With TenZ gone, who's the next big Valorant star?

The Valorant community might be an ever-changing one, but there are some key figures in the competitive scene that almost every player knows about. This goes for every game, but for Valorant specifically, the most well-known player has to be TenZ. Sen TenX, or Tyson, is one of the players who made the game as popular as it is today with his humble personality and excellent gameplay.

However, TenZ announced that he would be retiring from playing as a competitive player. Seeing as how he was considered the face of Valorant, fans of Riot’s popular FPS now wonder who will take the vacant spot as Valorant’s biggest star. From cNeD to Aspas, we’re here to dive deep into which professional player could potentially become the next face of Valorant now that TenZ is gone.

So, if you’re a fellow Valorant enthusiast and wonder who will take Sen TenZ’s place, keep reading because we might have the answer. If you don’t care about the esports scene and want to improve your personal gameplay, you can always hire a professional booster from Eloking to show you the ropes. Just don’t forget to use the code “BoostToday” when getting a Valorant boost to also get a 20% discount in the process.

Why is TenZ leaving Valorant competitive play?

The Canadian Valorant professional player Tyson “TenZ” Ngo reveals that he is retiring from professional play on September 15, 2024. In the statement he posted, the player said he wanted to stop professional gaming so he could focus more on other hobbies and interests. 

This retirement wasn’t an impulse decision either, as TenZ states that he has been planning for a while that 2024 would be the final year he plays professionally. Since 2024 started, TenZ kept saying to himself “This is my last year” so he gave Valorant his entire energy to leave the game without regretting anything. Although TenZ is retired from the main roster, he said he might still sub for the Sentinels if they needed him.

What was TenZ’s impact on professional Valorant?

Before TenZ entered the competitive Valorant scene, he was a Counter-Strike professional who began his professional journey in 2017. When he migrated to Valorant, he quickly became one of the most iconic players in the game. TenZ showcased immense mechanical skills with the game while also staying humble. 

While his aim is no doubt excellent, his quick thinking and risk-taking abilities also greatly contributed to his overall success as a content creator and personality in the Valorant scene. Of course, his relationship with Kyedae is also a major reason for his success, but we’ll dive into that more in a bit.

The Valorant community regards TenZ as one of the best Duelist players in the game. This praise comes from the fact that he has a large following and is the only North American player to win multiple Masters events. While TenZ had a point in his career where he wasn’t able to properly contribute to his team when playing on the big stage, he switched things up and adopted the role of a controller to not only win the VALORANT Champions Tour 2024: Masters Madrid but also to create one of the best Omen clips around.

Although TenZ won’t participate in official tournaments and competitions anymore, he said he will make more content. He might follow in the footsteps of other professional players like xQc and Shroud, who became streamers after retiring from competitive play.

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Who will be the next Valorant star?

While it may be tough to fill in the void TenZ left with his retirement, several other professional players have the potential to be the next big thing. For example, the Turkish player Mehmet "cNed" Ä°pek has become quite popular in the European side of competitive Valorant. He has exceptional aim and game sense, making him one of the best professional players.

Another obvious choice for the next big Valorant star is Erick "aspas" Santos. While most fans regard TenZ as the best Valorant duelist, others believe it’s aspas who should hold the title. He often plays Reyna and Sova, killing off anyone in his way. The only thing that might prevent his stardom is that he tries not to be a one-person army. While it’s good that he lets his team perform, the audience often gravitates toward people who can carry matches.

Ava ‘forescent’ Eugene is another great candidate that has the potential to become the next Valorant star. Despite being in the competitive scene since 2022, she has consistently performed in her tournaments, often winning. She also got the MVP award in VCT 2023: Game Changers Championship. With her skills and charisma, it’s easy to see that she’s got a bright future in the community.

While numerous players can be the next TenZ, it’s worth noting that the competitive scene is changing, with new people and teams joining the game every year. Maybe the person to fill up the hole could be someone who hasn’t entered the competitive Valorant yet. 

Will TenZ still be a famous Valorant player?

As mentioned above, TenZ may be retiring from playing Valorant competitively, but that doesn’t mean fans won’t still see him around. It has to be established that TenZ is more popular as a content creator rather than as a competitive player, so retiring as a professional player doesn’t do much to deter his fame.

On the contrary, TenZ will now likely have more time to stream and create unique and engaging content for his community. A big highlight and reason for TenZ’s success is his relationship with fellow Valorant creator Kyedae. The Valorant community has deemed the two to be “couple goals,” so collaborating with each other is an excellent way to ensure both are in the spotlight.

Finally, TenZ has formed many valuable connections in the content creation space over the years. From collaborations with Twitch streamers like Pokimane to 100 Thieves member Valkyrae, TenZ has no shortage of popular creators he can collaborate with whenever he wants. Now that he’ll have more time on his hands, we could even potentially see him joining a content creator team like Offline TV or 100 Thieves to frequently create content with them.

Whatever the case, TenZ has more than given his all to the competitive Valorant scene, and it’s cool to see him retire on a good note after coming out of one of the biggest wins possible. Whatever he does, his skills as a gamer and personality will no doubt ensure his fans keep watching.

FAQs

Will Sen TenZ come back to competitive Valorant?

It’s hard to say for certain whether Sen TenZ will return to playing competitive Valorant. While he is considered one of the greats, he has already given his all to the scene and now wants to have more time with his family and loved ones.

Which other Sentinel member retired from competitive play? 

In addition to Sen TenZ, fellow competitive Sentinel member Gustavo “Sacy” Rossi also retired from competitively playing the game. This means there are now two vacant spots in the Sentinels team, and with the team already facing criticism from big names, it remains to be seen which direction they go.