Top 5 Sentinel players to look out for at VCT Masters Shanghai

VCT Masters Shanghai is the second global LAN event of the 2024 season. Here, a total of 12 teams from the four franchise leagues will compete against each other to get their hands on the second and final Masters trophy of this season. Teams will first go through the Swiss stage and then make their way to the Playoffs to fight for the trophy.

Sentinel players are one of the most crucial ones in the team. They are the anchors of a site while deffending and find a lot of impact through lurks while attacking. There have been many players in this role who have looked impressive in this season. Below is a list of five such Sentinel players that viewers need to look out for at VCT Masters Shanghai.

Note: This list is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.

The best Sentinel players to keep an eye on during VCT Masters Shanghai

1) Boostio

Boostio at VCT Americas Stage 1 (Image via Riot Games)

Kelden "Boostio" Pupello is an American esports player who plays for 100 Thieves. He mainly fulfills the role of the Sentinel Agents, Cypher and Killjoy, but has also recently stepped into the role of Initiator Gekko on certain maps.

Boostio and coach Zikz are the main reasons for 100 Thieves' glowing performance during Americas Stage 1. The world champion brought a lot of confidence to the team and has completely switched their playstyle from before. On top of this, Boostio has looked exceptional individually and is usually able to top the scoreboard with many multikills.

While he had a low ACS (Average Combat Score) of 169.5 during Americas Stage 1, his impact was felt in every series. 100 Thieves has a very real chance of winning VCT Masters Shanghai, and Boostio could lead them to it.

2) Alfajer

Alfajer at VCT EMEA Stage 1 (Image via Riot Games)

Turkish esports player Emir "Alfajer" Ali Beder plays for Fnatic. He is the primary Sentinel player for his team and is among the few pros who have played Deadlock in an official series.

Alfajer has always been regarded as one of the most talented players in VCT. He brings a lot of firepower for his team and always manages to come out on top of impossible situations with multikills.

In EMEA Stage 1, he even shifted back to the role of the Duelist, Raze, and displayed a stellar performance. Alfajer was able to secure a total ACS of 219.1 at that event. Winning VCT Masters Shanghai would be an incredible comeback for the Fnatic after missing out on VCT Masters Madrid.

3) leaf

leaf at VCT Americas Stage 1 (Image via Riot Games)

Nathan "leaf" Orf is an American esports player who plays for G2 Esports. Apart from the Sentinel Agents, Killjoy and Cypher, leaf has also stepped in the role of the Controller, Viper, when needed.

leaf's move to the Ascension winners' roster was something that not many people anticipated. After an underwhelming start during the Kickoff, the team underwent some roster changes, which put leaf in the role of a Sentinel instead of his usual Duelist. Despite this drastic change, leaf was able to bring the same firepower for his team.

In Americas Stage 1, he was among the best Sentinel players and got himself an ACS of 221.8 while playing three different Agents. leaf and G2 Esports have been looking better with each series. They have a lot of potential to become a top team and win VCT Masters Shanghai.

4) xccurate

xccurate at VCT Pacific Stage 1 (Image via Riot Games)

The Indonesian esports player, Kevin "xccurate" Susanto plays for T1. He fulfills the role of Sentinel for his team and is among the few pros who plays as Chamber in the current meta.

VCT 2024 is xccurate's first time playing in tier one Valorant esports. The team had a rather disappointing performance during Kickoff despite high expectations. Regardless, Pacific Stage 1 was a whole lot different as T1 turned around completely.

During the Playoffs, xccurate took the role of an IGL in some matches (In-game Leader) and led his team towards earning the VCT Masters Shanghai spot. His Chamber plays were also able to find a decent amount of impact in certain matches. xccurate ended Pacific Stage 1 with a total ACS of 186.3 whilst playing five different Agents for the team.

5) CHICHOO

CHICHOO at Masters Madrid (Image via Riot Games)

Wan "CHICHOO" Shunji is a Chinese esports player who plays for EDward Gaming. Apart from playing as the Sentinel Agents Killjoy and Cypher, CHICHOO has also fulfilled the role of the Controller Viper and the Duelist Reyna when needed.

In 2023, CHICHOO solidified himself as one of the best Sentinel players in the world. Despite his aggressive playstyle, he was always able to find perfect lurks and convert them into multikills. On top of this, CHICHOO was also good for most clutch situations that got his team out of many tricky situations.

VCT 2024 has been a similar route for him as his performance has looked just as good as before. In China Stage 1, he ended up with an ACS of 193.3 while playing five different Agents. Now, he has the chance to bring an international trophy to the home crowd by winning VCT Masters Shanghai.

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Edited by Abu Amjad Khan