In an official statement, the esports organization TSM has agreed to part ways with Valorant pro player Katherine “LunarKats” So. It is now looking for substitute players.
Team Solo Mid, more commonly known as TSM, is one of the most well-known North American esports organizations. On March 17, 2021, TSM launched its all-female Valorant roster by signing five players, including LunarKats.
It only took TSM three days to part ways with LunarKats.
Related: TSM introduces their own female Valorant roster
Why TSM might have parted ways with the Valorant Pro
Many fans were left surprised by the sudden change in the TSM female roster days after its announcement. Fans couldn't really respond to TSM's social media handles either, as the comments were disabled. They couldn't ask the team why the decision was made and what this means for the future of the roster.
The announcement came as a shock to LunarKats as well. She ended her stream on March 20th with this statement:
Guys, I have to go do something real quick. I will be back maybe later, but I have to cut my stream off short.
TSM hasn’t yet mentioned any official reason for parting ways with the Valorant pro.
Many fans are led to believe that a previous claim of harassment by “Haleigh“ in August of 2020 might have something do with TSM's decision to part ways with LunarKats.
In August 2020, Haleigh posted a TwitLonger claiming LunarKats had been spreading lies about her joining SoaR.
In the TwitLonger, she said:
Imagine how f**king jealous and nasty you have to be to go around telling people that I view bot and “sucked d**k” to get into SoaR. This is sad I even have to tweet this. I didn’t do anything to you and you’ve been spreading rumors about me for MONTHS since the women’s WESG qualifier back in f**king OCTOBER! Almost a year ago.
Fans were mostly concerned about the state of the TSM female roster and their upcoming matches in Valorant Game Changers and beyond.
TSM in Valorant Game Changers
Valorant Game Changers, a tournament organized by Riot Games to improve inclusivity in esports, is currently in its open qualifier.
The TSM Female roster faced Unlucky in the open qualifier and made its way to the upper bracket round 2.
It will be facing Cloud 9 White on March 22, 2021. TSM is expected to find a substitute player for the upcoming Valorant Game Changer match.