A Historic Moment: Female Competitor Aims for Valve Major Spot
History will be made in the upcoming Valve Major as a female competitor fights for a spot in the $3 million event through a regional qualifier.
Marielle “Layla” Louise, the support player for Wheel Whreck While Whistling, has captured attention by finishing second in the first open qualifier for the North American region. This achievement marks the first time a woman has come this close to qualifying for one of Valve’s most prestigious Dota 2 Majors.
In their journey to the main North American regional qualifiers, Wheel faced off against eight teams. Their most notable competition was Vegetables Esports Club, a team consisting of popular casters and Dota 2 personalities.
Despite a close contest that went to a deciding third game, Vegetables Esports Club chose to forfeit the final match of the series. The majority of their team, including Digital Chaos coach William “Blitz” Lee and commentator Austin “Capitalist” Walsh, had prior commitments to commentate the regional qualifiers. As a result, Wheel secured a top two spot in the qualifier, guaranteeing their place in the North American regional qualifier.
Now, Wheel will face off against well-known names in the North American Dota 2 circuit such as NP Gaming and compLexity Gaming. Only one team will advance from the North American qualifiers, making for an incredibly intense competition.
In addition to Layla, the Chinese team Newbee Boss, which features Bi “Axx” Xia, known as the best female Dota 2 player in China, was just two matches away from qualifying for the Chinese regional qualifier.
