"It was just a good one-liner at the moment. It's not really my decision so we're just going to have to wait and see." - Marved on his return

VALORANT esports is truly a gift that keeps on giving as day 3 of VCT 2023 - Americas League’s super week produced yet another entertaining matchup between Sentinels and LATAM’s MIBR. After losing their opening matchup against LOUD on Friday, April 21, Sentinels were looking to redeem themselves and locate a higher placement in the table, whereas mibr was searching for their 3rd win at the event.

Despite a rocky start to the event, the Sentinels roster seems to finally found their rhythm especially with the added contributions of Jimmy "Marved" Nguyen who was called in this week to replace TenZ due to health related concerns. His contributions were noteworthy, both against LOUD and mibr, a factor that might ultimately dictate the starting roster Sentinels might field starting next week. Following their win against mibr, THESPIKE.GG was granted the opportunity to conduct an interview with Marved, breaking down his thoughts on the game, his potential return to competition and more.

THESPIKE.GG: Congratulations on the win. What were the emotions running like immediately after the result became apparent?

Marved: I am relieved to get a win in my second game back. It wasn’t too exciting or thrilling because we were in control from the start and never had any close fights but nonetheless happy to win.

THESPIKE.GG: Talk more about your return, how did the week pan out with your return, flying down to LA and having two matches in the same week?

Marved: I think it panned out pretty well. I am glad that there were two matches for this week because it would have been frustrating to fly out only for a single game and go back. Also, we managed to secure a win so that’s a plus.

THESPIKE.GG: In the post-game interview, you ended with “I’m here to say”. Could you elaborate on what the implications behind that are?

Marved: It was just a good one-liner at the moment, but it did not really have any meaning to. It's not really my decision so we're just going to have to wait and see.

THESPIKE.GG: With the position that you are in and the performance that you demonstrated in both matches there's a potential for you to stay with the roster going forward. How confident do you feel continuing throughout the rest of the schedule and staying with the team?

Marved: I don't really want to think about that. I'll do whatever the teams need me to do, if they tell me that I'm not playing then I won't play and be too sad about it. If they tell me that I'm playing then, I'll play out the rest of the season.

THESPIKE.GG: How has the coaching change been from the departure of Sykko and Kaplan coming into the head coach role. Has that changed up the approach that was taken to coaching?

Marved: I'm not the one to ask because he was gone before I came, so I don't really know what he brought but by the looks of it a lot of the players were saying [Sykko] was good so I guess him leaving had a different reason and as for Kaplan, he has been good so far.

THESPIKE.GG: Talk about today’s performance. In today’s matchup, how do you think you guys kept in control from the get-go?

Marved: I feel like we were hitting shots and our communication was very good. It's the best it's been since I've been on the team so I just think that our communication really kept us in control today no nerves really and we're just playing our best.

THESPIKE.GG: Did filling in for TenZ come with added pressure, or did knowing that that people were expecting you to perform well as a sixth man add pressure? If so, how did you manage that flawlessly?

Marved: I don't really think about it too much. They tell me I'm playing, and I'm like okay let's play. I'm going try my best and live with the outcome. I don't really feel any pressure to do anything I know I'm filling in for a really great player and I'm a sub. I feel like either way if if I lose you know it was a sub playing against probably one of the best teams LOUD and MIBR, so it's not really too much pressure on me.

THESPIKE.GG: You mentioned earlier about not knowing if you're gonna continue with the team or not but what do you think will be the next step for you. What role do you anticipate adopting for the roster going forward?

Marved: I feel like I will keep doing what I'm doing. Honestly I don't want to try too hard, just sit here and see what happens because I can't really control anything and when I do try to control I get stressed out. So, there's no point in even stressing about it. I’ll just say here and hear what they have to say and I'll do what I have to do.

THESPIKE.GG: What are your thoughts about Sentinels record right now because you guys have a 2-3 record and then there's still a lot of more matches to go. How do you think the rest of the league matches will pan out for the team?

Marved: I think you know the team is doing good and will only continue to get better. No matter if it's me or someone else, I think the team will be fine and there's still a chance to make playoffs. We’re just going to focus one game at a time.

Make sure to check out our VCT 2023 Hub for all the information about the VALORANT events this year.

Featured image courtesy of Riot Games.