Sentinels Johnqt: “It was difficult back in 2024 to lose outstanding veteran players like Tenz and Sacy”

If there is one team with the most significant fan base in VALORANT Esports, it would be Sentinels. 2025 was not the best year for the NA giants, as they did not win any trophies, despite being one of the strongest teams in the world.s. As the team prepares to take part in the Red Bull Home Ground, Jaxon had the opportunity to speak with Amine “johnqt” Ouarid, the primary flex player for Setinels, about his journey with the team and his reflections on the VCT 2025 season.

Red Bull Home Ground will take place between November 14th and 17th. Teams from around the world, like FNATIC, G2 Esports, NRG Esports, and T1, will face off in a thrilling double-bracket tournament. This will be the first time fans will be able to see the new roster of multiple VALORANT teams prior to the 2026 season.

It has been a while since the VALORANT competitive season concluded for the year. As a player, what are your thoughts on the year behind us?

Johnqt after a win against Cloud9 in 2025. Image credit: Riot Games

Johnqt: There have been a lot of ups and downs. Definitely, we didn’t achieve the level of success we were looking for this year. The goal this year was to get a trophy, but we couldn’t. We reached really close, as we lost two grand finals. It was a year of growth, during which everyone on our team learned a great deal. At the end of the day, I had a lot of fun and a lot of experiences to take back.

Since 2024, the roster of Sentinels has undergone numerous changes. How have these changes in the team affected you?

Johnqt is currently the player with the longest tenure in Sentinels, first arriving in 2023. Image credit: Riot Games

Johnqt: It was difficult back in 2024 to lose outstanding veteran players like Tenz and Sacy. It was tough to replace them. I do feel that Bang and Narrate did really well, and to the best of their ability. At the end of the day, we lost all our games as a team, not due to any specific individual. It was a completely different team, and we didn’t really feel like we were building on the momentum from 2024. Instead, it felt like a new team, and obviously, the meta changed quite a bit in 2025. At the same time, all teams became significantly stronger, making it a challenging year. To win an international VALORANT tournament, you need to be the best and most consistent for three weeks. Unfortunately, we were unable to achieve it this year.

With the launch of Tejo and Waylay in 2025 during the VCT season, how did these agents, in your opinion, affect the competitive meta?

Image credit: Riot Games

Johnqt: I think VCT Americas Kickoff and VALORANT Masters Bangkok were really weird due to the Tejo meta. We had adapted to the agent quite well and were one of the first teams to use him on every map. G2 Esports was the best team to use that formula. But T1 won the Masters Bangkok while not playing Tejo, which was funny.

It’s just that the constant changes with the meta this year. Every two months, there was a significant shift in the meta, which made a lot of difference. It was tough to improve strategy and other aspects of the team while the map pool constantly changed. Teams like PRX and FNATIC greatly benefit from having a core of players who have already mastered their fundamentals and team synergy. At the end of the day, the new teams had to adapt, and we did too.

From glory to disaster

Back in 2024, Sentinels first won VCT America Kickoff 2024. Building on that momentum, they became the first team to win two VALORANT Masters Tournaments. Tenz was the only player from the VALORANT Masters Madrid squad to win the first event. Neither VCT Americas Stage One nor Stage Two was ideal, as neither finished in the top 3.

During VALORANT Champions 2024, they finished in 4th place. Following Tenz and Sacy announcing their retirement, Sentinels made a return with a new squad. Sadly, the new roster couldn’t win any VCT Americas tournament as G2 Esports completed the three-peat that season. VALORANT Champions 2025 was a disaster as the team finished in 16th place.

Following the VCT 2025 season, only Narrate and you are left from the old core of the team. How does it feel to see yourself potentially face off against your old teammate in Zellsis during Red Bull Home Ground?

Johnqt: Sadly, we haven’t had much time to prepare. We only had a few scrims and recently played the Sen Invitational. Honestly, it still feels weird, and I’m getting used to all the roster changes. We have a completely new roster this year, and for the Red Bull Home Ground, it promises to be an enjoyable experience. The goal is to win it, but at the same time, it will be an essential event for us as a team to understand each other.

We have the opportunity to play powerful teams during this event. Teams like Fnatic, NRG Esports, and G2 Esports, who will be really strong as they retained 3 or 4 players from their previous roster. At the end of the day, the team that wins the most will secure the trophy and win the tournament.

Fans around the world usually only see Esports athletes like yourself primarily during the matches. Some get to hear your thoughts and opinions during the post-match interviews. As an Esports player for Sentinels, what are some things that you wish were highlighted more in our community?

Johnqt: There is a lot. Often, fans do not understand why a team makes a particular decision. One might suggest doing certain things while not having the whole context concerning that situation. They fail to understand the small details. Details like the fact that we practise with our teammates a lot and try certain things. From these practices, we only use certain things because we have observed them to be effective in our own experience.

Sometimes, fans only see stats, and they don’t understand that some players are really important for the team, while not having the best stats. Some players make significant sacrifices in the game so that their teammates can perform well. Players in the support role often receive criticism because they aren’t performing well. But in reality, they are not set up to be good.

To illustrate, Zellsis was previously part of our roster. Last year, he received a lot of criticism, and fans failed to appreciate the importance of such players. Fans really aren’t as patient as one would like to be. Winning trophies in VALORANT Esports on the highest level is really hard. There have been players who have been competing for multiple years and have lost numerous finals. It is not easy; there is an element of luck, as even one’s health is vital. Sometimes players can fall sick during the tournament. I have always said that fans only get 30% of how truly an esports team functions on a day-to-day basis.

How important is a tournament like Red Bull Home Ground 2025 for you in the ongoing VALORANT Off-Season?

Johnqt, the IGL from Sentinels. Image credit: Riot Games

Johnqt: We need to play off-season tournaments. We usually play quite a lot of off-season events as Sentinels. They are crucial to building up synergy and having a strong start to the year. Teams that don’t participate in off-season events often struggle significantly at the kickoff tournament. Not only synergy in the game, but also events outside. Being able to spend time with your teammates, grab some food, and spend time together, and get to know each other.

You also get to know how your teammates function in a match environment in front of fans and how they tend to manage their stress and anxiety during the matches. I am glad that we are here at the Red Bull Home Ground 2025 playing some of the strongest teams currently in VALORANT Esports.

It does feel like Sentinels are turning a page in their journey in VALORANT Esports. With the new roster consisting of rookies from their academy team, the team has adopted a significantly different approach. While players like Tenz, Zekken, and Sacy might not be a part of the roster, the expectations from this team are as high as it gets. It will be interesting to watch Red Bull Home Ground as a new era of Setinels begins with johnQt leading the charge.

Featured image credit: Riot Games

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