“I’ll eventually step down as duelist”: Falcons Mary on exploring other roles

Those who have been following VALORANT Game Changers even casually know the crown Maryam ‘Mary’ Maher wears. As the youngest player to win the Game Changers Championship in 2022, the prodigy is a demon in the duelist role.

After stepping away from competitive VALORANT to focus on her personal life, Mary made a surprising return with Saudi Arabian organization Team Falcons. The team initially competed in EMEA before shifting to the SEA region by signing three players from Xipto GC.

Esports Insider spoke with Mary about her return to Game Changers, the current state of the scene, Team Falcons Vega’s goals, and the team’s participation at Red Bull Instalock.

Mary took a much-needed break from the competitive scene right after lifting the GC Championship trophy and believes it was the best decision for her, despite falling behind in VALORANT. 

However, competing is in her blood, and that fire brought her back to esports. While she’s now with Team Falcons Vega, Mary still cherishes the memories she made with her former G2 Gozen teammates.

When asked if she received offers from other orgs before joining Falcons and possibly even from G2, Mary said no, as she never announced she was looking for a team.

Mary told Esports Insider: 

“I already knew which team I wanted to join. I didn’t really have to look for offers. Me and Modhi ‘madv’ Alkanhal were in Brazil during Game Changers Championship, and we were having ongoing talks. She was like, ‘You should come back. We’ll build an insane roster and make it to champs.’ That really influenced me. She lit the spark again in me.”

Ever since Team Falcons Vega joined the SEA circuit, it hasn’t lost even a single series. With aggressive players in the team, Mary is really happy with the energy and synergy within the team. She said:

“We’re all insane, and the potential for us to do something big is really high. I think we’re the team everyone should look out for.” 

We asked her how the competition and gameplay styles differ in SEA and EMEA.

“I think SEA is a bit behind when it comes to Game Changers, but in terms of practice, we’re getting good quality scrims. Lots of teams are willing to play with us. Unlike EMEA, where it was a bit harder for us Falcons to find good scrims as many teams wouldn’t accept us because of our positioning and performance,” she explained.

“However, Alexandria ‘Alexy’ Francisco, Odella ‘enerii’ Abraham, and Camille ‘Kamiyu’ Enriquez are very respected in SEA. A lot of teams want to practice with us because we provide good practice, and we’re not just any other team.”

With Red Bull Instalock around the corner, we asked if Mary might let her teammates run duelists while she tries other roles. She confirmed that she wants to explore the initiator role, both for the event and the future.

“I think eventually I’ll have to step down as a duelist and explore other roles. At some point, you get burnt out on your role, and switching helps you see how else you can contribute to the team,” Mary shared.

When asked about her favourite initiator, she answered without any doubt:

“I think Tejo is actually fun. He’s so broken, I can’t lie,” she laughed.

When SMG once accidentally locked four duelists and still dominated the match, it became an iconic moment. So, we asked Mary if we could expect a five-duelist comp from Falcons at Red Bull Instalock, considering the team has three SMG players on the roster.

“You really don’t know where life takes you unless you try. Casual tournaments are where players can find their spark. You can’t just play ranked and expect to go pro. Tournaments are important, and orgs like G2 Gozen are watching. You just need to work hard.”

Five years into the Game Changers, we’ve seen new teams dominate the scene, new talent being discovered, and Ava ‘florescent’ Eugene making history by making it to VCT.

But according to Mary, there’s still a long way to go, especially when it comes to financial stability and consistent tournaments being held.

She believes most teams in SEA are just playing for fun and that Team Falcons Vega might be the only team that’s truly competitive in the region.

“It takes time and investment, not just from organisations, but from players too. I think we’ll see more upcoming young talent in the next few years. There needs to be more open tournaments so more players can discover their potential,” Mary said.

Recalling her own story of getting signed by G2 Gozen through casual tournaments, she added:

“You really don’t know where life takes you unless you try. Casual tournaments are where players can find their spark. You can’t just play ranked and expect to go pro. Tournaments are important, and orgs like G2 Gozen are watching. You just need to work hard.”

Mary feels Team Falcons Vega has no real competition in SEA right now, and if they lose, it’ll be to themselves.

“The biggest goal is to win the Championship. We just need more time, more hard work, and hopefully, everything aligns,” she said.

Team Falcons Vega recently won the Saudi Women’s eLeague 2025: Major 1 and will be back on stage at Red Bull Instalock, kicking off May 2nd at Red Bull Gaming Sphere in London.