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f0rsakeN Named VCT Pacific Stage 1 MVP After Historic Playoff Performance

By Sarah Lim|
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A Performance for the Ages

Jason "f0rsakeN" Susanto has been named the VCT Pacific Stage 1 MVP following Paper Rex's dominant playoff run that saw the Singaporean-based squad go 9-0 in maps en route to their third consecutive regional title. The 22-year-old Indonesian-born duelist delivered what analysts are calling the single greatest individual playoff performance in VCT Pacific history — a run so commanding that even opposing players were shaking their heads in disbelief.

By the Numbers

f0rsakeN's playoff statistics paint a picture of complete dominance:

  • Rating: 1.43 (highest in VCT Pacific playoff history)
  • ACS: 289.4
  • K/D: 1.68
  • First Kills Per Round: 0.24
  • Clutch Rate: 42% (5/12)

The previous playoff rating record was 1.35, set by DRX's BuZz during 2024 Stage 2. f0rsakeN did not just break it — he shattered it. His ACS placed him 40 points ahead of the next highest duelist, and his 0.24 first kills per round meant he was winning the opening duel in nearly one of every four rounds played.

What Made This Run Special

While f0rsakeN has always been one of the Pacific's elite duelists, his Stage 1 performance showed a new level of consistency. In nine maps, he never dropped below a 1.2 rating — a streak of excellence that no other player in VCT Pacific has matched over a full playoff bracket.

His agent versatility was also on display. While Jett remained his primary pick (6 maps), he also delivered MVP-calibre performances on Neon (2 maps) and Raze (1 map), giving Paper Rex's coaching staff maximum flexibility in the draft. On Neon, he was particularly devastating on Split, where his slide-and-shoot mechanics created entry kills that opponents simply could not trade. On Raze, he posted a 1.38 rating on Bind, using Blast Packs to reach off-angles that turned supposedly safe positions into death traps.

The Highlight Reel

Several moments from the playoff run will live long in Pacific Valorant memory. In the Upper Bracket match against Gen.G on Ascent, f0rsakeN produced a 4K retake on B site with a Jett blade flurry that turned a 1v4 into a round win. He burned through 300 credits worth of utility, picked up an Operator from the ground, and held the final angle with the kind of nerve that separates the great from the legendary. The clip has since accumulated over 3 million views across social platforms.

In the Grand Finals against DRX, he opened Lotus with a pistol-round ace — five kills with a Ghost in 18 seconds. DRX had prepared an aggressive A-Main push and ran directly into f0rsakeN holding a pixel angle from Tree. The ace set the tone for the entire series. DRX never recovered their composure on the map, losing it 13-5, and Paper Rex rode that momentum to a clean 3-0 sweep.

The Journey

f0rsakeN's path to becoming the Pacific's most feared player has been anything but conventional. Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, he relocated to Singapore as a teenager to pursue competitive gaming. His early career was spent in the SEA Challengers circuit, grinding through open qualifiers with underfunded rosters before Paper Rex signed him in 2021. Since then, he has been the face of the franchise — the player around whom the organisation's entire tactical identity is built.

What has changed in 2025 is his maturity. In previous seasons, f0rsakeN's aggression could be a double-edged sword: explosive on good days, costly on bad ones. This split, the reckless peeks and over-rotations that occasionally plagued his earlier play were almost entirely absent. Paper Rex coach alecks attributes the evolution to a dedicated film study routine that f0rsakeN adopted during the off-season.

"Jason's work ethic is what sets him apart," alecks said. "He's the first one in the server every morning and the last one to leave. He now watches two hours of opponent VODs daily. That preparation is why he's winning first duels at a 24% rate — he knows where people will be before they get there."

Praise From Peers

"f0rsakeN is the best player in Asia right now, and it's not close," said DRX captain stax after the Grand Finals. "When he's in this form, you just have to accept that he's going to get his kills and try to find advantages elsewhere. We tried double-peeking him, playing anti-strats, even avoiding his site entirely on defence. Nothing worked."

Comparison to Pacific Rivals

f0rsakeN's dominance has opened a gap between himself and the region's other elite duelists. DRX's BuZz, long considered his closest rival, posted a respectable 1.18 rating in the playoffs but was outpaced on nearly every metric. T1's Sayaplayer managed a 1.22 rating but was inconsistent across maps. Among Paper Rex's own roster, teammate something posted strong numbers in a supporting role, but f0rsakeN's impact was on an entirely different level — he was the reason opposing teams burned utility, stacked sites, and adjusted their entire game plan.

Looking Ahead to Masters

f0rsakeN and Paper Rex will carry this momentum into VCT Masters Shanghai in May, where they'll face international competition from EMEA and the Americas. The Indonesian-born star has historically performed well on the global stage — he was instrumental in Paper Rex's run to the 2022 Masters Copenhagen grand finals and their strong showings at Champions events. With his current form, he could be in contention for a World MVP award, a prize that has eluded SEA players since the inception of the VCT.

For opposing teams preparing for Masters, the message from Stage 1 is clear: banning f0rsakeN's Jett is not enough, his Neon and Raze are equally lethal. Stacking his site is not enough — he will find kills on rotation. The only question left is whether the rest of the world has an answer that the Pacific could not find.


VCT Masters Shanghai begins May 4. Follow egg.network for full tournament coverage and live match updates.

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