JonahP emerging for The Guard with his confidence ‘at an all-time high’

August 13, 2022

by Sage Datuin

Confidence and focus was at an all-time high for The Guard entering the VALORANT Champions Tour North America Last Chance Qualifier. Yet, not many would have expected the team to not only return to their Stage 1 level of dominance, but surpass that previous level of play.

On Friday against FaZe Clan, The Guard established themselves as the front-runners to grab hold of North America’s final spot at VCT Champions 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey, after a strong 2-0 series win over FaZe.

Sign up for the next Nerd Street tournament!

On a team full of star power and talent, the VCT NA Last Chance Qualifier has seen a new star rise from the shadows. For The Guard, that player has been the team’s rock, Jonah “JonahP” Pulice, who feels his confidence is at an all-time high.

“Throughout this whole event, my confidence has been at an all-time high heading into the game. We felt we got past the hard matches already like Sentinels and Cloud9,” JonahP said about what has unlocked a new level of play at the VCT NA LCQ. “We knew FaZe is a good team for us to play against because they are really strong, but their aggressive playstyle is something we feel that we can take on better.”

That confidence was noted by an incredible amount of outplays from The Guard’s versatile rifler. One play that stood above all of the others was his 1v2 outplay on Haven in the ninth round to grab a clutch round win for The Guard. When asked about that one play and what it did for his confidence, he shared just how much it “locked” him in.

“Honestly, that 1v2 really locked me in even more for the rest of the series,” JonahP said. “On Icebox. I was pushing through Viper walls as Brim which is something I’ve never really done in practice. Throughout the LCQ, I have had a lot of confidence, but against FaZe, I just knew that any play I went for, I was going to kill them.”

Normally the rock of The Guard, JonahP prides himself on his smart, safe and calculated play. That normal assurance combined with an extra boost of confidence resulted in a career performance in an important match because of his fearlessness that every play would go in his favor.

“I was just feeling it today and took risky plays,” JonahP shared. “I just rolled with that, and I just played really good today because of that mentality.”

He credits his confidence to take aggressive plays in a mentality instilled in all of The Guard’s players. The Guard are a young team built on trust, and he said that there’s an attitude that if you have “a feeling you will hit the shot, go for it.” On any given day, the star of a match could be any player on The Guard. Against FaZe Clan, JonahP was the team’s X factor on both Chamber and Brimstone with a collective 261 average combat score and a 34/18/12 scoreline.

A passion for new experiences

Photo credit: Riot Games

Dubbed the team’s most “underrated” player by The Guard head coach Matthew “mCe” Elmore for his versatility as a player, JonahP’s talents have been on full display for people to witness when it matters most. Being asked to switch from a role like Chamber as a primary fragger to then place more focus on a supportive and utility-based agent like Brimstone can be difficult. Yet, for JonahP, it is challenges like these that give him the most fulfillment as a pro player.

For me, my strength is being versatile and being able to play anything. I want to be flexible no matter the circumstances,” JonahP said when asked about where his versatility stems from. “I can show up to practice tomorrow and my coach will tell me to play Cypher and I will do my best to learn her as much as I can. No matter what, I will always do my best because I get excited when I play different roles.”

On top of genuine love for learning more about the game, he further explained his drive to win as a team is what pushes him past his comfort zone.

“I want to be somebody that can pick up any role and do it with confidence. It’s super important in this game and it is what the team needs … I thrive through the discomfort because I play for my team,” JonahP said. “I put my team before me, my stats. Whatever they need, I’m going to pick it up because I’m confident I can take on any role.”

JonahP said be embraces being flexible.

“I don’t like doing the same thing over and over again. I love changing things up and I love learning more about the game. I love playing both aggressive and passive as long as the team is finding success,” JonahP said. “My team knows that and they trust me to pick up whatever role they need and their trust is all I need.”

A leveled approach to the game

Photo credit: Riot Games

The VCT NA Last Chance Qualifier has been a nice bounce back to form for The Guard following VCT Masters: Reykjavík. After a “poor run” at their first international event, some would understand how hard it can be to readjust after a tough loss. For JonahP, it was a learning experience that only motivated him even more to win.

“I’m pretty consistent emotionally no matter if it’s a win or a loss. Even though we had a poor run at Iceland, I’m still the same. I still have the drive to compete and try as hard as possible,” JonahP said. “That’s actually even more true after a loss. We had a tough stretch after Reykjavík because of nerves since it was our first LAN, but we took a lot from that experience. Now, we’re going to use that for our advantage if we can make it to Champions.”

Currently, JonahP shared that “everyone is feeling great and confident” going into the VCT NA LCQ grand final. Still, the team holds a humbled approach going into the match that could extend or end their 2022 VALORANT season.

“Everyone is feeling great and confident, but we know that we are not at the finish line just yet. We are going to reset and treat it just like any other game. We are going to prepare as hard as possible and we are excited to play,” JonahP said. ”It doesn’t really matter who we play. We are going to have the same confidence against any team. We will have the same game plan and we will play for ourselves and focus on ourselves.”

Lead photo credit: Riot Games