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TENSTAR Nova wants to be the best in EMEA

Successive second places in the last all women tournaments let TENSTAR Nova prove what they are really capable of. This opportunity came in the form of EMEA Game Changers, who demonstrated how flawlessly TENSTAR Nova can do in a top-class tournament.

The round robin was a breeze for the French as they easily led their group to get to the main event. There the title of Game Changers Champion was in sight. Game after game, TENSTAR Nova defeated its opponents 2-0. And when they reached the final against RIXGG, the coveted trophy from TENSTAR Nova was finally within reach.

Despite losing an intense 16-18 overtime on Bind, the tournament’s first card loss, TENSTAR Nova played his flawless game through to the end. On the last map of the grand finale, with the title of Game Changers Champion only 13 rounds away, TENSTAR Nova played their hearts on Haven. They took a clear lead in the first half and brought the result to 11: 1 in their favor. With the inevitable ahead of them, the team kept cool and pulled themselves back to back to end the 13-2. The women from TENSTAR Nova, who have now been confirmed as Game Changers Champions for EMEA, were finally able to celebrate their achievement.

This is what it feels like to be champions.

@ClaCSGO | @Bully_Nelo | @_Lirilia | @Sliicyy_ | @ Ninouu97 | @ Twenee1_cs 👑 # RISINGSTARS pic.twitter.com/Rlx1Lh3KCy

– TENSTAR (@TENSTARGG) October 3, 2021

TENSTAR signs former orgless top tier team

From an unorganized list that tore it apart at smaller women’s tournaments, to signing up with an organization and winning the first Game Changers series for Europe, TENSTAR Nova has come a long way. But with their new organization bringing years of Counter-Strike experience to a new title, the former GangsterzZ team is well positioned to satisfy their hunger to take on North America on an international scale.

While TENSTAR lined up the former Prestigious Women roster in the early days of competitive VALORANT before signing GangsterzZ, the organization is only just beginning to thrive. That fostered a strong relationship between them and their new players.

“TENSTAR selected us at a time when we hadn’t yet had any organizational proposals,” says Lucy “Sliicyy” Tran. “They presented themselves as a promising organization and were very hospitable. Today I don’t regret my decision for TENSTAR. I am really happy because they are a second family for us. “

TENSTAR nova and CS: GO

The head of the TENSTAR Nova family is, so to speak, the current head coach Mickael “Twenee” Annequin. He started out in esports helping teams in Counter-Strike, but his first full-time coaching experience was with Sliicyy.

“It was my first coaching experience,” said Twenee. “I helped a bit in CS on teams, but I never really got involved as a coach. When VALORANT came out, I started out as a player. “

Twenee is not the only one from the TENSTAR Nova Camp who has experience in Counter-Strike. Both Sliiccy and team captain Asma “LiriLia” Boughida played professional Counter-Strike before switching to VALORANT.

LiriLia and Cla from TENSTAR | Provided by TENSTAR

After countless hours of Counter-Strike games, both women were looking for a change of scenery that VALORANT brought with them. Its history is similar to that of many professionals currently participating in the VCT who have made a name for themselves and a career in a completely new title.

“I started playing VALORANT in the closed beta,” said Sliicyy. “I was really drawn to the game’s trailer. With over 5,000 hours of CS: GO, switching to VALORANT was child’s play because I was looking for something new. “

Increasing talent in EMEA Game Changers

In the round robin of the EMEA Game Changers tournament, 49 different teams competed for one of the 16 places in the main event. While TENSTAR Nova had an almost flawless run in the grand finale, the members still moved ahead of some other cadres who, in their opinion, could be considered top teams.

“For me, besides TENSTAR, the best teams in the Game Changers scene today are Guild and RIXGG,” said Sliicyy. “They all have a different style of play, but each has its charm.”

Besides Guild and RIXGG, they also count Oxygen Esports to the top teams in the EMEA Game Changers scene.

“Oxygen is really strong,” said LiriLia. “They are very structured and know how to react to everything we do. We know it won’t be that easy when we play another team because they know how to adapt. “

TENSTAR’s head coach, Twenee, said there were many teams that performed well throughout the event. He also mentioned that the team didn’t expect the tournament to go as flawlessly as TENSTAR Nova only dropped a single card.

International Tournaments and Cloud9 white

For EMEA, Game Changers only had one series to judge the best of the best. For NA, however, there were two other Game Changers series in addition to several other tournaments. Of these three Game Changers tournaments, one team ruled all the others: Cloud9 White.

Winning after such an overwhelming performance Back to back to back, they are the obvious target for teams outside the region like TENSTAR Nova.

“For me, the NA team that was supposed to be played would be Cloud 9 because we could finally compete with the NA team that everyone is talking about,” said Sliicyy.

No more time to relax, it’s #VCTGameChangers time 😈 # HERETOSLAY # RISINGSTARS | #VALORANT pic.twitter.com/7GK9OMqw9I

– TENSTAR (@TENSTARGG) October 1, 2021

But not only Cloud9 White wants to conquer TENSTAR Nova after hers victory in EMEA. The next step would be an international women’s tournament, a real parallel to events like the VCT Masters Island and Berlin. That way, LiriLia could indicate which region she thinks is the strongest.

“Overall, we have better teams in Europe,” said LiriLia. “There are three or four good teams in NA, but I think we are stacked in Europe.”

Ultimately, as with VCT teams, it is only through an international LAN that it is possible to determine who is really at the top.

No NA team has been able to hold their own against Cloud9 White so far, but TENSTAR Nova has started to make a solid impression of their initial game changer success. With a few more event wins, they could achieve the same dominance that Cloud9 White enjoyed and build the potential of an all-time classic game when they play.

This success has helped TENSTAR, which took part in the VALORANT Champions Tour as well as the Game Changers and Rainbow Six, solidify itself as an up-and-coming organization looking to gain respect in the eSports scene. But first comes her next test during the second EMEA Game Changers series, which will take place in late October.