"Never said he is the best": Kyedae tweets defending TenZ as Sentinels lose back-to-back in VCT Americas 2023

Kyedae defends TenZ after his lacking performance in VCT, reveals he has Covid (Image via Streamer Awards)
Kyedae defends TenZ after his lacking performance in VCT, reveals he has Covid (Image via Streamer Awards)

Popular Valorant streamer "Kyedae" Shymko has come out in defense of her fiance Tyson "TenZ" who has been facing a lot of backlash for his performance in the latest VCT Americas 2023 match between Sentinels and Leviatan. Fans of the former side saw their team lose for the second week in a row this season. Many have lashed out at the star player TenZ for not meeting expectations after he finished at the bottom of the scorecard with a K/D ratio of 0.71 (35 Kills to 49 Deaths).

Kyedae, his partner known for creating content on Valorant on Twitch and YouTube for 100 Thieves, took to Twitter to call out people for sending hate his way, explaining that he is human and is prone to performing badly from time to time. She also noted how his popularity and prior excellence on the field have raised expectations and called him humble and kind:

"He has NEVER once said he is the best. I get that with his popularity will come hate, but he’s the most humble and kind hearted person I know. I know saying this changes nothing but again, please understand that both him and myself are only human."

Kyedae reveals TenZ played his latest match for Sentinels with Covid and joint infections

Shymko and Tyson have come to be regarded as the premier Valorant power couple after the two got engaged last year. While the latter rose to VCT fame after winning the Masters Reykjavik in spectacular fashion, the former has built up a career in streaming on Twitch, recently winning the Valorant Streamer of the Year award at the Streamer Awards.

As popular online personalities, both have received ample hate from the wider community for one thing or the other over their careers, and TenZ's performance in the last two league matches for the Sentinels has caused much backlash against the Canadian player.

So much so that Kyedae addressed it in a stream from last week after Sentinels lost 0-2 to NRG. Since this weekend's loss to Leviaten, there have been renewed hate threads towards her partner, forcing her to defend him yet again. This time, she revealed that TenZ has been fighting infections and was diagnosed with Covid 19, and that given the choice he would have sat out. She stated:

"Please be understanding. Tyson HAD to play. I’m sure if he had the choice he would have sat out. He played with a joint infection and just tested positive with Covid this morning. He’s only human."

Kyedae sounded quite stressed at the barrage of criticism headed their way and lamented revealing her cancer diagnosis because it might have distracted TenZ's form in Valorant. She stated:

"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."

Twitter reacts to Kyedae's tweets

The streamer's followers were largely sympathetic to her side of the story and extended their support. Here are a few general reactions from fans and fellow content creators:


The online gaming community is known for having toxic elements. Kyedae has been battling an acute case of leukemia, or blood cancer, and has repeatedly talked about being trolled online for it.

Quick Links

App download animated image Get the free App now