In VALORANT, there are tales of one who is feared above all others. He kills without mercy before his victims even know he’s there. He leaves trails of bodies in his wake, and there’s no evidence of his passing except for the howl of the wind. His enemies call him El Diablo, and he’s among the most feared Jett players in all of VALORANT.
But underneath it all, he is Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker. In the last six months, yay has skyrocketed in notoriety; a breakout star of VALORANT Champions Tour Stage 3: Masters Berlin. His future looks bright, and his career is sure to be a long one, but it wasn’t always that way. Not long ago, yay’s esports journey looked to be on its way to an early grave.
The Rise Again of yay
Like so many VALORANT stars, yay began his esports career in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
And back in 2015, a teenage yay found himself bouncing around between a number of minor teams. This included a roster under the name of Team Ignite that featured future VALORANT pros like Hunter “SicK” Mims and Daniel “vice” Kim. Together, they displayed a level of raw skill that was hard to believe for a bunch of rookies.
With that level of talent, it was only a matter of time before larger orgs would take notice. In 2017, after two years of tearing up the server on smaller teams, yay finally got his chance to prove himself. Complexity Gaming, a long standing pillar in the Counter-Strike scene, came calling and brought yay into the fold.
Experience The Rise, Fall and Rise Again of yay by watching the video above or heading to Upcomer’s YouTube channel.
Watch more Rise and Fall:
The Rise of nAts — The Russian Terminator revolutionizing VALORANT
CS:GO’s lost hope, saved by VALORANT — The Rise Again of mixwell
