Sentinels in peril with TenZ having to play in VCT despite hand injury

TenZ posted a picture of his hand with a severe joint infection ahead of their match this weekend. And with Marved still not having his VISA, no one could sub in for him, forcing TenZ to play unless Sentinels wanted to forfeit.

Despite starting Valorant’s competitive history at the top of the world, Sentinels haven’t managed to stay there. VCT Americas has shown how strong the competition is now, with SEN getting 2-0ed by NRG early on in the split.

However, Tyson ‘TenZ‘ Ngo has still been a standout player, even in the controversy surrounding Sentinels. He’s held on to his identity as a confident entry fragger who isn’t afraid to challenge any opponent, making him a fan-favorite player.

Disaster has struck for Sentinels, with TenZ suddenly contracting a joint infection in his left hand, something that’s left his index finger almost unusable. However, with SicK’s recent arrest and Marved reportedly not having a VISA, TenZ had to play on-stage in order to avoid forfeiting the match.

TenZ contracts crippling joint infection ahead of VCT match

Sentinels had a rough start even ahead of their VCT Americas debut. They’re one of the biggest and most recognizable names in Valorant and were a shoo-in for franchising, but, with SicK still rehabilitating after being released from jail and Marved allegedly being unable to play, they’re very reliant on their core 5-man roster being able to show up and play.

Meanwhile, TenZ contracted a joint infection in his left hand. His index finger is extremely swollen and his hand is in pain. He posted about the swelling on his Instagram story before getting an official diagnosis, something Kyedae spoke about with Tarik on-stream.

Playing while injured isn’t unprecedented in esports, however. Sometimes players decide to put their personal health on the line and play through their injuries for the sake of their team. This was something shown by League of Legends pro deokdam earlier this year, who played with a massive brace on his left arm.

However, TenZ had to play. It’s hard to say what choice he would have made if Sentinels had another person to sub in. If Sentinels aren’t able to field a five-man team, they would be forced to forfeit. TenZ was forced to either play through having an injury or risk having his team get disqualified from the day’s matches.

TenZ opted to play despite his injury. Sentinels managed to take their set against Leviatán to 3 games, but they were ultimately crushed 13-4 on Pearl. TenZ clearly wasn’t on his A-game.

Kyedae also revealed that TenZ fell ill the day after his match, only making matters worse considering both her and TenZ are immunocompromised.

And I know I’m going to get attacked in the comments for this tweet. I do not care. I just feel constantly hopeless for the situation I’m in and if I could, I would have hid the fact that I have cancer from everyone as well as himself so he could continue to focus fully.

— Kyedae (@kyedae) April 17, 2023

Hopefully Sentinels can find a way to get a substitute in place so TenZ has time to rest properly and recover ahead of the season’s most crucial matches.