Welcome back to DDenied's 2024: Americas 10, a countdown of the top 10 players in the Americas region for 2024. For fans of other regions, don’t worry—each International League has its own list, and there’s also a combined Global 20 for the year.
Disclaimer: All stats are sourced from VLR.gg, and any rating mentioned refers to VLR Rating 2.0. It's important to note that events held in China were not fully tracked by VLR, leading to missing statistics. As a result, the average ratings for each player are calculated only from events where VLR data is available, which excludes all events in China. This skews the yearly averages, particularly for players in the China league.
Johnqt: The Moroccan Mastermind Behind Sentinels’ Resurgence
Americas Number: 8
Global Number: N/A
Rating: 1.04
Age: 25
Nationality: Moroccan
After a promising 2023 campaign with M80, where they narrowly missed out on Ascension by losing to The Guard (now G2) in the final, there were high expectations for Moroccan in-game leader (IGL) Johnqt as he joined Sentinels in the offseason. Paired with Zellsis, the duo was tasked with stabilising a Sentinels core that had endured a rocky 2023.
The 2024 season began with a bang for Sentinels and their new leader. Johnqt led the team to their first domestic trophy of the partnership era by winning the Americas Kickoff event. The impact of having a true IGL was immediately evident, as Sentinels carried their momentum into Masters Madrid. They dominated the Swiss stage before suffering a close loss to Gen.G in three maps. However, Johnqt and his squad exacted revenge in the final, emerging victorious in a thrilling five-map series to claim their first international title of the partnership era. Not just a tactical mastermind, Johnqt showcased his fragging prowess in Madrid, finishing with a 1.12 rating—second highest on the team and among the top 10 at the event.
However, the highs of early success were followed by challenges. In Americas Stage 1, Sentinels struggled to find consistency, ending the season with a 3-3 record and missing out on the playoffs. Stage 2 saw a dip in his fragging numbers, but his leadership was instrumental in guiding Sentinels to a 6-4 record and securing a playoff berth.
Sentinels faced a tough road in the playoffs, losing their opening match. However, their accumulated points were enough to secure a spot at Champions Seoul, where they aimed to prove that their absence from Masters Shanghai was a mere blip. In Seoul, Sentinels put on a stellar performance, finishing 4th. The strategic growth of the team under johnqt's leadership earned him the 8th spot in the Americas 10. If his fragging had stayed at the Masters Madrid level, there’s no doubt he would have ranked even higher.
Links
Global Number 20
Americas Number 9
China Number 8
EMEA Number 8
Pacific Number 8
Discord