This article was written by our Community Writer Pedro Romero.
In recent decades, the majority of women have struggled to formulate a sustainable career within the esports industry. Instead of finding a suitable environment where they can show their talents, they find themselves treated as outcasts and are impeded from continuing their work and advancing their career.
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Even in rare moments, where some women receive an opportunity based on their merit, their value gets bludgeoned thanks to a mixture of factors that essentially disincentivizes them from continuing to work in the field. Nonetheless, there are those who found success in spite of the morose environment they inhabit, such as Jorien “Sheever” van der Heijden and Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere. But as far as the competitive side is concerned, not a single team has been able to attract significant attention.
Such was the despondent mood until Summer 2020 when an all-female Valorant team stampeded their competition before signing with one of esports’ biggest organizations: Cloud9 White. This team soared to the forefront of female esports by beating opponents with their own blend of play while exuding a nonplussed attitude that repels the toxicity that seeks to undermine them.
In just two years since their formation, Alexis “alexis” Guarrasi, Annie “Annie” Roberts, Jasmine “Jazzyk1ns” Manankil, katsumi, and Melanie “meL” Capone, are subverting the negative stereotypes surrounding women in esports to create a brighter future for their colleagues.
From humble beginnings
The team’s story began during the early days of Valorant’s closed beta. Following years of playing and working as an in-game observer for CS:GO tournaments, meL, alongside AnnieDro and Jazzyk1ns, switched to Valorant to compete in Tier-2 tournaments. The trio debuted in the ANEW (together with Missharvey and Whiffany Valorant Women’s Open as Russian Street Party but were eliminated in the first round by 13-10. Despite suffering a disappointing debut, the trio continued practice and sought to fix the issues that plagued them from going further.
“Being a good friend and being a good teammate are very different things,” says katsumi in an interview with Red Bull about the team’s formation. “Learning how to be teammates has been something we’ve had to work on. You have to adapt the way you provide feedback to people, it’s not one size fits all,” said meL. “In the past, we would sit down and watch a VOD, and point out mistakes, and people would get, like, ‘Oh, but you did this.’ And it’s like, ‘Oh no, no, no. I’m not saying that to make you look bad, I’m saying that to help you get better.’”
Soon thereafter, with their issues addressed, the team, which renamed itself to BMAJK and enlisted katsumi (who worked as an insurance company intern at the time) and benita, entered the CLG Blitz Cup #2, another event that allowed both male and female teams. Similar to ANEW, BMAJK were drawn into another tough opponent from the onset, this time being the Asuna-led Immortals and lost 13-2.
The team suffered yet another early elimination, but unlike the past where they stomach their loss with disappointment, they garnered a reputation as a capable female team, creating speculation as to how they would perform once the all-female tournaments started to get assembled. Unsurprisingly, BMAJK agreed to the public’s notion, so they made every effort to voice their sentiment shortly after the Blitz Cup ended.
Reforming to MAJKL by replacing benita with alexis, they then completed their team.
From MAJKL to C9 White
True to their word, MAJKL secured first place in the FTW Summer Showdown, which was the first all-women’s event supported by Riot Games as part of the Valorant Ignition Series, with an 11-game unbeaten streak, instantly marking them as the best in the region. Even while facing teams which were supported by major organizations, MAJKL expended little effort in dispatching their rivals. Within those 11 games, they showed just how dominant they were compared to the rest of the pack.
With Jazzyk1ns directly assaulting the frontline as the duelist, Annie supporting just behind as the initiator, katsumi holding the back line as controller, alexis (who joined one month after Blitz Cup #2), and meL dictating the game as sentinel, MAJKL possessed all the pieces of a burgeoning dynasty. All they needed to make the final step was for an organization to sign them. Four days after winning the FTW Summer Showdown tournament, that wish was formally realized.
“It feels really surreal to join such an established and well-known organisation as Cloud9,” said alexis. “I know this is something we’ve all been working really hard for and we’re so thankful for the opportunity and all of the support we receive from them. After we won the Ignition Series, we had many offers on the table from numerous different organisations and we were constantly in and out of meetings. Cloud9 was definitely our top choice from the beginning, though.”
By affiliating themselves with C9, the team now owned a swath of resources which was far greater than anything they had before. Besides receiving high-grade equipment, they could scrim with a variety of Tier-1 and Tier-2 teams on a regular basis. These factors helped them prepare amply well for the VCT Game Changers circuit, which served as the apex of female Valorant competition in North America.
“We’re not a team to be underestimated,” said alexis. “We’ve been together since beta and have formed such close relationships with each other to the point where we’re one big family. Viewers who are interested should watch us play in tournaments and see how methodical and meticulous we are on the server. We take our gameplay very seriously and we’re looking to turn some heads in upcoming events.”
Already an exemplary team, the best female team in the scene obtained further power-ups that augmented their game, so by the start of the 2021 season, C9 White exuded an aura of confidence on how they will fare against the likes of other viable teams.
Dominance in Game Changers
As far as their goal of domination for 2021 was concerned, C9W did more than “turn some heads.” In fact, they decimated the field wire-to-wire in the Game Changers circuit. Through its three major events, they recorded a near flawless match record of 27-1 (lone loss came against Shopify Rebellion in the GC 3 grand finals), walking home with $60,000 in prize money, by far the most of any team in the circuit.
This happened despite not playing with their female opponents in tournaments such as the Sakura Cup. Instead, C9W play male teams in NSG Summer Championship open tournaments, of which they saw as a better option to hone their skills instead of constantly playing with their rivals. Regardless of what anyone said about their strategy, they can’t deny that it helped tremendously for their domination in Game Changers.
“When we first joined those tournaments, we weren’t winning, we were getting rolled, I think we even got 13-0’d a couple times. But that didn’t stop us,” said Annie in the post-game press conference following the GC 2 grand finals. “We went beyond the girls’ scene and that’s why we’re at the top right now. I think if other teams do that, then we’re going to see more close matches, and maybe a team taking a series off of us.”
No matter what was done to defy C9W’s dominance, the team remained ironclad and continued winning. When Shopify pushed C9W to a fourth map in that grand finals, which prompted fans to hope for an upset, C9W briskly brought them back to reality by rehashing the dominance they’ve been accustomed to watching.
As the story usually goes with dominant teams, the more often they win events over a period of time, the more flak they receive from people wishing to witness their downfall. But whereas C9W’s domination at Game Changers doesn’t differ from other teams in different games, they had to endure an exorbitant amount of bigotry from fans that is primarily based on their gender.
Dealing with toxicity
Lest there be said, women haven’t enjoyed the best of times when it comes to esports. In recent years, they have been subjected to various instances of discrimination and abuse. As such, women were discouraged to pursue a career in esports, since if they did, they would be prone to maltreatment.
In addition to receiving abuse, women are criticised and discriminated against, with people constantly lambasting them with a mixture of insults and indifference. Even Cloud9 White, who dominated the competition and won consecutive GC titles throughout 2021, they too couldn’t avoid the hate hurled by people looking to undermine them.
“There’s always going to be the argument that we were only signed because we’re girls. And there can be some valid criticism with that, but often I find it’s used to undermine us more so than open up a dialogue about inclusivity,” said Annie of the pressures in being a member of an all-girl team. “There is so much pressure on us. If we slip up, if we fail, we get five times the scrutiny than other players because we’re ‘just a girl team.’”
Nevertheless, C9W is doing their utmost to curb the ongoing trend of discrimination by continuing to perform as well throughout the year. By ignoring their “haters” and continuing to concentrate on their games, they can siphon away all the toxicity hovering around them while also galvanizing the rest of the Valorant pro scene to follow suit.
Inspiring the future
Following a successful 2021 season, C9W looks to build on their impressive showing well into 2022. Besides competing in the next Game Changers circuit and continuing to play against male teams in VCT/third-party event, they hope to make considerable noise that will continue to change the way people look at women in esports. And judging by the way their popularity is going, it looks like their plan is working.
With each show of support from fans, which range from congratulatory remarks to fan art rendition of the players, the team is becoming one of the most popular teams in Valorant. That’s because C9W is serving as the gold standard for players who are looking to formulate their own careers.
“I’m honestly just really happy that there are so many players, such as people of marginalized genders, who are beginning to play Valorant, looking up at , and think it’s possible to make a career instead of doing it as a hobby. I like that we can set that example,” said katsumi.
Weaving their way through a myriad of obstacles, as the torchbearer for the female Valorant movement, C9W continues to aspire for a better environment for those competing in the present day and for those whose careers are soon to come.
Read more:
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- All VALORANT duelists ranked: Who’s the best fragger?
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Our Community Writer Pedro Romero:
Freelance writer with approximately three years of experience. Worked for numerous outlets including esports.com, while covering League of Legends, Valorant, and Dota 2. Currently at Bronze I in NA LoL solo-queue.
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