PatMen: “It was really hard to adapt to four guys… I just tried to vibe with them” – EWC VALORANT Interview

Paper Rex’s historic win at Masters Toronto ended a years-long wait for a global title, but for newcomer Patrick “PatMen” Mendoza that wait was only a matter of months. Now at the EWC VALORANT event, a Toronto finals rematch with Fnatic sadly did not go the way of the Pacific side, instead on the receiving end of a 2-1 loss that saw them eliminated from the Esports World Cup. Before heading home for Stage 2, Hotspawn spoke to PatMen for an interview.

This was your second international matchup with Fnatic in only a few weeks.

How was this EWC VALORANT series different to the one in Toronto?

I think the difference, just as a team, maybe we just feel really tired for now. About the setup, I don’t really think that there’s a big difference in setups, and the crowd is still insane like how we had in Toronto.

Paper Rex are famous for having largely had the same roster for years, while you’ve only been part of it for a few months.

How did you find it joining in that scenario? Did you ever feel a bit of an outsider?

I mean, of course, at first it was really hard to adapt to four guys, especially if you’re just the one player who joined the team. But I just tried to vibe with them, [become] close with them inside and outside the game so I can play the way I can play. And yeah, you just need to adapt really fast, especially to Paper Rex’s playstyle.

Who are your top 10 VCT players right now?

10 names. I would say f0rsakeN, kaajak, Chronicle, aspas, KangKang, t3xture. I’m saying all Duelists. OK, let’s get some Initiator players. Let me put Meteor… I’m thinking of Initiators… Let’s just put… just put something and… and… and nAts. I don’t know any Initiators, I forgot.

What are your hopes ahead of VCT Pacific Stage 2?

For Stage 2, I hope we have a better run at first, unlike on split 1 [where] we [were] 0-3 from the start. So it was a really hard crawl from the bottom. But I’m looking forward to this Stage 2 to have a better start ,and I hope [the] players can rest and become on their form again.

Finally, have you got a message for the fans who have been cheering you on here in Riyadh?
To all Paper Rex fans, I want to say thank you for keeping [on] supporting us. We really appreciate every support that you guys [are] messaging to us and we can definitely read it.