❘ Printed: 2022-11-11T17:47:36
❘ Up to date: 2022-11-11T17:47:45
Multi-esports expertise Patiphan ‘Patiphan’ Chaiwong has returned to Valorant after a 12 months within the Overwatch League. In an interview with Dexerto, the Thai participant talked about why he returned to Riot Video games’ title and what it feels prefer to reunite together with his outdated teammates.
The final time Valorant followers noticed Patiphan compete was on the 2021 world championship quarterfinals, in a 2-1 loss to Gambit Esports in Berlin, Germany. The Thai group, led by their assured Duelist participant, have been an underdog on the match.
The squad had debuted on the world stage at VCT Stage 2 Masters Reykjavík in 2021, drawing admiring glances with their fast-paced model of play. After lacking the following worldwide occasion – Patiphan couldn’t participate within the Challengers qualifying match resulting from an unhealed wrist damage – the group returned to the worldwide stage at Valorant Champions 2021, the place they secured a playoff spot by beating Envy (now OpTic Gaming) within the group’s decider match, off the again of Patiphan’s Duelist play.
Whereas perhaps not spectacular by 2022 requirements (Paper Rex and ZETA DIVISION have raised the bar for South East Asian groups), Patiphan and his X10 teammates stunned the world with their outcomes and took Gambit, the earlier Masters winners, to a few maps within the playoffs.
Patiphan was one of many top-rated statistical gamers on the planet earlier than his debut internationally.
Six days after his elimination from Valorant’s world championship, nonetheless, the Thai competitor retired from the Riot Video games title and returned to the esport the place he had began his profession when he was simply 15 years outdated, Overwatch.
Seven months later, Patiphan could be lifting the Overwatch League Midseason Insanity trophy in Honolulu, Hawaii because the DPS participant for the Los Angeles Gladiators in a 4-2 victory over the San Francisco Shock. However after the second stage of the OWL season, the generational expertise retired from Overwatch and esports.
It wasn’t till he began speaking to his outdated X10 Esports teammate Thanamethk ‘Crws’ Mahatthananuyut that Patiphan began desirous about giving Valorant one other shot. The Thai participant would return to Valorant within the VCT partnered league with Talon Esports.
“We stated we wished to run it again. This time I can be taking part in competitively for my ex-teammates,” Patiphan stated in an interview with Dexerto.
He defined that he wished to return again and play with the individuals he used to compete with as a result of he is aware of their work ethic and the way they consider the group setting.
Patiphan thinks Talon can attain the identical heights as PRX and ZETA
Patiphan missed out on the total VCT calendar in 2022 whereas taking part in in OWL.
When requested if he saved up with Valorant whereas he was competing in Overwatch and his ideas on how the sport is performed now, the Thai skilled participant didn’t mince phrases concerning the Duelist position.
“Duelists go kill brr brr,” Patiphan stated.
On a critical observe, the 19-year-old participant is returning to Valorant with a brand new aggressive system and new expectations. Not are Southeast Asian groups segmented into sub-regions that meet solely when qualifying tournaments for worldwide occasions come round.
Japanese, Filipino, South Korean and Thai squads will conflict each week as soon as the Pacific VCT league begins in Seoul, and the bar has been raised for Asia as a complete.
“My objective is to go along with the group to succeed in the next degree in our profession. PRX and ZETA each did extremely effectively on a global degree, I anticipate us to have the ability to be as aggressive as them,” Patiphan stated.
With out Patiphan, his former teammates joined XERXIA Esports and made each worldwide occasion in 2022, however they crashed out of all three tournaments within the group stage.
Apply between OWL and Valorant
Patiphan’s final skilled Valorant match was a 2-1 loss to Gambit Esports.
Requested about how totally different observe and preparation are between Overwatch and Valorant, Patiphan stated that in Blizzard’s title, gamers have to have a excessive degree of understanding concerning the sport typically and have to have extra hours in scrims to be correctly prepared for matches.
In a current interview with GGRecon, Jordan ‘Gunba’ Graham — who, very like Patiphan, has switched between the 2 video games — stated that Overwatch gamers work more durable than their Valorant counterparts on common. When requested for his ideas on the assertion, Patiphan typically disagreed.
“Overwatch requires gamers to have the ability to assume for themselves and the group (everybody needs to be an IGL relying on the state of affairs), so that you want a very good understanding of the sport and by having a superb understanding, it’s a must to scrim extra hours. Evaluate it to Valorant, the place the sport requires extra particular person talent, you want to play extra outdoors of scrims (ranked video games, customized sport lineups, and so forth.), so I feel it’s a distinct sort of observe,” the Talon participant stated.
“You possibly can’t go on and say that this individual works more durable than that individual as a result of it’s a totally totally different sport. Loopy, proper?”
When requested about his wrist damage and his potential to maintain taking part in at a excessive degree, Patiphan declined to remark.
Followers will be capable to see Patiphan and his teammates reunite in a Valorant competitors come February as all 30 partnered groups journey to Brazil to compete within the VCT Kickoff match.
