Golden Wings: Valorant pros to honor ‘Twisten’ with donation pledge at Masters Tokyo and Champions 2023

Continuing the legacy.

When it was reported on the 7th of June that Team Vitality Valorant professional player Karl Ašenbrener had passed, the collective Valorant community came together to mourn and offer their condolences to the deceased’s next of kin and close friends.

Amidst the sadness, the sentiment to honor his memory began to gather steam. VCT commentator and analyst Ryan “RyanCentral” Horton was one of the first, suggesting a continuance of “Twisten’s” pledge at LOCK//IN. €25 per Shorty pistol kill at the event was the initial pledge. Team Liquid Connor “Sliggy” Blomfield was quick to match that pledge, only this time for both VCT Masters: Tokyo and VCT Champions 2023.

You Will Be Remembered Twisten

The pledge from “Sliggy” was promised to go towards a mental healthy charity, and many other pros and figures were quick to follow up after that. Shopify Rebellion Anthony “vanity” Malaspina said, ‘Anyone who used the shorty is a friend of mine, so I’ll join [Sliggy] with this $25 USD to a mental heathy charity for every Shorty kill in Tokyo and Champions.’

M80 founder and CEO, Marco Mereu upped the stakes with a similar pledge from his organization, only he set the bounty of $100 for every Shorty kill in Tokyo, Champions and Ascension. Other figures such as Team Liquid’s Elias “Jamppi” Olkkonen, Moist Moguls Alex “aproto” Protopas, and Cloud9’s Nathan “leaf” Orf matched the pledge as well in the hours following. In response to the massively positive feedback, "RyanCentral" has followed up with an update that he was now actively working on making it a reality.

In Memoriam

Another suggestion that has rapidly gained traction is for Valorant and Riot Games to introduce a Shorty skin to honor “Twisten”. Similar ideas have been implemented in the pass by Riot Games such as the ‘Finest’ title to honor the legendary ‘Revive me, Jett’ player Lance “Finest” Arcilla who passed in April 2022 and the gun buddy ‘Corbin’s Light’ to honor young Valorant fan Corbin who passed in October 2022.

Such tributes by Riot Games has served to honor some of Valorant most passionate fans who have since passed and serves as a way to immortalize them within the game. Should the request be honored, “Twisten” will forever remain a part of Valorant.

Thus, for all those tuning in to watch Valorant’s latest international tournament starting on the 11th of June, keep track of those Shorty kills!

If you have been affected by issues raised in this article, information and support are available from the Suicide Prevention Helpline 1-800-273-8255 (USA) or the Samaritans 116-123 (UK).

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