SEN zekken: "I mainly think we should have been better, but they were as good as I expected. Cloud impressed me a lot."
A post-match interview with SEN Zekken after their Champions Paris opener match. The interview covers the team's and players' performances, their expectations of GIANTX, the lessons they have learned, and their confidence ahead of a potential elimination match.
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SEN zekken
"I don’t think we need to change strategy or agents, we just need a stronger mentality going into the next game."
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In a post-match interview at the VALORANTChampions 2025 in Paris, Zachary “zekken” Patrone reflects on Sentinels’ first match, the issues with some part of the game, how recent results have shaped the team’s mindset. He also talked about the reasons behind the team's current focus on steadier communication, conviction in their game plan, and maintaining stronger self-belief as they progress.
After this first game of VCT Champions in Paris, how are you feeling about the team’s performance overall and your own?
Zachary “zekken” Patrone: "Pretty bad. As a team, we played poorly. Individually, there were things I could have done better, but I’m not disappointed in my showing, I had a lot of good moments I can be happy with. There were mistakes, of course, but it wasn’t terrible. Still, overall, I feel pretty bad.
Did you expect GX to be as responsive at the macro level as they are at the aim level?
zekken: Yeah, I expected them to be solid and strong both macro-wise and mechanically. I wasn’t surprised. I mainly think we should have been better, but they were as good as I expected. Cloud (Kirill Nekhozhin) impressed me a lot. I’ve seen him play well in Europe for a long time, and it was my first time facing him. He stood out the most to me.
The last map was close to the start and then GX took over. What was missing on Haven, in your opinion?
zekken: We were too timid on defence. We played scared, didn’t retake space well, and didn’t communicate well. We needed better communications and more confidence if we wanted to win that. I don’t think the strategy itself was the problem.
What part of Sentinels’ identity showed most clearly today?
zekken: On Corrode, it was our confidence in our ideas being willing to run what we know and do it well. When we execute our game plans, it looks solid, and that’s what that map looked like. The worst parts of our identity showed on the other two: we had decent plans but couldn’t execute. So Corrode was us at our best, the others showed the issues.
What one lesson from this match will you carry into the next?
zekken: Don’t be timid. Believe in our plans and in ourselves. I don’t think we need to change strategy or agents, we just need a stronger mentality going into the next game.
Sentinels secured a top-three finish at VCT Americas Stage 2. How does that position influence your confidence and mindset heading into the world stage, considering the recent losses against NRG and G2?
zekken: Losing those two games was honestly good for us, it helped identify problems we needed to fix. We’d have been worse off without the chance to address them. We didn’t show well today and there’s more to do, but coming in as the third seed from the Americas isn’t that bad, even if we expected more.
Photo by Adela Sznajder/Riot Games
What does it mean to you to be among the Champions, playing for a world title?
zekken: It’s amazing. I’m thankful we qualified and that we played well enough throughout the year to secure our spot. I’m really happy to be here, Paris is a beautiful city. I’m enjoying the food and walking around. It’s not an opportunity you get every day, so I’m trying to enjoy every moment.
We saw photos of you and your teammates visiting Paris. Did you try any new food or visit monuments? I know Amine "johnqt" Ouarid speaks French, did he translate or teach you any words?
zekken: He taught me only curse words, and some French staff did too. That’s all I learned. But JohnQTbeen a great tour guide. We saw the Eiffel Tower. I tried "escargot" (snails) for the first time, it was excellent. I thought it would gross me out, but it surprised me. All the food I’ve had here has been really good.
Walk us through your day, from waking up to walking on stage. Did you find a special routine in Paris?
zekken: No special routine for Paris. My day’s mostly the same: if I wake up early, I’ll walk around and find coffee; if I wake up late, I head straight to the practice room. I warm up, eat, have coffee, maybe order from the hotel, and then we go to the arena. I listen to a lot of music, play a lot of deathmatch to make sure my aim’s on point. Right before the match we review how we want to play, talk things through, and then we play.
When momentum dipped like today, what helped you reset and stay composed?
zekken: Breathing deep, breathing to keep my heart rate down. I don’t want to panic on stage; I need to stay calm and collected. I think a lot of players do something similar. Sometimes I close my eyes and breathe; sometimes I look at the crowd, it makes me excited to play. But mostly it’s deep breathing and relaxing myself.
Compared to earlier this season, where have you grown the most as a teammate?
zekken: It’s been an up-and-down year. In the low moments, I’ve tried to use my words to mediate conversations be a good teammate, calm people down if needed or hype them up if that’s what they need. I try to read my teammates’ emotions and do whatever helps them be ready to play confidently.
Facing XLG in an elimination match, what do you think about that team, and are you confident?
zekken: They look stronger than previous versions we’ve seen, because they finally have their full five with NoMan(James Man), and he looked very good today. I think this will be the strongest XLG we’ve faced yet, but I’m still very confident. I think we’ll do well."
