Team Vitality’s Valorant pro Karel “Twisten” Ašenbrener recently passed away. In response, players have planned a heartwarming tribute for the legendary soul.
On June 7, Team Vitality confirmed that their primary duelist Twisten is no more. Players close to Twisten allege that the pro player took his own life after battling depression for over two years. The pro player had revealed self-harm behavior and his history with mental health issues last year after VCT LOCK//IN exit.
The news of his demise prompted a wave of support from fans, pro players, and notable esports personalities, who were all looking to pay respect in some way. Amidst all this, Valorant Analyst Ryan “RyanCentral” Horton proposed to continue Twisten’s pledge of ‘€25 to charity for every Shorty kill.”
The Valorant community loved this idea and it garnered the attention of notable pro players who jumped in on the tribute. So far, Team Liquid’s Connor “Sliggy” Blomfield, Elias “Jamppi” Olkkonen, Anthony “vanity” Malaspina, Nathan “leaf” Orf, Alex “aproto” Protopapas, and many more have pledged to donate €25 for every Shorty kill that happens at VCT Tokyo.
This means each time any player gets a kill with Shorty during the event, all those who pledged will be donating money.
This cause isn’t limited to pro players only. Anyone can pledge to donate to increase the amount that goes into charity in the name of Twisten. For example, the founder of M80 has joined the cause with a greater donation of $100.
This tribute should rack up a considerable amount, especially if pro players purposely use Shorty to raise donations. In any case, Twisten’s death has brought the community together to continue his wholesome legacy of giving back to those in need.
RyanCentral is currently working on streamlining this plan to gather donations into one place and make it easier for the participants to donate.
VCT Masters Tokyo begins on June 11.
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
