Valorant
One of the emerging stars in the world of Valorant is Jason "f0rsakeN" Susanto, a 19-year-old Indonesian player for Paper Rex: a group who’s gained attention on a global scale. They’ve been referred to as the "WGaming" founders because of their bold and aggressive playstyle.
What makes F0rsakeN one of the top players in the world, aside from his excellent aim and feel of the game, is his adaptability; he’s able to play almost all of the game’s agents. It’s a crucial skill that is somewhat rare in the VALORANT competitive scene. We’re going to take a look at what makes him so effective using different comps, and how that’s contributed to Paper Rex's success.
Image Credits: Twitter (@pprxteam)f0rsakeN got his moment to shine at VCT Masters Reykjavik, playing the agent Yoru against G2. At the time Yoru had a 0% pick rate in both the Masters & Champions tournaments. So, it surprised everyone when f0rsakeN made the decision to play Yoru on Bind. But it allowed fans to watch one of VALORANT’s best games at the time. But more than that, this was the start of f0rsakeN demonstrating how valuable and adaptable he can be for his squad.
The Journey To The Top Of The Pacific League
Paper Rex wasn't in their best form in Valorant when the league started. Multiple setbacks and losses had hurt their momentum heading into the tournament. Because there was a league, the team had time to practice, and with the addition of Ilya” Something” Petrov, they were prepared. In the Pacific League, f0rsakeN was the most adaptable player. Based on the needs of any given map, he would play a specific agent. He played nine different agents in total during the league.
Image Credits: Twitter (@pprxteam)Let's look at the match between T1 and Paper Rex as an example. Based on the map (Lotus), f0rsakeN played the Sentinel role, picking Cypher. The best defensive play is to prevent access to a site, so having the ability to play both the flank and a backstab while attacking gave him plenty of options. He finished the game with a K/D ratio of 22/15 and a 29% headshot success rate.
On the second map, Fracture, he picked Neon. Neon is primarily a duelist who uses movement. Her fast lane and Recon Bolt help in splitting the plant site with ease, while also helping to clear certain angles. He finished the game with a K/D of 24/18 and a 34% accuracy rate on headshots.
But his versatility was demonstrated even more during the Valorant Champions Tour 2023 championship game against DRX in the Pacific League. f0rsakeN played four different agents (Cypher, Neon, Harbor, and Killjoy) during this incredible comeback after losing the first two matches. Those four agents each have a specific playstyle tailored to their strengths, but, despite being on the biggest stage in the region, f0rsakeN felt at ease playing them all. His K/D on the final five maps was 77/74.
Image Credits: Twitter (@pprxteam)The last map in the series was played on Bind and it was his greatest performance. In the past, f0rsakeN has been known to play Yoru on this map. Realizing that his team would benefit from Something playing Reyna, he instead switched to Harbor. When playing on Harbor, f0rsakeN achieved an absurd K/D of 17/10 with a 50% headshot percentage in that game. His playstyle was more conservative, having just one first blood, but he only died first only one round out of the 19 played.
f0rsakeN’s flexibility was key at VCT Masters Tokyo
Before VCT Masters Tokyo began, it was announced that Something would not be able to play in the tournament. This meant Paper Rex had to play with their content creator, Patiphan “CGRS” Posri, as a sub. It was clear that the team had to push through and adapt their playstyle around CGRS. He typically plays Gekko on all maps because his primary function is the initiator. As a result, according to the map, f0rsakeN had to be the backup duelist or sentinel. Even though he wasn't at his best, his awareness was crucial in helping the squad advance to the lower bracket finals.
Image Credits: Twitter (@pprxteam)Against Edward Gaming, f0rsakeN played Neon, Jett, and Cypher in their amazing 3-match series. He took on the roles of Jett, Harbor and Cypher in the most recent match versus NRG Gaming — ending as one of the series' finest players and winning the game with two aces. One of these involved using the Odin on the post plant on the Lotus map. And he once more demonstrated his expertise on Harbor and his versatility as a controller on Bind.
At the conclusion of the three maps, f0rsakeN's K/D/A was 58/54/20 with a 28% headshot percentage. To witness a player of his caliber and age winning the game for his team is simply amazing. By becoming familiar with a character like Harbor and utilizing his skill set to the fullest makes him a must-watch. We've never seen somebody utilize a clove as cover to get a kill before, plus using it to either seek cover inside of it or flee to safety.
To witness his outstanding performance, you can watch the final map of Bind between Paper Rex and NRG Gaming from the VCT Masters Tokyo.
