FaZe Clan has announced a ground-breaking moment for FaZe and the gaming industry: the signing of its first all-female professional esports team. The new team, which will compete under FaZe’s VALORANT banner is comprised of pro players Jennifer “refinnej” Le, Emma “emy” Choe, Vannesa Emely “panini” Emory, Madison “maddiesuun” Mann, and Diane “di” Tran.
The team will make its first public appearance under FaZe Clan while competing in the upcoming 2023 season of the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Game Changers Series. The series was first introduced in 2022. and was started to supplement the standard VCT competitive season by creating new opportunities and exposure for women and other marginalised genders within VALORANT esports. The start of the 2023 season sees the introduction of FaZe Clan and other major gaming organisations to the series.
“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,” said FaZe Clan head of esports Erik Anderson.
Before joining FaZe Clan, the women played together on various pro teams throughout the years, making the new VALORANT team an exciting reunion. Refinnej, Panini, and Maddiesuun previously played together for Complexity GX3, while Refinnej, Emmy, and Di played competitive Counter Strike Global Offensive (CS:GO) for Count Logic Gaming (CLG) Red. The first time all the five women competed together was in 2022 for the Champions Tour Game Changers Series III: North America playing under the name ‘Hamboigas’.
The team announcement brings FaZe Clan’s professional esports roster up to 14 teams currently holding a total of 37 world championships.
Emma “FaZe emy” Choe is originally from New Jersey and brings her skills as an esports pro player to the roster as a VALORANT Initiator. Diane “FaZe di” Tran is originally from Seattle, WA and currently resides in Houston, TX. Di has been in the esports scene for the last few years. She joins FaZe Clan’s female VALORANT team as a Controller/Initiator Agent.
Madison “FaZe maddiesuun” Mann is joining as the team’s skilled Duelist Agent. Before FaZe, she played for Complexity GX3 and was previously a professional Fortnite player for GenG. During her time with GenG, Maddiesuun was a major advocate for female pro players and aided in the organisation’s continued hunt to bring more women on board.
Vannesa Emely “FaZe panini” Emory is originally from the Bay area and splits her time in Los Angeles, CA. Her professional esports career includes playing for Complexity GX3 followed by Shopify Rebellion GC. Panini joins the team as a Smoker.
Jennifer “FaZe refinnej” Le is originally from the Bay area and recently planted her roots in Dallas, TX. She will hold down her position on the team as a Sentinel Agent.