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Week 4 of VCT 2023: Pacific League is finally underway. On Day 1 itself, fans witnessed two intense jaw-dropping matches. The first matchup saw Paper Rex and DRX clash, and the latter emerged victorious with a scoreline of 2-0. This was followed by a match between Team Secret and RRQ, in which RRQ won with a score of 2-0 as well.
Rishabh Kalita from Sportskeeda Esports got the opportunity to converse with Team Secret's in-game leader Jessie "JessieVash" after the conclusion of the match. The Filipino esports athlete spoke in-depth about the team's performance against RRQ, his journey, and more.
TS JessieVash talks about upcoming opponents in VCT 2023: Pacific League, his experience in the Filipino esports scene, and more
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Q. What do you think of your team's performance today?
JessieVash: I think we were kind of off today. We were losing every duel that we had.
Q. Was there anything different that RRQ did which presented a challenge for your team?
JessieVash: I think they played really well today. They played like a solid team. They are different now from the first week and second week that we saw. I think they definitely transformed into a different team.
Q. During your previous match versus Gen.G, Jremy mentioned that there was a lack of communication within the team, which may have contributed to the loss. Could you possibly shed some light on the specifics of what caused this breakdown in communication and how it ultimately led to your defeat?
JessieVash: I think it is just the individual emotions. For example when the team is losing, the small details that they should have reported..instead of reporting they say sorry and just don't talk because they were being so emotional. But yeah, we fixed that thing.
This was our last week's problem, and today I think our problem was that we were not winning our duels against RRQ. They always played together and they always got the first blood, without a trade. I think that was our biggest problem in today's match. We were trying to fight alone so they obviously got the kill without the trade.
Q. Team Secret has not been able to secure a victory on a map of their own choosing. In your opinion, what factors do you think are contributing to this issue?
JessieVash: We are confident on the map already, and we are skipping it on our practice or scrims. So like in Icebox, we were confident to play the map already so we lessened the time with practice on the map. I think that is one of the reasons why we kind of forget things, and we were also caught off-guard against RRQ. They really played well today.
Q. As the in-game leader for Team Secret, you have a lot of experience in this role. What are some key things that you believe an IGL should be looking out for during a match?
JessieVash: I think knowing your opponent's defaults and weaknesses. So, normally I watch their replay before our games so I will understand what they want to do. For example, they wall B Main on Icebox, meaning they are fighting B Main, something like that. Then, it is my decision to either to fight them or to go on the other side faster. As an IGL, I just need to have something to say every round even though we are losing.
Q. Would you say that being an IGL can be stressful?
JessieVash: Yes, actually [laughs]. It is a very stressful role. Before, I didn't even consider becoming an IGL because I am not a player that comes from CS:GO or other FPS games. I only play MOBA. So, I think it just happens because we tried it once and then it’s been working really well for almost a year. So yeah, I am still here IGL-ing the team. I don't even know if I am doing okay or not.
Q. You said you didn't play FPS before, but you played Overwatch professionally if I am not wrong?
Yeah, I played Overwatch but it's kind of more, like MOBA right? You cannot kill one person in one shot [laughs]. It's kind of like FPS and something like MOBA. They have Tanks and Support healers, they have Carry. Before I played Dota 2, I played CS 1.1 and 1.3. That's like my first game, and I fell in love with it. So, it is just that in the Philippines, there are no tournaments in CS before. In the Philippines, there's so much like betting games.
For CS 1.1 and 1.3, we were like having bad games. It was like one city versus a different city, something like that. I think that's how I fell in love with the competition and the FPS. But like when it becomes a professional thing, CS is kind of small in South East Asia and not just in the Philippines. So I studied Dota and played professionally because that's where you can get a salary when you have a team.
But even though I was playing Dota, every FPS game that was launched by a famous company like Blizzard or Riot, I always played the game. I was trying to see how the scene is going to be in the Philippines. Yeah, I tried PUBG, I tried Apex Legends, I tried Overwatch, but there's no tournament at all. There was no support at all in the Philippines before. So I stuck with Dota 2.
Q. In addition to competing in Valorant, you have also played Dota 2, Overwatch, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and League of Legends at a competitive level. Which of these games do you think is the most challenging to master and why?
JessieVash: I think Dota. Dota is really hard, especially if you don't know how to play the game and you are trying to learn it today, I don't think you can. I think it is hard to explain how to play the game if you try to learn it today.
[I tried playing Dota once and I didn't understand a thing!]
[laughs] Yeah, it is not like League of Legends. League of Legends, you can learn it in like two days or three days, the basic things. But in Dota, it is really hard.
Q. Out of Talon, Paper Rex, Gen.G, and RRQ, which team did you find the most challenging to play against?
JessieVash: I think it's Gen.G, that is why we lost. The next team that we are looking forward to is T1. But we all know we can win against this team. I don't know, I think we need to fix our problems first in this week. We need more discussion.
Q. Your next opponent in VCT 2023: Pacific League is DetonationN FocusMe. What do you think of them?
JessieVash: They are playing not really well these past few weeks. So we are expecting to win against them. But it's just that they might also improve like what happened to RRQ, so we need to keep our guard up. They might change and become a different team.
Team Secret will next face DetonatioN FocusMe in VCT 2023: Pacific League. The upcoming match-up is scheduled for April 23, 2023 in Seoul, South Korea.
