Triple duelist team comps, both in casual and pro VALORANT matches, are pretty common—but what if it’s three sentinel agents instead?
That’s exactly what China’s Xi Ling Gaming (XLG) tried in their VCT China Stage Two playoffs series against All Gamers—leaving VALORANT fans asking the obvious question: What are they even thinking? Yet the gamble paid off, as they dismantled their opponents with a commanding 13-1 victory.
Here’s how their comps lined up: XLG brought Sage, Cypher, Deadlock, Fade, and Omen, while All Gamers opted for a more balanced mix of Raze, Yoru, Viper, Omen, and Fade. It was also the decider map of the series, on Lotus.
To highlight the differences that gave All Gamers the edge, Xi Ling’s comp had no duelists, while All Gamers fielded one of the most versatile duelist duos, offering both intel and dive capabilities. Xi Ling’s choice of agents lacked strong retake tools, leaning heavily on defensive setups instead. On top of that, All Gamers brought the tried-and-tested Viper–Omen double controller setup too. After all, there’s a reason most teams stick to balanced comps in VALORANT: for flexibility and, of course, safety.
So how did Xi Ling manage to knock All Gamers off their footing with such ease? Well, there are multiple reasons to look at, starting with the fact that Xi Ling had to attack first.
Naturally, you’d expect a defense-heavy lineup to shine on defense. But what’s often missed is the added value such a comp brings to post-plant situations. Throughout the first half, XLG stuck to playing it slow, lurking for space, isolating fights, and eventually putting the Spike down, which unlocked their strongest potential. Imagine crossing through multiple sentinel setups to defuse the Spike: horrifying to say the least.
All Gamers tried playing to their strengths by taking early space and displaying aggression. Their best bet was not to let their defense-heavy enemies plant the Spike. But XLG were always ready to shut down typical plays with intelligent utility usage and unpredictable lurks, all complemented by on-point aim mechanics. The result? All Gamers could only win one round, that too because of a well-timed Fade ult by Shr1mp that fumbled XLG’s plan to push C.
Could All Gamers have done it better? Probably. Their comp lacked a true sentinel who could have caught lurks on time, offered valuable intel, and strengthened their defense. A Cypher or Killjoy instead of Viper or Raze would have made things very different. All Gamers also struggled with mechanics, so it was more than just strategy diffs.
While XLG’s choice of an odd VALORANT team comp emerged superior in this case, it’s mostly because All Gamers failed to counter it—not because it’s impenetrable. There’s a reason why only a few pro teams have tried the triple-sentinel comp so far: It ironically fails to work on defense.
For example, M80 had tried the exact same comp against Oxygen Esports back in VCT NA Challengers 2024. The differences were that M80 had to defend first. And Oxygen had a Deadlock—instead of All Gamers’ Yoru—with a Brimstone-Omen controller combo. As a result, M80 struggled to defend their space, especially when it came to retakes, because there simply wasn’t enough flushing or intel utility to work with. Now, here’s the interesting part: While M80 were down 3-9 on their defense, they came back equally strong on their attack. The game eventually ended with Oxygen’s win at 16-14, but that was a very close outcome.
Another notable use of a triple-sentinel VALORANT comp came from G2 Esports, who ran Chamber, Killjoy, and Sage, and no duelist on Icebox during the 2022 meta—alongside Viper, who’s often regarded as a pseudo-sentinel. Now, G2 wasn’t 100 percent successful with this odd comp, but continued to use it regardless throughout their VCT 2022 run, mostly because of the strong defense and lurk (as well as anti-lurk) potential it had to offer on a complicated map like Icebox.
So, is a triple-sentinel VALORANT comp really worth it? In the right hands or on a coordinated team where everyone understands their role, it can be. The drawbacks are clear, but the trade-off is stronger post-plant setups—provided you can get the Spike down—and valuable lurk potential. Still, VALORANT thrives on balance, and in most cases, comps that cover all roles remain the most reliable approach. Whether you stick to the popular meta or choose to go rogue like some rule-bending pro teams, the choice is yours.
