe we never find out.
What’s odd is the minor disagreements that begin to pop up. Some arguments trying to determine whether or not Sentinels with discussion on their place as a top team starts turning a little ugly. One calls Sentinels frauds while another says they are the best in the Americas but have flaws and are exploitable. It’s a lot of noise with little of substance.
The team’s message through all of this is clear: We are far from finished. Paris is the next stop, and that is where Champions is, and that is where it all matters. Last year they received the 4th seed and still managed a top 4 finish at the big dance, so maybe there is hope. Maybe this rough weekend is a blip. Or maybe it is a sign of bigger problems. Who knows.
There is pressure, and it feels widespread. The performance was weak, of that, there is no question. But this is esports. A team is never defined by one bad weekend. What defines them is the bounce back that follows. The comments such as “y’all need a break and to lock the hell in, whatever i watched today made me wanna chop off my legs” only highlights the despair expressed by fans.
Everyone is bound to be excited about Paris. Everyone is excited to watch the best teams from each region fight for the title of champion. Sentinels are going to attend hoping to prove the world that the weekend slip did not define them. The talent is there. Players like zekken and TenZ are still ranked as some of the best in the game. They just need to execute when it counts.
Split world of hope and despair makes up the Sentinels fans. It’s hope and despair called out by those writing off and those that embrace the process. Observe as I take a seat. Valorant tends to be weird. A team can look terrible in one week and win it all the following week. That certainly is a reason to watch.
