Valyn on facing Sentinels at LCQ: ‘The biggest match in NA and we stayed composed’

Following the conclusion of one of the most hyped NA VALORANT matches in recent history, The Guard’s in-game leader Jacob “Valyn” Batio told Dot Esports that he was proud of his team’s ability to remain composed against an unpredictable Sentinels team. And with the win now under their belts, he’s confident they can go on a run. “We played literally the biggest match in NA and we stayed very composed,” Valyn told Dot Esports in a post-match interview. “No one was freaking out, and that gives me confidence that no matter what match we’ll play we’re gonna, we’re going to come out on a heater.” When The Guard got their first taste of the bright lights at VCT Masters Reykjavík, they were blinded, falling to pieces at the hands of two of the best VALORANT teams in the world in OpTic and Paper Rex. But in arguably their biggest match since, in front of a record-breaking online audience, The Guard returned to their Stage One form that captivated the attention of all of NA just a few months ago. All eyes were tuned toward yesterday’s opening NA Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) match between Sentinels and The Guard, with Sentinels debuting both mega-streamer Michael “shroud” Grzesiek and permanent addition Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro. The match was the most highly viewed in an NA competition with over 600,000 peak viewers across official streams and co-streams on Twitch and YouTube. And for Valyn and The Guard, they had to go up against a fan favorite cold. “For our team, the first match is always the hardest,” Valyn said. “That’s where you see some jitters or that’s where you see people like not really in the match mode yet. But