The esports world is mourning the loss of Karel "Twisten" Asenbrener, who passed away at the age of 19. Originally from Czechia, Twisten began his VALORANT career in 2020. Before 2020, Twisten briefly spent time in the pro scene of Rainbow Six Siege. After playing in the VALORANT Academy, he joined Kings of Sosnovka. Over the course of late 2020 and early 2021, Twisten spent time with Czech giants eSuba and Entropiq. Then, in September 2021, Twisten made the move to the German organization BIG.
With BIG, Twisten began to find mainstream success. The team won four editions of the Kingdom Calling tournament. Furthermore, they appeared in two stages of the VCT EMEA Challengers in 2022. As Riot Games moved VALORANT to a franchise model, Twisten caught the eye of French giants, and VCT EMEA franchise, Team Vitality. Joining the team, Twisten opened his career with top-four finishes at the G-Loot VALORANT clash and a Red Bull Home Ground event. However, the biggest stages were yet to come. The team finished 14th at the VCT Lock-In event in Sao Paolo before notching a 5th-place finish in VCT EMEA League play. Twisten's last match was a 2-1 loss to FUT Esports on May 25.
Twisten Confirmed Dead After "Good Night" Tweet
Twisten has always been open about his struggles with mental health. Following Team Vitality's loss in the Lock-In tournament, Twisten posted a length Twitlonger. In it, he talked candidly about his battle with depression. On June 6, Twisten posted a tweet that simply read "Good night". While seemingly innocuous, "good night" is also a common esports term that players post after killing an enemy.
Furthermore, on June 7, Team Vitality confirmed the worst - that Twisten had passed away. "We are deeply heartbroken to share with you that our VALORANT player Karel "Twisten" Asenbrener passed away last night. We are deeply saddened by this devastating loss, and our first thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends in this difficult time. The whole Team Vitality Organization is devastated by this news, and we will be stopping all communications for the rest of the day. Rest in peace Karel." In response to his death, a challenge drive was implemented at the upcoming VCT Master Tokyo. Every "shorty" elimination would add to fund that would raise money for a mental health charity.
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