VALORANT: Vitality withdraw from VCT EMEA LCQ following Twisten’s death

Team Vitality have announced that, in light of the death of Karel "Twisten" Aenbrener, they will not be competing in the final EMEA Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) for the VALORANT Champions Tour.

Twisten died on 7 June at just 19 years old. Vitality announced their withdrawal through Twitter on Thursday (22 June).

According to the statement, the French organisation said that the death of Twisten has “caused immense and unprecedented grief among his teammates, and staff, our teams and our club”.

They also said that they “can’t imagine anyone else playing” in the last competition of the season.

“That is why, out of respect for him, his family and our players, we wish to bring our VCT 23 season to an end,” said Vitality.

The organisation went on to thank the VALORANT community and esports scene for supporting them and rallying together to pay tribute to Twisten.

A statement by Riot Games have also been posted on the VALORANT Champions Tour EMEA official Twitter account, mentioning that Vitality have been “granted permission to withdraw from the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) EMEA 2023 on the grounds of extenuating circumstances”.

This will mean that the EMEA LCQ 2023 will only have six teams.

Riot also sent their condolences once again to the team, and to Twisten’s family and friends.

Esports community pays tribute to Twisten

The esports community have been mourning Twisten’s passing by posting on social media.

On top of this, FPS esports tournaments VCT Masters Tokyo and BLAST Premier Spring Final also paid tribute to the player.

At the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) BLAST Premier Spring Grand Final, where Team Vitality’s CS:GO team competed against HEROIC, a moment of silence was observed for Twisten.

Additionally, during the opening day of the VCT Masters Tokyo, desk hosts Yinsu "Yinsu" Collins and Alex "Goldenboy" Mendez also spoke about Twisten's death.

“For the start of Masters Tokyo, we’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of Team Vitality on June 6th,” Yinsu began.

“Karel was one of VALORANT’s most exciting players, and we will miss seeing him onstage,” Goldenboy continued.

Yinsu also said in Twisten’s tribute that the player’s passion for the game was “unmatched, especially when it came to his iconic shorty”.

“As he used to say from his favourite TV show, ‘If you are feeling disheartened, that you are somehow not enough, set your heart ablaze.’”

VALORANT pros and content creators pledge to continue Twisten’s Shorty pledge

Additionally, numerous influential members of the community have expressed their commitment to honouring Twisten's memory.

VCT content creator and analyst Ryan "RyanCentral" Horton has proposed that the VALORANT scene carry on Twisten's pledge to donate €25 (US$27) for each shorty kill at VCT LOCK//IN by making donations to mental health charities for every Shorty kill at both VCT Masters Tokyo and Valorant Champions.

Pledgors included former Team Liquid coach Connor “Sliggy” Blomfield, who promised to donate for every shorty kill at VCT Masters Tokyo and VCT Champions 2023.

Shopify Rebellion player Anthony "vanity" Malaspina also chimed in, pledging to do the same, saying, "Anyone who uses the shorty is a friend of mine.”

Marco Mereu, the founder and CEO of M80, made a commitment to follow suit by pledging his organisation's involvement.

However, they have raised their pledged donations to US$100 for each Shorty kill. Moreover, this initiative will extend to the forthcoming Ascension tournaments as well.

The "Shorty Drive" was launched by RyanCentral on 15 June. In his post, RyanCentral said, "Donate as much or as little as you like."

According to the content creator, selecting a custom sum also provides a rough estimate of the number of Shorty kills there would be at Masters Tokyo.

“Let’s enjoy Masters Tokyo, let’s celebrate the Shorty, and also be sure to celebrate Twisten, who was not only an outstanding player, but he was a lovely genuine, absolute standout person who is going to be missed a lot. So let’s celebrate him, and let’s get our Shortys out," he concluded in his statement.

The overall target was set to be at US$5,000.

Proceeds of the fundraiser will be going to Rise Above The Disorder, which according to their website, is the largest community-funded mental health effort in the world created because of a co-founder's goal to help a friend in World of Warcraft to cover the costs of therapy.

If you have thoughts of suicide or are feeling distressed, you can call SOS' 24-hour hotline at 1800 221 4444. You can also email pat@sos.org.sg.

Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers, and is a League of Legends geek. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup of black coffee.

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