- Team SoloMid will be welcoming LeahPanda to its all-girl VALORANT lineup
- The spot was open in the wake of Lunarkats’ leave from the team
- LeahPanda is will help out the team with her experience with the Sova character
LeahPanda steps in to fill the gap left by lunarkats’ departure from Team SoloMid’s VALORANT roster.
The Team is Complete Once Again
The empty slot in Team SoloMid’s female VALORANT roster will now be filled by Leah “LeahPanda” Nemchin-Cossman. This was announced on the organization’s official Twitter page.
The esports organization formed its female-exclusive VALORANT roster in mid-March. It featured five experienced women, led by Catherine “CAth” Leroux, a former professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player. However soon after the team was formed, the player lunarkats was dismissed, following the resurgence of old controversies.
The team is now comprised of the following players:
- Catherine “cath” Leroux
- Emily “mle” Peters
- Leah “LeahPanda” Nemchin-Cossman
- Mirna “athxna” Noureldin
- Zoe “zoessie” Servais
How LeahPanda Became a Permanent Part of TSM
LeahPanda had first joined TSM as a stand-in, following lunarkats’ dismissal. The team quickly became accustomed to the new entry as she helped the team win the Tampax Gaming Fest and get the second place in the Pittsburgh Knights Sakura Cup. LeahPanda’s experience resulted in her being welcomed as a permanent addition.
The professional player revealed that she is excited both because she will continue to play with her teammates and because she is now a part of TSM.
Before joining Team SoloMid, LeahPanda was a part of Lockdown – a team of enthusiasts that don’t play professionally. Leah’s most used character is Sova with her choosing him almost every game. LeahPanda has a 1.13 kill to death ratio and 154 damage per round.
TSM’s female lineup was announced shortly after the announcement of Counter Logic Gaming’s and Cloud 9’s own such teams. It also marks a tendency of esports to become more open towards female players. The recent months have seen the launch of various initiatives such as the VCT Game Changers and Women of Misfits. Moreover, all-girl tournaments such as Women of the eRena series have been running for a while, and additionally, Formula 1 launched the F1 Esports Series Women’s Wildcard female-only qualifier for its Pro Exhibition.
As esports become more inclusive to women, we can expect to be seeing more and more female or mixed teams.
