“I’d like us to improve our teamwork:” SEN Zellsis discusses what it takes to improve for VCT Americas Stage 1

Sentinels had a strong showing at Kickoff Americas, securing a second-place finish. However, its Masters Bangkok campaign ended quite early as they failed to win even a single match.

According to Jordan ‘Zellsis‘ Montemurro, the team’s lack of confidence and synergy were the primary reasons behind their underwhelming performance.

“I think we’ve kind of lost our identity as a team, if I’m being completely honest. We’re not on the same page all the time,” Zellsis said during the post-match press conference at Masters Bangkok. “We don’t really stick to a single game plan, so we need to find our identity.” 

Now, as Sentinels prepare for VCT Americas Stage 1, Esports Insider sat down with Zellsis to discuss the team’s recent improvements and key focus areas heading into the event.

Zellsis shared that the team took time after Masters Bangkok to regroup and work through their confidence and synergy issues and now they are in a much better place.

“We just had to find our footing again, but I think returning to practice helped us do that. We’ve been working towards it, and I believe we’re in a good spot now, with each one of us on the same page,” he told ESI.

“Earlier, when I said we lost our identity, it wasn’t that we didn’t have one—it just felt like we were each doing our own thing. We had a huge team meeting before we started practicing again and I think we’re in a really good place now.”

With time to analyse their Masters Bangkok games, Zellsis highlighted two specific areas he wants the team to focus on moving forward.

“The biggest thing for me that I would love us to work on going into Stage 1 is our body language on the stage with each other. I would also like us to work on improving our teamwork,” Zellsis shared. 

“Sometimes, in man-advantage situations, we end up giving it back because we don’t always play the high-percentage plays. Instead, we kind of do our own plays, but hopefully, everything we’ve been practicing translates well because that’s the next step for us as a team.”

Zellsis believes that mastering these aspects will make Sentinels a serious contender in future tournaments.

Sentinels will kick off its VCT Americas Stage 1 journey against 100 Thieves once again and when asked about his expectations from the matchup, Zellsis responded: “I think 100 Thieves have been cooking something up, so it should be a really good match. The Sentinels vs. 100 Thieves rivalry is always there, and Riot makes sure to put us against each other as much as possible. Playing against them is always exciting.”

Zellsis is eager to return to the stage as Sentinels take on 100 Thieves on March 24th and fans will be able to catch all the action live on VCT Americas’ official Twitch and YouTube channels.