FaZe Clan’s Sparg0 is taking a hiatus from competition in order to better his mental health.
FaZe Clan's Edgar "Sparg0" Valdez will be taking an indefinite hiatus from competing in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. After his seventh-place finish at the Gimvitational, on June 20th, Sparg0 posted a twitlonger where he revealed that he will be taking a break. This break is to focus on his mental health and to prepare for future events.
(Credit to Beyond the Summit)
Break not a response to result at Gimvitational says Sparg0
FaZe Sparg0 says in his Twitlonger that his mental health has been struggling for a few months now. He was hesitant to enter the Gimvitational because he "knew I wasn't in the right state to compete..." as well as feeling like he "had to do it". He goes on to say that he had terrible anxiety attacks before his matches against both Kola and Ferps.
"Before you say I’m only saying this because I underperformed at the gimvitational , I’ve been feeling this way since genesis (or probably slightly before that), I constantly ignored because I thought it was just a one time thing and/or it would just go away eventually, but it’s only been getting progressively worse. I thought having a month break was gonna help (hence one of the reasons I didn’t attend anything back in may) but it was still the same thing."
These feelings of anxiety had been following Sparg0 since before Genesis 8. Sparg0 had tried to aid his mental health by taking a short break during the month of May, but it hadn't helped at all. Sparg0 will most likely be absent from any upcoming majors including Smash Con, GOML and Rise N Grind. He said that he will still be attending Smash Factor, but only as a spectator.
Sparg0 will be taking a step back from both competing and social media to focus on his mental health. He did not elaborate on what steps he is taking, but he hopes to come back stronger than ever.
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Sparg0's absence
Sparg0's absence will definitely be felt from the upcoming major tournaments for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Sparg0 burst onto the scene during the online era with COVID halting in person tournaments. He had made a name for himself by reaching the top of the Wi-Fi Warrior Rankings. When offline events returned, Sparg0 did not slow down.
From August 29, 2021 to June 5, 2022, he never placed lower than third at any offline event he attended. His most recent placement of 7th at the Gimvitational is the lowest that he has ever placed offline.
Notable placements:
- 1st place Smash Ultimate Summit 3 - $19,095
- 1st place Smash Word Tour 2021 - $8000
- 1st place Collision 2022 - $4,494
- 1st place G4 Smash Ultimate Invitational
- 1st place Low Tide CIty 2022
- 3rd place Genesis 8
For more piece on Smash Bros. such as the Japanese dominance at Battle of BC 4, be sure to check out our other stories at esports.gg.
