Who would win as of rn? They're in different groups so we won't see them play each other for some time unfortunately.
cloud9. Tbh I feel like Sentinels wouldn't even be second. They might lose to V1, Guard, and XSET before they lose to c9. Hell, with how V1 have been playing even C9 might lose to them if they aren't careful.
edit: I'm more excited for Sentinels vs Optic and Sentinels vs Rise (if Rise play well since they've been inconsistent recently).
on paper
On paper is cool and all, but results are what matter. In this VCT (the competition where teams are expected to go all out and the competition that actually matters) V1 manhandled Knights (13-4, 13-2). Sentinels lost a map to them. Sentinels also lost a map to NRG. NRG lost to Optic. Optic lost to Rise. Rise lost to V1, not once, but twice. Not only did they lose, they lost badly. 13-6, 13-6, 13-4, 13-5. The Guard is looking insane as well. A 13-0 against Asuna and Ethan, regardless of the circumstances, is not easily attainable. It's not Sentinels being underrated, it's you disregarding V1 and Guard. Maybe it's because of personal bias, maybe because of V1's past and the Guard being new, maybe you didn't watch V1 and Guard play, maybe it's all of the above, but either way, Sentinels is not more favored than C9 to win a matchup between the two.
Also, the transferability argument (anyone can lose to anyone) is mainly set in tier two NA valorant. Hierarchies are clearer as you go higher up.
So yeah, on paper doesn't really matter. Relying on individual talent can only get you so far.