Sentinels Sign OXY as First Addition for VCT 2027

Sentinels announced the signing of Francis “OXY” Hoang from Cloud9 on Monday, Nov. 2. The North American duelist joins after three years with Cloud9 and becomes Sentinels’ first signing since Gurjiwan “Jerrwin” Gill and Jonah “JonahP” Pulice left the team.

Sentinels introduced OXY in a social media video with the message, “A new star for a new era.”

OXY joined Cloud9 in September 2023 and stayed with the organization through several roster changes. He became one of the team’s main players in the duelist role and finished as the highest-rated player at VCT Americas Stage 2 in 2025. Cloud9 did not qualify for Champions that year and failed to reach a Masters event or Champions in 2026.

Riot Games excluded Cloud9 from the VCT Americas partnership program for 2027 and 2028. Cloud9 plans to continue competing in VALORANT’s open circuit. Sentinels retained its place in the Americas partnership program for both seasons.

Sentinels made the signing after missing every international VCT event in 2026. Its Stage 2 campaign ended with a 2-0 loss to KRÜ Esports in the Play-In, which eliminated the team from Champions contention.

Jerrwin, who played duelist, and JonahP both left after spending less than a year on the roster. In an Oct. 31 statement, Sentinels CEO Rob Moore described the planned replacements as “S-tier” and noted that the signings could not be announced before Nov. 2.

OXY joins Mohamed Amine “johnqt” Ouarid, Yassin “Reduxx” Aboulalazm and Brazilian player Gabriel “cortezia” Cortez among the players currently listed with Sentinels. The organization still needs to confirm at least one more starter for its five-player lineup.

Brock “brawk” Somerhalder has also been linked with Sentinels. The initiator, who won the 2025 world championship with NRG, reportedly has a verbal agreement with the team. Sentinels has not confirmed his signing.

Follow our gaming coverage and visit our game gift marketplace for available digital products.