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Sentinels released a video on Tuesday announcing that Valorant player Jimmy “Marved” Nguyen would replace Tyson “TenZ” Ngo in VCT Americas Week 4 following TenZ’s positive COVID result and injury.
The organization also unveiled Sentinels’ new head coach, Adam “kaplan” Kaplan, following the departure of Donald “SyykoNT” Muir after VCT Americas Week 3.
Kaplan explained in the video that TenZ’s move to the bench was because the player had developed a joint infection in his finger before the match against Leviatán. This and TenZ’s positive COVID-19 test led to the team’s decision to field Marved in the starting roster for the next two matches.
“Our boy TenZ, not feeling so good. His finger’s injured, he’s got COVID. We’re gonna give him a week to chill,” the new head coach disclosed.
“Luckily, we have a world champion for sub. We’re gonna be bringing Marved in; we’re gonna be practicing with him this week and playing our super week of matches with him this weekend.”
Kaplan added that the change would not be a reset in the team’s activity, but rather a continuation of their hard work since they were created.
“This is not a reset. This is not a start over; this is a continuation of the work we’ve been putting in since the start of this roster,” he said.
“Change can be scary, but the things you guys need to know, this team is going to be well coached, well disciplined, well structured, and razor-sharp on stage. We have world-class caliber players, and I have every intention of showing what exactly they are capable of.”
The change is not particularly surprising given Sentinels’ performance in the tournament so far. There have been rumors of a change in the lineup since Week 2 of the tournament.
The rumors were eventually shut down after esports journalist George Geddes disclosed that Marved, who lives in Canada, was yet to get a visa to play with Sentinels.
The recent news means that the former OpTic Gaming star has received his visa and can now compete in the league. Prior to joining Sentinels, Marved played with streamer squad Untamable Beasts and OpTic Gaming in 2022.
During his stint with OpTic Gaming, the player won VCT Masters Reykjavík, reached second place in the Valorant Champions, and placed top three at VCT Masters Copenhagen. His last competitive Valorant match was the North American Challengers League Open Qualifiers with Untamable Beasts.
Marved previously played the sixth man for the team in place of Hunter “SicK” Mims, who was facing legal and personal issues at the time.
Besides his finger injury and positive COVID-19 test, TenZ has also had to deal with personal issues, which dealt a significant blow to his performance, resulting in fans criticizing his gameplay. TenZ reportedly had to support his fiancée Kyedae, who is suffering from very serious health problems.
Marved will start playing with Sentinels in their fast-approaching games against LOUD and MIBR in VCT Americas Week 4. The first match is slated for April 21.
