The North American star's integral role to Sentinels' success allows him to enter the ranking at #16.
Hunter "SicK" Mims was one of the earliest to enter the VALORANT scene, joining Sentinels in April of 2020. Since then, the North American team has maintained consistent success, continuously ranking as one of the best regional teams. After a disappointing result in First Strike North America, finishing at 3rd-4th place, Sentinels hoped to regain their status as the number one team in America heading into the VCT circuit.
Stage 1 was a tumultuous and controversial period for Sentinels following the allegations made against sinatraa. The team looked towards TenZ to fill the empty spot. Despite tempered expectations for Masters 1 North America, the new-look Sentinels dominated the competition, losing only one map on their path to victory. SicK was a crucial factor in the win, with a 1.26 rating, third in the tournament and second on Sentinels.
While Sentinels opened Stage 2 in rocky fashion, losing in terrible fashion to Built By Gamers and Andbox, the team eventually returned to their incredible performance the in North America Stage 2 Challengers Finals, winning every match. SicK was once again crucial in Sentinels' qualification to Masters 2 Reykjavik with a 1.10 rating. It was in Reykjavik that Sentinels were crowned the best team in the world and began their era, defeating the top international teams without losing a map. SicK's consistency was demonstrated once again, as the flex star 1.11 rating.
Sentinels continued Stage 3 in the same manner in which they ended Reykjavik, dominating the North America Stage 3 Challengers Playoffs with SicK dropping a high 1.16 rating, qualifying to Masters 3 Berlin. Berlin proved to be the beginning of the end for North America's number one team, however. Despite starting in strong fashion, the team ended the group stage with a shocking loss to G2 Esports. SicK's 1.10 group stage rating still allowed the squad to enter the playoffs, but the team's run was cut short in the quarterfinalsby Envy, with SicK performing with a disappointing 0.96 rating in the match.
Despite high hopes, VALORANT Champions also ended in a disheartening manner for Sentinels' fans. The team was eliminated at 9th-12th place following losses to Team Liquid and KRÜ Esports. SicK's performance wasn't all too bad, with a 1.07 rating.
Why was SicK the 16th best player of 2021?
SicK was truly one of the most consistent players in the game, with the star above a 1.00 rating in every major tournament of the year. But while SicK was consistently good, he rarely performed in an elite, super-star like manner. Win or loss, SicK was usually only the second or third best player on Sentinels. This pattern continued even when Sentinels began to slump. So while SicK was among the winningest players of 2021, he rarely matched the superior fragging power of some of the players above him in the ranking.
2021 Rankings
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