FaZe Clan sign their first all-female esports team
FaZe Clan has announced the signing of the organization’s first all-female esports team by signing a female VALORANT team ahead of the 2023 VCT Game Changers series.
FaZe Clan’s new female lineup is comprised of the former Complexity GX3 core of Jennifer “refinnej” Le, Vanessa Emely “panini” Emory, and Madison “maddiesuun” Mann, alongside the additions of Emma “emy” Choe and Diane “di^” Tran from CLG Red in CS:GO.
“It’s been a long time coming but we’re stoked to officially announce bringing on our first all-female esports pro team for VALORANT,” FaZe Clan’s Head of Esports Erik Anderson stated in the press release. “Signing this group of talented women is just the beginning of bringing female gamers to the forefront at FaZe and I can’t wait to watch them play as a team. Check them out during the 2023 VCT Game Changers Series - they’re ready to bring the heat to the competition.”
Introducing FaZe Clan's first All-Female Roster@EmyyCSGO @dianeCSGO @qtpanini @maddiesuun @refinnejle #VCTGameChangers | #FaZeUp pic.twitter.com/Gzedcm1wqH
— FaZe Clan (@FaZeClan) March 7, 2023
All five women have already gotten a headstart playing together when they competed in the Champions Tour Game Changers Series III: North America under the banner “Hamboigas”. The team finished in 13th-16th place following their close 2-1 series loss to Dart Monkeys. Now, with the support of FaZe Clan, they will look towards the VCT Game Changers series in 2023 as this veteran lineup sets their sights on competing with the top teams in the Game Changers series.
The 2023 VCT Game Changers season will start with the VCT Game Changers Series I from April 4 to 6 with the Open Qualifiers. FaZe Clan, alongside other teams, will be looking to qualify for the VCT Game Changers Series I Main Event which will take place from April 11 to 14.
With Cloud9 White no longer competing in VALORANT, female teams will now be looking to overtake that spot as the next Game Changers champion in North America.
Teams interested in competing in the VCT Game Changers Series I Open Qualifier through the Knights Arena website. Registrations will begin on March 21, 2023.
Sage got his start in esports as a volunteer writer in 2016 for esports organization, Dignitas. Since then, he has continued to work on his craft as a journalist and reporter for a number of established esports publications, such as esports.gg, Unikrn, Akshon Esports, Howla, The Player’s Lobby, Nerd Street Gamers, and most recently Dot Esports. Now, as a member of Esports Illustrated’s content team, Sage’s primary duties are centered around creating groundbreaking written and video content about the esports industry that impacts the community in a meaningful way. Sage graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology and Informatics. There, he was a member of the Rutgers Esports Executive Board, both as the head of the fighting game community and a videographer/photographer for the Content team.