Image credit: VALORANT_EMEA
Apeks and Team Falcons dedicated the first round of their Lotus game to the late pro player Twisten with a shorty battle.
Fans watched a tribute to Karel 'Twisten' Asenbrener during the last day of VCT Ascension EMEA group stage. Apeks and Team Falcons bought a shorty and an armor in the first round of their Lotus game as a dedication to Twisten.
The two teams decided to go on a 1v1 shorty battle in the Attacker’s spawn area. Team Falcon’s Abdullah "OuTLaW" Al-Salem and Apek’s Enzo "Enzo" Mestari took the first clash. The rest of the players stepped back ready to challenge the 1v1 victor.
Enzo took the first win which put Apek on a higher round win probability. The 1v1 went on as each player tried to do the most damage to the enemy. As expected, the victor was not able to survive another round due to low health. Apek won the first round with Tobias "ShadoW" Flodström as the last player standing.
During the VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo, Twisten pledged to donate 25€ for every shorty kill in the tournament. He was able to raise 1450€ for an animal welfare charity after the event totaled 58 shorty kills.
Unfortunately, Twisten passed away last June at the age of 19 after battling with depression. The Czech player has been public with his mental health struggles early this year. “Take care of yourself and if you're experiencing something like I did, don't be scared to reach out to your close friends, to your family or your team,” he said to fans in a Twitter post.
After the tragic incident, Valorant personalities pledged to donate for every shorty kill at VCT 2023: Masters Tokyo. Ryan ‘RyanCentral’ Horton, VCT commentator and analyst, continues Twisten’s shorty legacy by putting up a donation page for this cause. Proceeds will be given to RAD (Rise Above the Disorder), an organization that works in creating mental health care programs accessible to everyone, everywhere.
As of this writing, RyanCentral raised a total of $11,343 with 103 pledgers on board. The website is still open for donations a few weeks after the event. For fans who would like to join in, there are still 9 days left to make a one-time, flat donation.
