In 2022, Ghost Gaming made a surprise run through the VCT North American Open Qualifiers to qualify for the regional event, going 5-0 after being dropped into the lower bracket.
The team documented their winning moment from Ghost’s Atlanta offices which saw players leap from their chairs and embrace each other. Ghost’s IGL, johnqt, who is described by his then-teammates as stoic and level-headed sported an uncharacteristically large smile as he dapped up his teammates.
“He’s not the most animated guy on the team, he’s the type of guy where would you see him ear to ear grinning… It stands out,” former Ghost now Sentinels head coach Adam ‘kaplan’ Kaplan said.
Five BO3’s all led to this very moment. The rest is history 👏@1johnqt @brawku @koalanoob @NiSMO_VAL @OfficialAproto @itskaplan #GoingGhost | #VCT pic.twitter.com/2g0H6UUaJh
— Ghost Gaming (@GhostGaming) May 9, 2022
The Morrocan player has since risen the ranks in North America with M80 and has been brought into Sentinels to give them more guidance than they have had for a while. The once-world champions needed a revamp after its leadership, in and out of the game, shuffled around drastically mid-season in 2023.
By the end of the season at VCT Americas LCQ, Sentinels were playing lose and scrappy, relying more on chemistry to win rounds than clear tactical power over their opponents.
With johnqt, who is expected to be a calm consistent voice in the lineup, Sentinels can only improve on last season’s results.
How johnqt got his Valorantr career started
“He played pretty disciplined, pretty serious. He played to win, played to play correctly. Finding a player that does that in ranked is a rarity,” the coach said.
johnqt left college and went full-time in Valorant soon after, putting all of his stock into esports.
With Ghost, johnqt didn’t manage to reach international play and soon had to scramble like the rest of the North American pros to find a home for the 2023 season with the VCT international leagues starting.
M80 were one of the top North American Challengers rosters in 2023.
He eventually signed with M80, along with multiple other ex-Ghost players, and formed one of the best North American Challengers teams that year. His teammates at the time said johnqt was becoming polished as an IGL, liked to lead by example in-game, and wasn’t afraid to call out others for failing to meet expectations in review. His only vice as a competitor seems to be his addiction to Starbucks coffee, which he is rarely seen without.
But, M80 was eventually bested by The Guard who took down their regional rivals with a 3-1 scoreline.
“I remember GianFranco ‘koalanoob’ Potestio was crying and [johnqt] instantly went to koala to cheer him up. He made everyone huddle up. And he’s like, ‘today was not our day,'” Zander said.
Signing with Sentinels
In the off-season, johnqt and the rest of the M80 roster were hot prospects and trialed for multiple teams.
The players kept in touch about their prospects as they were all weighing whether they would run it back on M80 in 2024, according to Marc-Andre ‘NiSMO’ Tayar. The two former teammates even trailed for some teams together.
“But then johnqt got the offer, which is very understandable why he took it and he didn’t decide to stick with us. I feel like everyone would do the same thing if it came down to Sentinels,” NiSMO said.
kaplan said that johnqt’s IGLing had improved since he last worked with him on Ghost and he also showcased better leadership skills in his trials with the team.
The whole world wondered, now the secret’s out@1johnqt is officially your Sentinels IGL pic.twitter.com/EJPb2Y8KYK
— Sentinels (@Sentinels) September 13, 2023
“He just did a great job in his trial, and we all wanted him. We felt like he was the best option and we were confident about that. I think he wasn’t just one option after trials it felt like he was the right option and we made that clear to him,” the Sentinals coach said.
kaplan also said that johnqt has improved as an IGL and players dramatically since he last worked with him on Ghost Gaming. Before joining Sentinels, the team lacked a sturdy IGL that could bring some stability to the team. And it seems like the 2024 Sentienls roster is responding well to having someone they can lean on consistently in-game.
johnqt has yet to lose with Sentinels so far in off-season competition, taking what he has learned from his time and heart-break with M80 to help bring the team to its former glory in Valorant esports. He will get the chance to prove if all the hype from the off-season was worth it in the VCT American Kickoff tournament.
NiSMO and Zander both said they expect johnqt to excel with Sentinels, and in VCT Americas.
“At the end of the day, I do think John is one of the most frightening IGLs. I think his mechanics are far ahead of all these IGLs that are in VCT. So I think he’s gonna do fine for sure. He’s gonna be able to be relaxed in the moment, even if they’re losing I know he’s gonna come back and put up the numbers,” NiSMO said. “No, I’m not worried for him for sure.”