One of the explosive talents in the Valorant Esports scene is Rishi "Rvk" Vijayakumar. The 22-year-old Valorant player presently competes for one of India's leading organizations Orangutan.
RvK began his professional life as a CS:GO player. However, after Valorant's release in India and observation of its development, RvK made the decision to change into the Riot's tactical shooter in March of 2021. His impressive career began with F1LS Esports. He joined Orangutan in January 2023, and as they will soon represent South Asia in VALORANT Challengers Ascension 2023: Pacific, they are one of the top Valorant teams in the region.
Q. Tell us something about yourself and how you started gaming.
RvK: My name is Rishi Vijayakumar, and I’m a professional Valorant player for Orangutan gaming. My journey with video games started when my father and I would play a lot of games on our old PC. Back in the day, we didn’t have a good PC at all, and spent a lot of time playing old 16-bit pixel games, cooking games, etc. We had a cassette gaming console as well, think Mitashi, where we would play Duck Hunt. As the years went by, he got me a PSP, my first handheld console.
I was pretty lucky to have a Dad who was interested in electronics and games. Even my mother would play games like Super Granny and escape room titles. It all just transpired into me playing games as an escape and to have fun away from the real world.
As things went on I graduated from a PSP to a PS2 to a PC, but at the time it was just a regular computer that couldn’t run all the AAA titles like GTA or emulating God of War, etc.
After I passed my 12th grade, I was already entering professional play in CS:GO and my parents got me a good gaming PC. I was finally able to grind and then showcase what I could do better on the server. All of this has led to us being here right now, my team winning the VCLSA Split 2 and going to represent India in Thailand!
Q. The opportunity to represent your country at an international tournament is an incredible achievement. How does it make you feel?
RvK: It feels amazing. Nothing could come close to the feeling of actually flying the flag of your country on the biggest stage possible. It’s a privilege only a handful people get to experience in life, especially through Esports. I’m extremely grateful, and I believe that my team will go there to not only show that India can square off against the best, but also win it all.
Q. Who was your favorite agent when you began playing Valorant, and has your choice changed now?
RvK: My favorite agent has to be Cypher. When I used to play professional CS, I had friends playing Valorant and they used to teach me all the different agents. However, Cypher really stood out to me because of how he can be played in a really cheeky yet aggressive manner. You have to be tactical and sneaky with the lurks and traps so it just intrigued me, and from there on, Cypher just became my agent. Right now, I’d say my favorite is still Cypher. When I started, I could only play Cypher, and now I feel confident picking up almost every agent in the game apart from Yoru. However, the comfort, joy, and natural fit that I have with Cypher is unmatched as of now.
AlsoRead: VCL Champions Tour 2023 Pacific: Ascension: Teams, Schedule, Format, And More
Q. Through your career, the RvK has become synonymous with Cypher. What was your journey like, becoming a Cypher main?
RvK: I’m really lucky to have people associate me with an agent in the game itself, and I think it’s thanks to all the hype that was made around me and F1LS at the time. I ended up playing really well with Cypher, lurking around the map and getting those trap kills. I think people just loved seeing a Cypher who is sharp, aggressive but also has these passive and active lurks. Cypher just felt right to me from the moment I played him, and now he’s just my super comfort agent.
Q. Can you give us an insight as to how you effectively use Cypher's kit in different scenarios?
RvK: I usually have some points to ponder in the freeze time, and that helps me decide how I want to play the round. First, I think about how I want to play the round. It may be running up fast garage with a cage as an attacker or playing Retake C on Haven. Once the initial step is decided, I always try to make sure I align it with my second priority, which is acting according to the map, money, and ultimates available on the team.
If I want to play retake C but I feel like they might split the site, I’ll adjust my trap setup accordingly so I can play retake but also rush in with my setup, if need be, to get a free kill or to just buy time for my team.
The third step is readjusting if my read was wrong. If the enemy chooses to hit the other site, or just do the complete opposite of what we predict, I stick with the team’s call and play that out with 100% confidence, and if it works, it works. I think doing something you’re not comfortable with but with 100% confidence is a lot better than being indecisive.
Q. As a pioneer of the Agent, could you share 5 tips for players who are trying to main Cypher?
RvK: 1. Use the camera in different ways to get information. Come up with creative ideas to play around with it.
2. Just because you’re a sentinel doesn’t mean you can’t be aggressive. However, choose the right round and try to get that one free kill by potentially trying a cam bait setup or a good trap setup. One free kill is better than just sitting on a site with no impact.
3. Cypher cages are probably the best in the game. Since it is hollow inside, it’s best to save one cage to dodge the chamber trap, or maybe a killjoy alarm bot. Come up with ideas like this for both sides and see how creative you can get.
4. If you have deep information about an area being clear, try gathering the orbs, maybe for your teammates or for yourself. Your ultimate is really strong and can be easily regained at least three times and a half if done right.
5. Try being unorthodox with your traps and camera. Don’t make it obvious by showing your camera and making them aware of trips. Maybe sometimes show the cam but have the traps deeper on site, or have a trap deep but the camera passive so u can play off it or even put a trap but no cam at all. It’s all about steering how you want the opponent to think and making them play to your pace and game.
Also Read: Orangutan Crowned Champions In The Grand Final Of The VCL SA Split 2
Q. What are some advantages and disadvantages of Cypher over other Sentinels that newer players should consider?
RvK: I think the biggest advantage is the freedom of movement because you can decide if you want to join the team and become a trade fragger or just lurk and play late rounds. I think a good balance of that is a really strong advantage for Cypher Mains.
I think the disadvantages of cypher traps are that they are easier to get rid of with dogs and prowlers, but that too, if placed smartly, can be turned into an advantage. Another disadvantage is that you don’t have a lot of stopping utility to anchor a site apart from your traps. Unless you’re actually good at moving around the site and masking where you’re playing, it’s tough to anchor against a full rush.
Q. Any thoughts on the new rumored Sentinel Cable?
RvK: I haven’t had time to check out the new agent, but I’m so happy it’s a sentinel. I hope that it’s somewhat in the style of Killjoy/Cypher. Maybe it's time for RvK to be known by more than just one agent in the game, who knows? Haha.
