"Back home" - bang talks about playing with 100 Thieves again and his struggles with Sentinels

100 Thieves's Sean "bang" Bezerra walks onto the VCT stage to a crowd of VALORANT fans at the Riot Games studio in Los Angeles studio. The sights were something that all came familiar to him because for the past three years, he had been a mainstay at the tier one level.

However, last season marked a new experience for the veteran Controller as the VCT 2025 season was one in which he faced many internal hardships. Yet, through the struggles he experienced last year, these turned out to be learning experiences, all of which ultimately spurred a lot of motivation and key lessons going into the VCT 2026 season.

A year of “regression” at Sentinels

On the outside, bang’s domestic accomplishments with Sentinels could be seen as a successful year when compared to 100 Thieves’ inconsistencies throughout the VCT 2023 and 2024 seasons. Yet, despite qualifying for all three VCT international tournaments with Sentinels in 2025, it was a year in which bang felt he had “regressed” as a player.

“I was just disappointed with how I played individually that year. I feel like I ran into some issues I wasn’t really prepared for,” bang said. “I don’t know how we fell flat during the international events and I just didn’t meet my own standards, to be honest.”

Both Sentinels and G2 Esports stood as consistent representatives for the VCT Americas region all throughout the 2025 season. Yet, despite their domestic success, Sentinels' biggest achievement on the international stage was a 5th-6th place finish at VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Masters Toronto 2025. This was something bang thought about a lot throughout the VALORANT offseason.

“I look back at each year as motivation,” bang said. “Some years are better than others. Some years, you think about retirement, and for some, you think about how you want to be remembered as a player. I really felt like 2025 should have been the year we won more.”

While international results were a major factor in why he viewed 2025 as a “disappointing year”, a major factor came from his own individual play.

“I felt like there were moments I was regressing and not becoming the player I wanted to be,” bang said. “Every year, I felt like I was leveling up as a player, but in 2025, I felt like it was the first year I wasn’t improving as a player.”

Back where he belongs on 100 Thieves

Going into the VCT 2026 season, bang revealed “he had a feeling” that he would not be returning to Sentinels. While he spent some time trialing for his spot in the team, in the back of his mind, he “felt” that he would need to find a new team in 2026. Once he was given official confirmation, bang started to weigh his options for the upcoming VCT 2026 season with his agent. Now, he looks forward to the VCT 2026 season back with an organization and team that he views as “home”.

“Honestly, it feels great being back, and I missed playing with my old teammates, Asuna and Cryo," bang said. “It’s been fun reuniting with them, but honestly, it just feels like coming back home.”

From 2022 to 2024, bang had called 100 Thieves his home, where he was a major piece in helping the team reach some of the organization’s highest points in VALORANT. Throughout his first tenure, he helped the team reach VCT 2022 - Champions Istanbul and VCT 2024 - Masters Shanghai.

“While a lot of the environment is the same, it’s a completely different system from what I had been used to,” bang said. “Last year, I worked with kaplan, before that, Zikz, and Mikes. Everyone has a different outlook on the game, but the biggest thing is that the coach and IGL system are just different. It’s fun trying to get slotted into a new system.”

This time around, bang’s vocal presence in the team has developed a lot more since coming back to 100 Thieves this time around. While he noted that this team has a lot more vocal players compared to his previous rosters, a lot of emphasis needed to be placed on communicating that experience to the team.

“Me, Asuna, and Cryo have to talk a little bit more and be more vocal in the midround because of our experience,” bang said. “So I’m noticing myself talk more mid-round compared to any other team I have been on, which is making a huge difference.”

Still, one thing that bang could not escape all throughout the 10-minute-long interview was his excitement about being “back home” with 100 Thieves.

Moving forward, it will be interesting to see whether 100 Thieves can return to the international stage with this new iteration of the team as the VCT 2026 season progresses. For now, bang and 100 Thieves will look to regroup ahead of their VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Americas Kickoff middle bracket matchup against LOUD on January 23, 2026.

Be sure to follow THESPIKE.GG for more VALORANT content like this all throughout the VCT 2026 season as teams vie for coveted spots at VCT international events.