Should Male And Female VALORANT Players Compete In The Same Scene?
Before September 13, TSM and Sentinels were the only two teams in the North American region that’s taken home an Ignition Series title but that all changed at the FTW Summer Showdown. Granted, neither TSM nor Sentinels took part in the tournament, but that didn’t take anything away from one of the most dominant victory runs we’ve seen in the scene so far.
The FTW Summer Showdown was an all-female Ignition Series, the first of its kind in VALORANT and it was every bit just as good as its male counterparts. From the star-studded broadcast talent lineup to flashy and exciting gameplay, the competition really put the female scene on the map and added a new perspective to the age-old question: should female players and male players compete together?
We want to be the best female team.
- Jazzyk1ns
Well, MAJKL, an orgless all-female team were the eventual winners of the FTW Summer Showdown. Featuring a mix of ex CSGO and Overwatch players and led by captain meL, they swept the tournament without dropping a single map. And with their victory, they didn’t just gain more fans and followers, we also witnessed a surge of debates and comments on whether this team has what it takes to challenge the top male teams in North America.
MAJKL’s 16-year-old prodigy Jazzyk1ns echoed her captain’s sentiments on the matter and kept her ambitions short and sweet: “We want to be the best female team, but we also want to be competing on the highest level possible among those male teams which would be amazing.”
Of course, the ultimate goal for the players at MAJKL is to be picked up by an org, win as many tournaments as they can but also be able to do it among the best of the best, not just the best in the female scene.
While the FTW Summer Showdown gave the female players an incredible platform to showcase what they can do, we’ve yet to see any Ignition Series that featured both male and female teams. Jazzyk1ns reckons this is due to the lack of top-tier female talents.
She said: “If we take the CS scene as an example because that’s where I came from, there aren’t that many good female players in the higher divisions which also means there could be a lack of experience or skill. If there aren’t that many female pros, it’s going to be hard for them to enter the top tier scene.”
gottmoxi, one of the casters at the event, also shed some light on what she makes of the issue.
She said: “Well the final goal is always being able to integrate girls and guys into the same tournament and I think MAJKL are a team that definitely have a real shot at that, GX3 as well. Given the time, the one thing that’s going to be potentially different between those is what will be available to us. We saw some of the teams that participated in the Ignition Series were crossed over from CSGO and had never even played VALORANT before the tournament.
“Coaching could also be something that might be something that stands in the way of the integration because it’s so important in VALORANT. I know a few of those teams didn’t have coaches and if you want to be able to go up against the likes of Sentinels and TSM then you need coaching, and you’re going to need strategies.”
While the nuances of coaching definitely seems to be something that could present itself as a barrier, both gottmoxi and Jazzyk1ns hit the same point: how can we integrate female and male players when there just aren’t enough female players in the top division at this moment in time.
However, as we saw at the FTW Summer Showdown, particularly with MAJKL and finalists GX3, there not being many top-tier female players doesn’t mean there are none - it just takes a bit of digging to be able to find them.
gottmoxi wanted to highlight Jazzyk1ns and GX3’s Clawdia as great examples of what can happen when we do make an effort to spot out female talent.
She said: “We’ve definitely got a couple of extremely talented rising stars, take Jazzy, for example, she’s so young and she’s already that good. That is absolutely terrifying, and MAJKL know it, they really try to put her in the best possible positions so she can come in clutch.
“Of course there were so many other players that impressed me too - GX3’s Clawdia was one of my favourites to watch. The way she plays and understands Jett and forces a mental battle against her opponents was just so smart.
“I think if these young talents and rising stars keep being inspired and keep getting the spotlight given to them like the way this Ignition Series has, then we’ve got a strong case of showing that girls deserve a spot in this esport.”
For now, MAJKL deservingly walked away with an Ignition Series title and the $25,000 prize money. Not only that, Jazzyk1ns revealed they have indeed received org offers since their tournament victory. Regardless if there is an ample supply of female talents or not, there is no reason as to why MAJKL can’t be competing alongside the male teams. After all, if a male team had won an Ignition Series, they’d be undoubtedly invited to every other tournament in the future, and if we really want to grow the scene and keep it as interesting, diverse and competitive as possible, MAJKL need to be at least given the same chance to prove themselves.
Images via Riot Games
