Fans have been hyped about FPS veteran Michael “shroud” Grzesiek joining the Valorant roster of Sentinels ahead of the VCT NA Qualifiers. While viewership of Sentinels’ matches were high thanks to the addition of the former Counter-Strike pro, the team’s performance didn’t live up to expectations.
Sentinels recently faced 100 Thieves in the last chance qualifiers and fans had high expectations, but shroud and his squad fell short and were eliminated from the qualifier. This was unfortunate after so much social media hype for the new roster.
The loss at the last chance qualifiers was a huge blow for Sentinels, but shroud is saying that a comeback is possible. Things didn’t go ideally, but does shroud have a high enough ceiling in pro Valorant to be considered as a long-term team member?
Is shroud good at Valorant?
shroud has regularly impressed his viewers on Twitch thanks to his wild mechanical skills in a variety of FPS games. He spent a long time as a pro player in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive scene, but has since branched out into other shooters.
Last year shroud stated that he was not interested in playing Valorant with pro players, admitting that he was rusty compared to people that are paid to practice for hours every day. He also
dispelled rumors at the time
that he was going to join a pro Valorant team.
But then shroud ended up on Sentinels. At first, people thought it was a meme but Sentinels confirmed that shroud was truly joining the roster for the upcoming Valorant NA qualifiers. So is shroud actually good enough to play pro Valorant?
The Valorant community was skeptical at first but from a statistical perspective, shroud held up against the comparatively stiff competition. His pure KDA was solid and he was able to contribute with utility and playmaking as well. There is certainly potential there, but it’s unknown whether shroud will give it another go or if he might be better served financially by focusing on streaming.
Olivia Richman
About Olivia Richman
Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.
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