Following a 2025 VALORANT season of resurgence and narrow exits at the international level, Sentinels have built a new core that will represent them in VCT Americas 2026. The North American organisation returned to global events and threatened deep runs in both regional and international settings but repeatedly fell short once they reached the latter stages of brackets. Rather than embarking on another full rebuild, Sentinels have instead pursued measured continuity in the hopes of refining an identity rather than seeking to reinvent one going into the new season.

The 2026 lineup features Yassin "reduxx" Aboulalazm, Mirel "Kyu" Hrustemovic, Gabriel "cortezia" Cortez, Amine "johnqt" Ouarid, and Marshall "N4RRATE" Massey, all competing under head coach Adam "kaplan" Kaplan. The new five have already commenced building on-stage synergy, first taking home their own in-house event in the SEN Classic before going on to Red Bull Home Ground as a freshly assembled roster.

johnqt stepped back from the IGL role to focus more on his own performance and be the second shut caller after guiding the roster through its 2025 revival, with N4RRATE make his comeback as Duelist. Around this duo, reduxx brings explosive presence, Kyu the new IGL, offers flexibility following johnqt's step back from the lead. cortezia's previously with MIBR as Sentinel provides stability, creating a balanced unit of Sentinels capable of adapting to shifting metagames.

Structure, continuity, and well-defined identity

The blend of profiles on the roster reflects Sentinels attempt to find a long-term formula after several years of frequent changes. Kyu's versatility enables on-the-fly compositional tweaks, and cortezia's steady presence shores up the team's defensive setups. Add in the existing synergy in mid-round calling between johnqt and N4RRATE, and the lineup is built to keep structure but still allow individual initiative to shine through in critical rounds. 

Behind the players, kaplan remains the constant guiding the project. Having overseen previous iterations and the team's 2025 resurgence, he continues to implement a system-focused approach designed to maximise both coordination and individual strengths. His ongoing tenure signals the organisation's desire to finally stabilise after years of rebuilding cycles. With their 2026 roster finalised early and a familiar coaching voice in place, Sentinels enter VCT Americas 2026 not as a work in progress, but as a structured contender.

Sentinels roster for VCT Americas 2026:

For more roster changes, check out our Transfers Hub or the Offseason Live Tracker.