Reports from Dexerto and The Esports Observer have pointed towards the completion of Tyson “TenZ” Ngo from Cloud9 to Sentinels. Sources close to the Esports Observer have said this TenZ buyout surrounds a “seven-figure” deal.
The transfer was originally signed in April, with TenZ taking up the spot left vacant by the suspension of Jay “Sinatraa” Won, with Cloud9 allowing Sentinels an option to purchase his contract at the end of his loan. The expiration date for that loan would be the end of Masters: Reykjavík.
On Iceland, the Sentinels took the crown of best team in the World, winning Masters: Reykjavík, the second stage of the VALORANT Champions Tour Masters circuit. In it, the squad went undefeated up against top International opposition and completed the event without losing a single map.
With the tournament coming to an end and with Sinatraa being recently suspended from professional play for an addition six months, given his lack of cooperation with Riot Games on the investigation surrounding sexual assault allegations made by his ex-girlfriend, the Sentinels were once again without a fifth player.
Given the success of Sentinels with TenZ on the roster, a lot of eyes were on the North American organisation to make his presence in the team a permanent one. Following the release of these reports, Sentinels have seemed to point towards the veracity of these reports.
On the flip side of the coin, especially under the weight of the Reykjavík run, Cloud9 came under a lot of pressure to let TenZ free of his contract. However, C9 held the keys to the kingdom and as such, held the future of the 20 year-old on their hands.
Cloud9 CEO Jack Etienne has already confirmed the move through Reddit. In his post, he defends that the transfer was already completed before Iceland, admitting that while it was a “dangerous deal” for C9, “it was important to Tyson to play and I wanted to make it happen for him”.
If this TenZ buyout has indeed been paid by the Sentinels, their VALORANT roster will be in full force to defend their title when time comes to fight at Masters: Berlin, the third and final event of the Masters series. The first obstacle in that path, however, will be in the upcoming domestic Challengers tournament.
