Team Vitality withdraws from EMEA LCQ

To pay respect to their former late Valorant player Karel “Twisten” Ašenbrener, Team Vitality has decided to withdraw from VCT LCQ EMEA 2023.

The announcement came via the official Twitter handle of Team Vitality. In agreement with Riot Games, they have made the decision to withdraw from the VALORANT Champions Tour 2023 Last Chance Qualifier and VCT Champions.

The devastating loss of their VALORANT player, Karel “Twisten” Ašenbrener, has left the team and staff in profound and unprecedented grief, as well as deeply impacting the entire organization.

 

Some important information about our participation in the VCT last chance qualifier and the VCT Champions ⬇ pic.twitter.com/q4pWPNJvpC

— Team Vitality 🐝 (@TeamVitality) June 21, 2023

The organization expresses its sincere gratitude to the VALORANT community and the esports scene for their continuous support and efforts in honoring Twisten’s memory and emphasizing the significance of compassion and support within the community. Team Vitality remains immensely thankful for the outpouring of love and encouragement they have received.

On June 6, Team Vitality shared the heartbreaking news of their talented player’s unexpected passing through their social media channels. He was just nineteen but established himself as a star duelist player for his team.

Remembering Twisten, Valorant pros have come forward to reinitiate the initiative of donating “$25 per Shorty Kill” at the VCT Masters Tokyo event. This suggestion resonated with numerous figures in the VCT community, who decided to embrace the same commitment for Masters Tokyo.

Among them is Tarik “tarik” Celik, a popular VALORANT content creator and former CSGO professional, along with Connor “Sliggy” Blomfield, Nathan “leaf” Orf, Elias “Jamppi” Olkkonen, and several others.

Riot Games acknowledges Team Vitality’s decision

Team Vitality was granted permission by Riot Games to withdraw from the EMEA LCQ 2023. In a tweet from Team Vitality, it was stated that they had been given the approval to step back from the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) EMEA 2023 due to exceptional circumstances. The organization expressed its condolences to Team Vitality once again and expressed its anticipation of the team’s return to future VCT EMEA competitions.

As a result of withdrawal, LCQ EMEA 2023 will feature the following six teams mentioned below:

• NaVi
• Giants
• BBL Esports
• Team Heretics
• KOI
• Karmine Corp

The VCT EMEA Last-Chance Qualifier is scheduled to take place from July 19 to July 23. During this event, six teams will battle it out for a chance to secure a spot in the prestigious Valorant Champions 2023 tournament.

It is worth noting that if Fnatic emerges victorious in the VCT Masters Tokyo, an exciting twist awaits. In that scenario, the top two teams from the VCT EMEA Last-Chance Qualifier will earn their qualification for the season-ending tournament.

This adds an element of suspense and higher stakes to the competition, as teams strive to secure their place in the Valorant Champions event.

Header: Riot Games/VCT