Another tough one for Shopify Rebellion’s all-female
VALORANT roster in North America’s Tier 2 scene. After a loss to
Burger Boyz on September 6,
Shopify Rebellion Gold (SRG) have been relegated from the
VALORANT Challengers League North America (VCL NA).
This isn’t the first time SRG have faced this challenge. Earlier this year, the team made history as the first-ever all-female roster to compete in a Challengers League, debuting in Stage 1 of VCL NA. Unfortunately, Melanie “meL” Capone and her teammates went winless in their opening split. Their relegation run didn’t go much better, as they failed to hold their spot with a 1–3 record.
A Hard Step but Still Making History
Initially,
SRG weren’t expected to compete in Stage 3 after falling short in qualifiers. But when several teams failed to finalize rosters, Shopify were given another chance to compete.
This time, they didn’t leave empty-handed. After an opening 0–2 loss to Stage 1 champions
Envy, SRG bounced back in Week 2 with a win over the future Stage 3 winners,
TSM. That victory marked another historic milestone:
Shopify became the first all-female team to win a game in VCL.However, that would be their only victory of the split. SRG ended up back in the promotion/relegation tournament, where they once again failed to survive, finishing 0–3. What made it even more heartbreaking was the fashion of their defeats: all three losses came from reverse sweeps. At first, against SaD Esports, where they also faced a missed defuse by just a few hundredths of a second. Then versus Burger Boyz and finally against Prosperity Esports.
Time and time again, Shopify came painfully close to closing out matches that could have helped secure their VCL spot.
Focus Shifts Back to Game Changers
With their Tier 2 run cut short, SRG will now turn their focus back to the
Game Changers circuit, where they continue to dominate. The reigning Stage 1 champions are currently undefeated (4–0) in the Swiss Stage of Stage 2, and they look well-positioned to qualify for the Game Changers Championship.
With a potential three-peat on the global stage in their sights, Shopify Rebellion Gold can still use their experience of VCL to break another record in the history of VALORANT.
Header Photo Credit: Shopify Rebellion
