The Backbone Of TSM - drone
TSM's victory at the FaZe Clan Invitational reasserted their position at the top of North America. However, there has been one man who has quietly been the backbone, who has been bulletproof, who has played through multiple agents, styles, and roles, to better assist his team. That star player is Taylor "drone" Johnson. Even stretching to before they were signed to one of the most recognisable esports organisations in North America, drone has been a vital part of this cores success, and the team would not be the same without him. Drone truly has been the backbone of TSM throughout the team's venture into VALORANT.
Before TSM signed the team with the golden touch, they played as MouseSpaz, a team that showed promise but wasn't tested among the projected top teams in the beta. During their start in VALORANT, drone initially played a very familiar role, and used his Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) experience to his advantage. After playing point man for teams like Splyce, he leaned into the entry role on MouseSpaz on offence, while playing around his team on defence. Piloting an agent like Breach plays into his wheelhouse incredibly well, not only can he stun certain positions with Fault Line as he and his team round corners, he can also use Flashpoint to disorient the enemy to better allow his team to take control of a site safely. On top of that, drone also has access to Breach's ultimate, Rolling Thunder, which is an impressively strong initiation tool.
This play against Cloud9 in the Elite Esports Rivalry Bowl North America does drone a lot of justice to just how team focused he is. What we have to remember is that drone on the Breach doesn’t have complete vision onto the site, and with the time ticking down, uses his ultimate to safely clear a majority of the popular positions on A Site. This allows his two teammates from long to also enter the site with ease. On top of that, his forward position covering any attempts to attack the site from the defender’s spawn is thwarted. There he finds two quick kills and nearly clutches the round for MouseSpaz. Not only is he the spearhead for engagements, but drone was and still is consistently one of the team’s carry threats. However, drone has more recently been made moves away from Breach and his occasional Sova on Bind.
One of the significant differences in North American and European VALORANT is their opinion on Breach. While Europe still is very bullish on the earthshaker, North America has leaned more heavily on Phoenix, an agent that is much more direct, fulfils the same role, but in a much more familiar way to someone like a Breach whose power is baked into the fact that he thrives when able to cast abilities from a range, and can manipulate the geometry of the map to his favour. Phoenix’s more direct approach better-suited drone playing entry for his team, which turned out to be a resounding success as this was around the time that not only TSM took off like a team with a rocket strapped to their back, but they were leading the charge with the Phoenix entry fragging.
This clip against 100 Thieves in the PAX Arena VALORANT Invitational not only shows a gorgeous set play call from TSM, but again showcases drones entry potential. While this is an expensive execute, TSM needs to brute force their way onto A Site on Ascent. His Curveball blinds anyone in the main courtyard of the site as well as any potential baddies hiding in either of the corners directly adjacent to the team as they break through the main choke. Brimstone then calls his ultimate, Orbital Strike, to cover not only anyone attempting to play from the high ground overlooking the site but to obscure TSM's Omen as he teleports to the farthest most box.
The only positions that aren't accounted for are the crawl space underneath the high ground and anyone playing behind the few boxes next to, and on the site itself. Once Omen comes out of his ultimate and Brimstone's laser is done firing, that angle is covered, and the rest of the team can take the numbers advantage with a direct fight on the site as it is more than likely assumed that one or more defenders are rotating from B Site. While drone might be one of the better North American entry stars in VALORANT, he isn't a one-trick pony.
After their rivalry started with Sentinels, drone has found himself, yet again, shifting within TSM. Instead of playing entry, the team has moved him back in the pecking order, not out of spite, but out of love. Not only will he play selflessly for his team, but when he's left alive, he is a consistent threat on TSM that cannot be ignored. This better contextualises his move to a supportive Sova extremely well, while his teammate Yassine "Subroza" Taoufik moves into more of an entry role with Phoenix. Both players are extremely threatening in their own right, but Subroza has an explosiveness and decisiveness about him that lends itself to playing not only the entry role but also in-game leading as well. This frees up drone to step back and gather information to better allow his team to shine, while also giving him an even higher chance to win his duels.
Just recently, drone again showed us all why he is one of the brightest talents in North American VALORANT. After a lengthy comeback and winning four straight rounds, TSM took rivals, Sentinels, into their second overtime of the tournament. This Recon Arrow for drone to scout beyond the smokes placed over the default location where most teams are eyeing after pushing through A Short, not only nets drone a quick pick through the smokes, but he reveals three attackers which also gives his teammate James "hazed" Cobb the information to find his own kill.
This snuffs Sentinels chances and positions them well going into their attacking rounds of overtime, which they win, and take home the FaZe Clan Invitational title. This Recon Arrow from drone single-handedly won them this round. In the heat of the moment, in the grand finals against opponents who've taken you extremely close in the past, drone has the presence of mind to come up with plays like that.
With the ability to switch gears on the fly, the resume of multiple agents, one of the better rifles and pistols in North America, and to top it all off - drone can play as a competent entry fragger. How much more does he need to do before he gets more limelight? Drone has been a shining light throughout TSM's success for far too long not to be a household name. With a skillset as deep as his, drone will be a staple in the North American VALORANT space for a long time provided that he keeps this level of performance up.
Images via Dreamhack | Riot Games
