Tyson “TenZ” Ngo isn’t going anywhere (for now).
The 19-year-old will continue to play for Sentinels for the foreseeable future and compete “through the end” of the VALORANT Champions Tour Challengers finals, the American esports organization confirmed today.
Tenz, who joined the roster in March as a last-minute stand-in for Jay “sinatraa” Won, has gone above and beyond expectations, helping the team secure a first-place finish in NA Masters One, beating FaZe Clan in the finals.
After stepping down from Cloud9’s VALORANT roster in January to pursue a career in content creation, though, he remains contracted to C9.
Sentinels has been negotiating an extended loan for Tenz, according to a recent report by Daily Esports’ George Geddes, while sinatraa remains on the bench pending an investigation of sexual abuse.
But today, it appears the orgs have come to an agreement. Before the previous VCT Stage Two qualifier, Tenz’s buyout was estimated to be around the $2 million mark, according to Upcomer’s Tyler Erzberger. This figure hasn’t been confirmed.
“I definitely have that competitive itch and I really notice it most through winning and just playing with a bunch of fantastic players that I do want to be a pro player,” TenZ said in a virtual press conference in March. “I don’t feel obligated to make superstar plays and try to be a hero every round. I kind of did that sometimes on C9, but on this squad I can just trust everyone to play their roles perfectly and hold their own.”
Though Sentinels crashed out of VCT Challengers Stage Two earlier this month, losing to Built By Gamers in the round of 16, they’ll have the chance to redeem themselves in the next open qualifier on April 29.
It still remains to be seen if Tenz will join Sentinels on a permanent basis. But he’ll continue to represent the org for now.
Make sure to follow us on YouTube for more esports news and analysis.
