TenZ is taking an indefinite break from competitive Valorant

Cloud9 star Tyson “TenZ” Ngo has unexpectedly departed the Valorant roster. The decision was announced in a tweet by Cloud9, where some of his highlights are shown, along with a brief explanation by TenZ himself. He also elaborated on his Twitch stream afterward. TenZ will be focusing on content creation until he feels the time is right to return to the competitive scene.

The COVID-19 pandemic made TenZ step down

TenZ was the undisputed star of Cloud9 Blue. Some would even go as far as calling him the most mechanically gifted Valorant player in the world. With C9’s struggles lately, TenZ’s departure certainly won’t be of help.

TenZ himself, on the other hand, is anything but struggling. His Twitch channel is doing exceptionally well and is rapidly approaching the one million followers mark.

The original member of #C9BLUE @TenZ_CS has elected to step down from the team and competitive @PlayVALORANT to pursue content creation

Thank you for all you've contributed to Cloud9 competitively – time to watch you shine in content! pic.twitter.com/moppk8q8pW

— Cloud9 (@Cloud9) January 12, 2021

“For 2020, the year was amazing for me. It was the year I was able to blow up in competitive play, my Twitch stream, all the socials,” TenZ explained. “Only towards the end of 2020, we had some decline as a team together. Stepping down from the team is a personal choice of mine. I’m really excited for what the future of [Valorant] holds in the competitive scene.”

He goes on to explain that he will focus solely on content creation until COVID-19 is over and will reassess the situation when LAN tournaments are back. TenZ elaborated further on this on his stream after the announcement, explaining that COVID-19 forces him to play at home with 60 ping as opposed to others, who play with much lower latency. The pandemic and his worries about his asthma also prevent him from moving houses, leading to his decision to take a break from the competitive scene.

TenZ has been a big presence in the competitive Valorant scene since he moved over from CS:GO. Back when he moved down to the bench on the Cloud9 CS:GO team, he also took a break for content creation as he waited for Valorant to release. Now, however, despite the underperformance of his team, TenZ was considered one of the top players, so his break is anything but expected. Fortunately, it appears to be only temporary.