Sentinels has signed Francis “OXY” Hoang to its VALORANT roster ahead of VCT 2027, announcing the move on November 2, 2026. The American duelist arrives after three seasons at Cloud9, joining a team rebuilding after a year without an international appearance.
Sentinels introduced its new signing with a short message:
A new star for a new era @Lft_Oxy is officially a Sentinel
The announcement settles weeks of speculation linking OXY with the organization throughout October. For Sentinels, it is the first incoming piece of an offseason overhaul following two player departures.
OXY brings three seasons of Cloud9 experience
OXY's route through Riot's competitive shooter included Vireo.pro and Dark Ratio before G2 Esports signed him in December 2022. He spent the first half of 2023 competing in North American Challengers, helping G2 finish second at the Mid-Season Face Off that March.
His G2 spell ended in July 2023, and Cloud9 signed him that September. OXY went on to become Cloud9's longest-tenured player, staying through several lineup changes. By his final season, he was playing alongside v1c and Zellsis, plus rookies FireBallOps and Jackk.
Cloud9's early results with OXY included winning the TEN VALORANT Global Invitational in 2023 and finishing second at Red Bull Home Ground #4 that same year. Another final followed at Red Bull Home Ground #5 in 2024.
The strongest regional result came at VCT Americas Stage 2 in 2025, when Cloud9 finished fourth, its best placement in the partnership era. OXY's individual output was the bigger attention-grabber: at one point that August, he topped the global Stage 2 average combat score rankings with 287.5 ACS.
OXY's individual match impact
Two teams reach the offseason after international misses
Those performances never translated into a Masters or Champions appearance during OXY's Cloud9 tenure. Cloud9 missed all three major international events in 2026, and Riot Games excluded the organization from the VCT Americas partnership program for 2027 and 2028.
Sentinels entered the same offseason with its own results problem. After attending all three major international events in 2025, it missed every one in 2026. Its best finishes were 9th-10th at Americas Kickoff and Stage 1. Stage 2 ended with an 11th-12th finish in a 16-team field.
That is a substantial gap to close. OXY brings an aggressive, opening-fight-focused style and proven individual output.
Three returning players and one remaining vacancy
Sentinels has parted ways with JonahP and Jerrwin, both of whom were in their first year with the organization. OXY is expected to take the primary duelist position previously occupied by Jerrwin.
The returning players alongside him are:
- johnqt, the team's in-game leader
- Reduxx
- cortezia
The staff includes head coach Marthinus “Ewok” Jacobus Van Der Walt, assistant coach Luke “GUNTER” Clives, and manager Bryan “Zyto” Ybanez. That gives the incoming duelist an existing leadership structure to join while Sentinels finishes assembling its lineup.
Sentinels now has one player spot left to fill before its starting five is complete. Between roster announcements, readers returning to the game can explore map and agent resources in the VALORANT strategy guide collection.
