Remilia was the first woman to establish herself in the professional scene of the MOBA League of Legends. She was regarded as an outstanding support player, nicknamed Thresh-Queen
. At the age of 24, she died in Las Vegas.
Who was Remilia? Maria Remilia
Creveling entered the professional LoL scene in 2013 with Season 3 and began her journey as a support player for Curse Academy. After a few years and moving through several teams (including Dragon Knights and Roar), she found her place at Misfits in 2015, which was later renamed Renegades.
Here she made a name for herself particularly as a master of the support champions Thresh and Morgana. She carried the nickname Thresh-Queen.
Remilia made history as the first female player in the LCS
In 2016, Remilia achieved something no one had accomplished before: She became the first woman to play in the North American professional league LCS. The Renegades started the Spring Season of the LCS 2016 with a victory against Team Liquid, but then a series of losses followed.
Remilia was not only the first woman but also the first trans woman to play in the LCS – which put her in the spotlight of criticism and hate. After just one month, Remilia withdrew from the team due to stage pressure and harassment online. She cited anxiety, stress, and issues with her self-esteem as reasons for her withdrawal.
In the years following her retirement, she played for the Latin American team Kaos Latin Gamers and was a substitute player for the LCS team FlyQuest. She eventually decided to end her professional career and continue as a Twitch streamer. There, she was able to build a fan base and nearly reached 95,000 followers. She participated in tournaments Twitch Rivals as part of imaqtpie’s team.
What is known about her death? On December 27, 2019, the e-sports scene received the sad news that Remilia had passed away in her sleep. Her friend and confidant Richard Lewis announced it on Twitter:
He emphasized that Maria would have wished for no grand eulogies. She never wanted to be in the limelight. Her absence will leave a void that can never be filled
.
The journalist Richard Lewis and the former player Remilia became friends after they publicly exposed the scandal surrounding Renegades in 2016.
As Summoners-Inn reported, Remilia was pressured by team owner Chris Badawi due to her gender transition and used as a attraction
. This led to Renegades being banned from the LCS in May 2016, and Badawi losing his position.
On reddit there is still the German translation of a Twitter post by Remilia, in which she describes her suffering and the conflict with Badawi:
- Badawi lured her to his team with the promise of paying for a surgery
- But this surgery was delayed for a long time, eventually took place in Thailand, and was botched
- Since then, she has taken a variety of medications
Her courage, passion, and talent have inspired many and will long be remembered. Remilia was a pioneer in a male-dominated scene. Her entry into the LCS was a symbolic victory for women in e-sports and her legacy remains a significant chapter in the history of League of Legends.
