Over the yr, Pacific powerhouses Paper Rex have give you a brand new Pearl composition to shoot concern into their foes. Whereas easy on paper, making it work is a unique story, and the crew simply used it to beat top-ranked Evil Geniuses and safe their spot within the VALORANT Champions 2023 Grand Finals.
Ever for the reason that early days of 2023, Paper Rex have put their star duelist Jinggg on Phoenix, some of the forgotten duelists alongside Yoru.
Each have been seen of their match in opposition to EG on Aug. 24, however the Phoenix got here on prime as a result of a number of various factors that the Pacific crew performed round completely.
The sequence itself was a barnburner, with every crew having moments of brilliance and despair in equal measure. The place Paper Rex choked their result in lose map one on Ascent, EG did the identical on Bind to maintain the sequence tied. All of it got here right down to Pearl, the place time beyond regulation determined who would go to the finals.
Because of clutch moments from each mindfreak and f0rsakeN, they received it 15-13, however they wouldn’t have gotten that far with out their distinctive composition—Jinggg on Phoenix.
Phoenix gives a number of issues different duelists don’t. First off, his Run It Again final is cheaper than some other final, solely needing six ult factors to gather. Then, he’s the one duelist with a molly; his Sizzling Fingers does harm over time on a small space. Add these with Pearl, a map the place the orbs are simply contestable from each side, and you’ve got two causes to play Phoenix: to farm his ult for info and a free push, plus to molly post-plants or chokes.
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Wanting on the VOD for the Paper Rex/EG matchup on Pearl, you’ll see nearly each spherical begins with Jinggg getting an ult orb, often from A predominant. That’s due to talents like Phoenix’s Blaze wall, Jett’s Cloudburst, or perhaps a flash. This lets Jinggg ult two to 4 instances per half, which nearly all the time will get worth.
That isn’t all, although. One factor that’s key to notice about Phoenix’s molly is it has a set distance earlier than it drops. You possibly can’t throw it for an extended lineup like Killjoy’s Nanoswarm, however you’ll be able to nonetheless do choose lineups.
For instance, when pushing by B hyperlink, Jinggg throws a molly particularly to hit the within nook in B hyperlink, forcing a participant who’s ratting there to swing. It didn’t result in a kill, however it’s a sensible means of utilizing this restricted VALORANT molly for a helpful lineup.
Then, for assault on both website, Phoenix is robust due to his Blaze wall and his Sizzling Fingers molly. Usually, different brokers like Viper and Harbor enable gamers to get on website and plant, in addition to play lengthy distance and stop defuses.
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Phoenix can wall himself on website whereas enjoying aggressively and even use his molly on spike if want be. He turns from duelist to controller in seconds, and could be the proper sacrificial lamb along with his final to realize info, like Yoru however with extra kill potential. The areas with lengthy sightlines however fixed corners are the place Phoenix is greatest, and Pearl has simply that on each websites.
It’s not like different pocket picks like Reyna or Yoru, the place your flashes and goal issues most. Phoenix strives on sensible performs along with his utility, and add onto {that a} close to un-dodgeable flash and you bought decide on Pearl, even when Riot doesn’t change Phoenix as a lot as different duelists.
Paper Rex will face the winner of the decrease bracket finals between LOUD and EG on Aug. 26 to crown a brand new VALORANT champion for 2023.
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