[EXCLUSIVE]"I think we will be ready" SEN Zekken is ready to face Leviatan for VCT Americas Kickoff Play Ins

Valorant

25 Feb

Ganesh Jadhav

Today, Sentinels is all set to face Leviatan for a chance at the Play-ins. After their win over 100 Thieves, we secured a interview with their entry Zachary "Zekken" Patrone, capturing his thoughts on the 100 Thieves win, what the team did after the LOUD loss and more.

Winning over 100 Thieves

Playing against 100 Thieves for their tournament lives, Sentinels completely dominated 100 Thieves on the first map, but got thrashed back on the second. On the final map, the teams went blow for blow. In the end, Sentinels came on top and extended their tournament lives. Zekken also wanted to face Leviatan for the qualifying game.

"I would like to play Leviatan"

Congratulations on the win! How are you feeling? What are your thoughts on the game?

Very tired but very happy with how the game went.

On the first map Lotus, you guys had them cornered, you completely annihilated them. But they replicated the same on the second map. What do you think went wrong on Bind?

I think they were just playing pretty well.

And, I think we were messing up. We made small mistakes that we normally wouldn't have and they were able to get momentum with that and keep it going and that's how they got that map.

Split was really back and forth too. Both teams were exchanging rounds and then you decide to get a jump on them and kill two with a classic, after that round Sentinels just closed a map which might’ve gone OT. Can you talk a little bit about how Split went for the team internally?

Split was very back and forth. I think the first two games weren't really that close because both of us were playing well, the first two games, but Split definitely a lot closer.

They had a lot of momentum definitely on, that I got the classic kills. But, after that, I think it was pretty smooth sailing. We were able to carry that momentum to a good defense half and that's how we won.

The LOUD series was pretty close too, but unfortunately you lost. What did you work on after the series so that you can go over the finish line this time?

I think right now we're trying to clean up on the small mistakes that we're making both in this game and in the loud game, there was a lot to go over and a lot to kind of clean up.

But I think coming into the next match that we're going to play, we're going to be a lot cleaner and a lot more, just a stronger team overall. I think we will be ready.

Who do you want to face? Is there a preference?

I would like to play Leviatan just because I want to be able to play every team. I think it would be fun but I don't really particularly have a preference, I guess, but I think it would be fun to play with.

New Team, New Roles

During the off-season, Sentinels brought in JohnQT and Zellsis to the roster. We also saw Zekken completely transitioning to the primary duelist for the team, an effort which started last year after SykkoNT was replaced by Kaplan.

"I think I'll be a good duelist"

You have some experience playing the second entry but you weren’t the primary duelist for a team? How was the transition? What changes did you have to make?

Yeah, it was definitely tough at the start.

I think the biggest things that I had to learn was how to like entry pathing, things like that. If I'm going in first, where, where, where should I be looking, what utils should I be doing?

So it was definitely a learning process getting used to that at first. But you know, I have great teammates supporting me and allowing me to, you know, have a lot of freedom in that role.

And I think day by day I'm getting better at it. So I think it's just a learning process and, I think, I think I'll be a good duelist.

Does being the first one to go in add any pressure to you? Since a round's outcome on offense relies heavily on your success?

I don't think it necessarily adds more pressure. I think there is always pressure just playing the match no matter what.

But I don't think being on duelist really adds any more pressure than just like it would normally if I was playing like a support role or anything. I think being on a duelist maybe even gives a little less pressure because you have a lot of freedom and you have to be very creative. So I think it works for me.

Was there a reason Zellsis was chosen in the starting five over Pancada? What does Zellsis bring to the roster?

I think he brings a lot of, a lot of positives. And that's, I think that's what the coaches saw when they decided that they wanted him to play.

It has been some time since JohnQT has taken over as the IGL. How has the experience been working with him?

John definitely has a lot of experience. He's a very calm caller when the matches, when matches get very close, you know, things get kind of intense.

People start comming like a lot more. How do I say it? People start comming a lot louder. But I think John John is a very calm presence and I think that shows in his leadership and it shows in his calls and I think it's really nice to have now.

The Season Up Ahead

Zekken's 2024 journey has just started. While the team fights Leviatan for their tournament lives, it'd still be a long season. With every team thriving to be better and trying thier best to be the best. Zekken talks about the level of competition and his problems with the tier lists people make.

"I think everyone in this league is here for a reason and everyone is a high level player"

What are your thoughts on the level of competition in the Americas?

I think the level of competition is higher than people think. I saw a lot of different tier lists that people were making before any of the matches.

And people were saying that, you know, specific rosters were going to be better than others, like no matter what. But I think everyone in this league is here for a reason and everyone is a high level player.

So a lot of matches can go different ways. A lot of matches are going to be close. I just think the level of play is very high and people might not see that yet.

Any team you’d want to face in the Americas?

I think the new NRG is going to be really fun to play. They're obviously a very strong team and a lot of people have them as favorites.

They're at the top of the league. I think it's fun to play the best. So I think it will be fun to play against them.

How well does America's fare in comparison to the other three leagues?

Yeah, I've got a lot of faith in the Americas League to be able to compete with the best of the best.

Any International team you’d want to face?

No one in particular, I guess I haven't really been thinking about the other leagues all that much.

Maybe a, maybe a Chinese team because I don't think we've. I don't think we've ever played against the Chinese team in a match before. So maybe, maybe someone from that.

Catch Zekken and Sentinels Live in Action today, when they face Aspas and Leviatan. You can follow the game on Twitch and YouTube

You can also follow the game on Strafe.

For more information on the VCT Americas Kickoff, check out Strafe Esports' piece on the Format, Schedule, Teams and more. If one of the other Kickoffs catches your fancy, we also have previews for EMEA, Pacific, and China.

As an additional bonus, you can catch the VOD for the interview on our new YouTube channel. Also, check out our tier list for the 33 partnered teams (VCT China notwithstanding) heading into 2024's season.

Featured Image Credits: Photo by Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games