Sentinels Open Championship
The Sentinels: two-time Valorant Masters champions, reborn from Phoenix1.
Sentinels is an American esports organization based in Los Angeles, California. The organization was founded as the League of Legends team Phoenix1 in May 2016 and competed in the North American League of Legends Championship Series (NA LCS). In June 2018, Phoenix1 rebranded to Sentinels. The company currently fields teams in League of Legends, Valorant, Apex Legends, Marvel Rivals, and Halo.
Quick Facts
- Organization
- Sentinels (esports organization)
- Founded
- 2017
- Primary titles
- Valorant
- League of Legends
- Rocket League (among others)
- Notable championship
- VCT Champions 2023 (Valorant)
- Status
- Active competitive organization
Lore & Background
Phoenix1 was founded in May 2016 as a League of Legends team to compete in the NA LCS. After the NA LCS became a franchised league, Phoenix1 sold its LCS spot. Phoenix1 then partnered with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) to launch the Overwatch League franchised team Los Angeles Gladiators. After launching the Overwatch team, the company rebranded to Sentinels in June 2018. Sentinels opened two new divisions in 2018: in June 2018, they entered Hearthstone esports, and in July 2018, they began their Fortnite division. In August 2019, co-founder and CEO Rob Moore filed a lawsuit against KSE, alleging KSE purchased Echo Fox without his knowledge. Following the suit, Sentinels split with KSE, leaving KSE as the sole owner of the Gladiators. In February 2020, Sentinels expanded into competitive Halo. In April 2020, they established their Valorant division. Sentinels won the first international Valorant event, VALORANT Champions Tour 2021: Stage 2 Masters – Reykjavík, without losing any map points. They were eliminated from VALORANT Champions 2021 during group play by KRÜ Esports. Sentinels did not qualify for the Americas League playoffs in 2023 and were eliminated from the Americas Last Chance Qualifier by Leviatán. In 2024, Sentinels won Masters Madrid, defeating Gen.G 3–2 in the grand final, becoming the only organization to win two Masters trophies. At VCT Champions 2024, Sentinels finished in the Top 4 after being eliminated by Team Heretics. On September 14, 2024, TenZ announced his retirement from Valorant competitive play. The following day, Sacy announced his retirement. On October 7, 2024, Sentinels announced Marshall 'N4RRATE' Massey and Sean 'bang' Bezerra to the starting roster. On October 11, Yassine 'reduxx' Aboulalazm was signed as the 6th man. Following the 2025 season, Sentinels entered 2026 with a rebuilt roster centered around Amine 'johnqt' Ouarid. After an underwhelming start to the season, head coach Adam 'kaplan' Kaplan departed, along with players N4RRATE and Mirel 'Kyu' Hrustemovic. Sentinels appointed Martin 'Ewok' van der Walt as head coach and signed Jonah 'JonahP' Pulice and Gurjiwan 'Jerrwin' Gill to the active roster. On October 10, 2025, Sentinels announced they would return to the LCS, taking over the slot previously held by 100 Thieves. On December 5, the team announced its full roster for the 2026 LCS season.
Reader's Guide
Sentinels' most notable achievement is winning the first international Valorant event, VCT 2021 Stage 2 Masters Reykjavík, without losing a map. They also won Masters Madrid in 2024, becoming the only organization with two Masters trophies. Their Valorant roster has undergone many changes; key players have included TenZ, Sacy, zekken, and johnqt. In 2026, the Valorant roster is centered around johnqt, with N4RRATE, Kyu, cortezia, and reduxx. After mid-season changes, the roster includes JonahP and Jerrwin. Sentinels returned to League of Legends in 2025, taking over 100 Thieves' LCS slot. Their Halo division began in February 2019.
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