Olivia Richman is a seasoned esports journalist who has worked with Inven Global, Esports Illustrated, Esports.gg, and more. As an editor and writer at Esports Insider, she loves telling unique esports stories, especially within the FGC. When not working and gaming, Olivia loves collecting Kirby plush, eating sushi, and driving her cars at the track.
The Esports Nations Cup (ENC) is meant to be a fun, slightly unhinged celebration of national pride, where countries assemble dream teams and battle it out for bragging rights. It is a festival of gaming. But leave it to a corner of the internet to ruin the vibe.
When Team Denmark announced their VALORANT roster, they did something incredibly cool. They included two of the absolute best players the country has to offer, who just so happen to be women. You can smell the responses, I’m sure.
One chud wrote: “I don’t want to offend Denmark nor Women, but that’s a bit crazy, they will include women players in their roster because they don’t have enough well-playing men.”
But here’s the thing: the Danish esports scene isn’t thirsting for male talent. This is a team that was intentionally put together. And I’m excited.
⚡ Hurtige. 🎯 Præcise. 🚀 Ambitiøse. Lad os præsentere Danmarks @VALORANT -hold til @ENC_EN ! @mimimimichaela 🇩🇰 @NoiaFPS 🇩🇰 @kpzetbtw 🇩🇰 @AvovAFPS 🇩🇰 @Pa1zee 🇩🇰 Coach @DesmoFPS 🇩🇰 Sub @l1llebjorn 🇩🇰 #EnNationEnMission pic.twitter.com/s1SmAn9Afq
To be honest, I’m not an Esports Nations Cup fan. I wasn’t even going to watch it. However, I think this has made the ENC a proving ground for co-ed teams. We will finally get to see how co-ed tournaments work, which I think will reveal just how useless having separate scenes is.
The idea that these two were picked as some sort of charity case is laughable to anyone who actually watches professional VALORANT.
First up, we have Michaela “mimi” Lintrup . She is the in-game leader (IGL) for G2 Gozen and has been a dominant force in esports since 2015, back when she was crushing souls in Counter-Strike. She transitioned to VALORANT and immediately became a titan of the VCT Game Changers scene. She’s not just a legacy player; she is a tactical mastermind.
Then there’s Nicole “Noia” Tierce , a 21-year-old prodigy playing for Shopify Rebellion . She’s easily one of the most accomplished and mechanically gifted competitors in the Game Changers circuit.
When the roster dropped, the actual fans — the ones who know the game — were losing their minds in the best way possible. Comments flooded in calling it the “Best fcking roster ever” and pointing out that putting mimi and Noia on the same squad is a borderline cheat code.
They aren’t there to fill a quota. They are there because they can out-aim and out-brain most of the server.
Here is the thing about the Esports Nations Cup: it does not matter for the regular VALORANT circuit. It has zero impact on the VCT standings. It is literally a showcase tournament. Denmark didn’t need to copy-paste an existing Tier 1 male roster. The whole point of an event like this is to bring a wide, exciting range of representation to the stage, and that absolutely includes the Game Changers scene.
This makes it the perfect event to test co-ed competition. Separate women’s tournaments have been fantastic for creating safe spaces and building community, but they have historically rec…