TSM just announced its female Valorant roster just days after CLG Red made its way into the women’s competitive Valorant scene. The new roster features Catherine “Cath” Leroux, Katherine “LunarKats” So, Emily “mle” Peters, Zoe “Zoe” Servais, and Mirna “Athxna” Noureldin. Cath will be taking up the “veteran leader” role and the player has past experience in CS:GO with CLG Red and Team Dignitas. Athxna will be the team's in-game leader. Riot Games has talked about a potential women’s Valorant league if the company feels there is a need for it. It remains to be seen how Riot handles the women’s competitive scene moving forward.
TSM was one of the first teams to sign a Valorant roster last year and has been one of the most dominant organizations in the North American Valorant scene. The team has performed consistently well with the exception of their recent attempt to qualify for Masters One. The female Valorant roster will be competing in the upcoming VCT Game Changers series.
The Game Changers Series will take place in all major regions throughout 2021 and will be similar to the Ignition Series events we had last year, featuring the best teams in the world. North America will be the first region to host the event which will kick off in late-March. Riot Games is also introducing a Game Changers Academy program to promote women’s esports. The new TSM roster will make its debut at the event on March 19th.
The Valorant Game Changers Academy will feature monthly tournaments and offer players opportunities to compete at the grassroots and semi-pro level. All Academy events will be organized in partnership with “GALORANTs”, which is one of the largest communities within Valorant.
Last year, Riot Games’ Brand and Marketing Manager Zanne Wong talked about a potential women’s only league in the future. She revealed that the Valorant team has to listen to the community. A more co-ed version of the league or a women’s league may be a reality in the future. The team will make a decision on being more inclusive for women following the results of the Valorant First Strike Event and the 2021 Champions Tour. The team is in a “learning and listening” stage right now, and they are trying to do the best for the community. The team wants to do what is best for the community, and if women need a separate league of their own, Riot will be working towards a women’s Valorant league.