Shroud returns to professional play in Sentinels’ red jersey

Michael “shroud” Grzesiek is all set to make a comeback in the competitive scene with the North American team Sentinels. The former CS:GO professional is returning to the professional scene after four years with an exciting shift to Valorant. 

Sentinels have acquired shroud, a Twitch phenomenon, for their Valorant lineup in an effort to reclaim their supremacy in the game. Shroud will join the versatile duo of TenZ and ShahZaM in a controller role for the upcoming Last Chance Qualifier. The organization has not publicly announced who shroud will replace. However, his role as controller suggests he will replace SicK, who took over the controller role for Sentinel before stepping down. 

Shroud revealed during a live stream that he will soon join Sentinels’ boot camp to prepare for the LCQ tournament, which is scheduled to take place in August. He has not, in any way, participated in professional VALORANT yet, but he was seen playing Valorant frequently during his streams. 

Sentinels Valorant roster

• Shahzeb “ShahZaM” Khan (IGL)
• Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek
• Michael “dapr” Gulino
• Eric “Kanpeki” Xu
• Tyson “TenZ” Ngo
• Shane “Rawkus” Flaherty (coach)
• Hunter “SicK” Mims (inactive)

Can Shroud break Sentinels’ curse?

As new players and teams entered the professional scene and introduced new playstyles and tactics, the Sentinels’ dominance started to wane. While they were eliminated early from the VCT 2021 Stage 3 Masters Berlin, they ended the year by missing the VALORANT Champions 2021 playoffs. However, their performance in 2021 earned them an invitation to the VCT 2022 North America Stage 1 Challengers. Although they made it past the group stage with an outstanding performance, they faltered during the playoffs and missed the first international tournament of the year, Master Reykjavík 2022.  

The team’s dismal performance persisted in the Stage 2 Open Qualifiers, as they failed to properly advance through the first qualifier to the main event. They nevertheless qualified for the main event via the second qualifier thanks to their incredible 5-0 record in the lower bracket. But in the Stage 2 Group Stage, the squad dropped its opening two matches to Evil Geniuses and Luminosity. Hunter “SicK” Mims was unable to compete due to a family issue, therefore they were forced to play their final three matches without him. 

He was replaced by head coach Shane “Rawkus” Flaherty, but the team’s results continued to deteriorate, and they finished the competition with a heartbreaking 0-5 record. However, the team managed to earn enough VCT points to qualify for the VCT NA LCQ, which will take place in August with the eight North American teams with the most VCT circuit points. Given his significant first-person shooter gaming experience, the arrival of Shroud will undoubtedly give the team greater firepower. Although the presence of Shroud in a team led by ShahZaM sounds incredibly exciting to fans, Sentinels are more worried about how it will play out on the battlefield.

Header: Sentinels