TSM captain Philip ‘ImperialHal’ Dosen has responded after he kicked up a debate by calling out fellow competitor and friend Cole ‘Rkn’ Prommel for his performance at the ALGS Championship, claiming he held back his more talented teammates.
On his stream, Hal praised Koyful, a 17-year-old controller prodigy, but suggested he “doesn’t know better” in regards to being held back by teammates, namely Rkn.
“Theoretically, let’s say Koy is this good, like he’s literally miles above whoever mechanically,” ImperialHal said. “But then you have a teammate that literally dropped zero kills in a winner’s bracket.”
There was no escaping the fact that he was directly pointing the finger at Rkn, who indeed managed no kills in the winner’s bracket as Sentinels bowed out in 27th place.
Hal even went on to say he is “offended when I see players stay in positions they shouldn’t be in”.
Unsurprisingly, this caused a stir in the community, with some critical of ImperialHal’s clearly unfiltered comments, but the TSM player has made it clear that he remains unapologetic.
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On X/Twitter, he said, “As long it’s my channel, I will speak on what I think if it’s in relevance to my job.
“Just because you are my friend does not mean you get a pass for anything. I will also never allow what my audience says to dictate [whether] or not my opinion is shared or how it is shared.”
As long it’s my channel I will speak on what I think if it’s in relevance to my job. Just because you are my friend does not mean you get a pass for anything . I will also never allow what my audience says to dictate weather or not my opinion is shared or how it is shared.
— ImperialHal (@ImperialHal) October 11, 2023
Although some felt his words had been harsh, there was also agreement from some fans. “Completely agree with Hal on this one, especially with Rkn,” one said. “Koyful and xenial are so much more talented. Sentinels would actually perform like the tier 1 org they are if they dropped rkn.”
Rkn has not responded publicly, but according to Hal, the two remain friends.
Sentinels’ roster, for the time being, remains intact, with the same trio from the 2023 Championship heading into year 4 of ALGS together.