Sentinels has reached a verbal agreement with former M80 VALORANT player, free agent, and in-game leader Mouhamed “johnqt” Ouarid, who will lead the in-game shot-calling for the star-studded roster during the 2024 VCT Americas season, according to a report from Alejandro “anonimotum” Gomis.
Sentinels has reportedly been in the market for an in-game leader prior to next season, and with johnqt playing primarily sentinel agents while also IGLing, he seems poised to be a perfect fit for Sentinels next season. The transfer window for VCT Americas officially opens today at 11am CT, meaning an official announcement of the transfer could come from Sentinels as early as then.
Johnqt has been a name that’s been highly discussed in relation to Sentinels since the 2023 season ended. Several of VCT Americas’ on-screen analysts pointed to johnqt back in July, soon after Sentinels’ season came to an end in the LCQ. With johnqt reportedly joining, the team can move pANcada back to the controller/smokes role that he won a world championship with LOUD on. If the remainder of the Sentinels roster stays the same, then we will likely see Sacy on initiator, zekken on entry/duelist, and TenZ taking on more of a flex role.
Following the flurry of changes that Sentinels made during the 2023 season, the team finished the year with Marved, who is not traditionally an in-game leader, taking on the primary shotcalling role while the other players “[chimed] in with ideas and plays to support him,” coach kaplan told Dot Esports in May. But kaplan also noted that he wanted a more cohesive roster “no matter what” for 2024, and with a proven IGL at the helm, Sentinels is a step closer to that goal getting accomplished.
Johnqt will reportedly join Sentinels after a successful season with M80, in which the team finished as one of the top North American Challengers rosters and came just a single series away from ascending to VCT Americas.
