Gabriela ‘Harumi’ Gonçalves is the first woman to compete on an official LoL Esports stage in Brazil, as part of Rensga Esports. The organisation is relatively new and was founded in 2019. The team managed to get a spot in the Brazilian Challenger Circuit and won the sixth place on its first Split, and first place on the subsequent Split’s Promotions. Gabriela joined Rengsa in February 2020, selected after the organisation sifted through candidates from Goias.
More than a thousand people registered for Gabriela’s current spot. The applicants were grouped into three categories: Rengsa Academy, Pro, and GO. Four other candidates were selected along with Gabriela. Five months later, Gabriela was placed in the starting line-up, a spot previously held by Pedro ‘Zirigui’ Vilarinho.
The Challenging Circuit of League of Legends championship started on June 8 2020. Team Redemption downgraded in the last split, while Rengsa returned through the promotion series. Both teams are set to compete with Falkol, Havan Liberty, Team oNe, and RED Canids Kalunga. This edition will be the last playoff of the challenging circuit.
Esports company Rengsa has announced their roster against Falkol in a Twitter statement on 28 July 2020:
“Cowboys and Cowgirl have been locked in for today’s duel. Harumi will be starting, go, girl!” As part of Circuito Desafiante (Challenger Circuit), a tier 2 competition in Brazil, Harumi will compete for the team in the Support position, as they look to advance in the playoffs.”
The League of Legends roster consists of:
- Thiago ‘Kiari’ Luiz (Top Laner);
- Leonardo ‘Erasus’ Faria (Jungler);
- Vinicius ‘bydeki’ Hideki (Bot Laner);
- Pedro ‘gafone’ Ramos (Head Coach);
- Silas ‘Hylen’ Paz (Sub/Mid);
- Matheus ‘Blacky’ Lessa (Mid Laner); and
- Gabriela ‘Harumi’ Gonçalves (Sub/Sup).
Gabriela’s debut in the Brazilian Challenger Circuit (BRCC) had her play as a starter for the match against Falkol, valid for the 15th and final round of the points stage of the Challenging Circuit, which is the second national division of the game. She is a substitute for Zirigui. After joining Rensga Esports on 3 June, Gabriela continued as a substitute until she was given the opportunity to play in the starting team against Falkol.
Rensga won against Falkol, announced in a Facebook post published by Rensga Esports.
The team earned success against Falkol, coming in second place behind RED Canids.
Player ‘Kiari’ took the MVP, while Gabriela ‘Harumi’ made a great debut and supported the team’s win against Falkol. Gabriela played the supporting role and controlled Rakan, contributing with 10 assists as they cut through Falkol.
The team is now focused on winning the semi-finals of the game. As the BRCC reaches the second split playoffs of the Challenging Circuit, team Rensga will continue to compete against the top four teams for a total prize pool of $40,000. The Brazillian esports team Rensga has announced its next opponent to be Team oNe, in the semifinals of the second split of the Challenging Circuit 2020, scheduled for August 11.
Previously, there were players like Geovana ‘Revy’ Moda and Júlia “Mayumi” Nakamura who had graced the professional League of Legends scene in Brazil. They have played successfully in non-official stages, but Gabriela’s match is the first official match representing a female player in its starting roster. Brazil is an up and coming region to look out for in the esports scene as it is quickly catching up to other major regions, size and quality-wise.
