"It's fine to be critical but don't spread hate on them": OpTic Gaming Valorant star Yay speaks out regarding Sentinel's recent lackluster performance

Sentinels' rough patch continues in the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) NA Stage 2 Challengers. After having a disastrous Stage 1 Challengers, the team was hoping for a stronger return in Stage 2.

However, the situation seems to be even worse for them this time. Sentinels failed to qualify for the main event from the NA Qualifier 1 and is now just one loss away from being eliminated from the event after today's defeat against Akrew in the NA Qualifier 2.

Fans were disheartened by the team's performance and have started to mock the star-studded lineup once again. However, many Valorant stars came forward in support of Sentinels' players. OpTic Gaming's star Jaccob "yay" Whiteaker also tweeted and requested fans not to spread hate against the players.

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Can Sentinels become the number one Valorant team in North America again?

Sentinels were the champions of the first international Valorant LAN event last year and became the best team in the world by defeating EMEA side Fnatic in the VCT 2021 Split 1 Masters Reykjavik. The addition of Tyson "Tenz" Ngo in a world-record buyout from Cloud9 Blue is still the highest paid transfer value in Valorant history.

However, since then, the team has failed to perform at their fullest potential and their performances have seen a decay in the graph over the last few months. In the Stage 1 Challengers, Sentinels was knocked out of the Playoffs after losing their first two games against The Guard and Version1.

After that, the team was determined to make a stronger comeback in Stage 2. The team has gone through significant roster changes as well, with Eric "Kanpeki Xu joining in replacing Jared "zombs" Gitlin from its active roster. The organization recently announced the return of Rawkus as the headcoach as well.

But they failed to perform in the ongoing NA Open Qualifiers as well. As things stand, the side is currently just one loss away from being eliminated from the Stage 2 Challengers.

Fans and the media have been constantly criticizing their performances over the last couple of days. However, OpTic Gaming's star Yay also tweeted out a request that fans stop spreading hate against the players.

He mentioned that there were several things that go on behind the scenes and people do not know about it. He said it is okay to criticize them but nothing else that can mentally affect the players as an individual.

It will be interesting to see whether the team will be able to find their way through to the main event from this position.