REVERED AS one of the top athletes to ever man a keyboard and mouse in the history of Philippine esports, it's a bit surprising to find out that when Jayvee “DubsteP” Paguirigan grew up playing video games, he was more of a console guy than a PC one.
"Mas nakakatuwang hawakan yung controller kaysa sa keyboard and mouse," recalled one of the country's top VALORANT pros in an interview with Spin.ph. "Kasi yung mga mouse before may mga bola yun tapos ang bibigat e."
Growing up in Iligan, Paguirigan had a fiery passion for basketball as well.
“Lumaki ako na mga idol ko are basketball players. Varsity ako nung high school, tapos gusto ko maging varsity noong college. Pagkatapos naman nun, pinangarap ko din maging player sa PBA,” said DubsteP.
And while he would ultimately turn pro in another sport entirely, he credits his basketball background for his competitiveness in computer games.
“Sa basketball nag-grow yung pagiging competitive ko. Before you know it, sa computer games na pala ako naging competitive.”
The game is on
Like many veteran esports athletes in the country, Jayvee first competed semi-professionally in Dota 2. CounterStrike — the game where he would make his name — was ironically just a pastime for him in those long-gone Dota days.
“After ko mag solo-rank sa Dota 2, maglalaro ako ng CSGO pang de-stress kasi I feel at home sa game na yun. Tapos after mga four to five months, before you know it, CSGO na yung mas nilalaro ko. So parang nakakagulat din siya sa akin dahil mas na-in love ako sa FPS kaysa sa MOBA,” confessed Paguirigan.
Trying to kickstart his CSGO career, he joined numerous open tournaments with different teammates every time. Off the field, he edited his own highlight reels and posted it on Facebook groups. His fame started to grow.
At the time, he was still manning the desks as an IT drone in IBM. When Mineski offered him a spot in their CSGO roster, DubsteP hesitated.
“Nung una, sabi ko di ko ata kaya kasi may work ako: five days a week, eight hours a day. Tapos corporate company pa siya. So doon palang, talo na ako sa oras e. Breadwinner din ako ng family ko so kailangan kong mag-provide ng food on the table. So mahirap siya talaga kung pure esports ka lang dati.”
But, coordinating closely with Mineski, DubsteP made it work. Paguirigan stayed in the corporate world for one more year all while competing with Mineski.
After feeling the weight of balancing two jobs at the same time, the young Paguirigan ultimately decided to resign from his day job and focus all his attention on being a CSGO professional.
“Nag-agree kami noon ng Mineski na ipapantay nila yung sahod ko sa work ko. So after that moment, hindi na ako bumalik sa IT industry," he said. "Doon na [talaga] nagsimula yung esports journey ko.”
The rise, then the fall
During his time with Mineski, Jayvee was on cloud nine — until he ran head on to the struggles of being an esports pro.
“Syempre as a Filipino, super honored ako maging part ng Mineski dahil isa yun sa one of the best Philippine esports organization at that time. Nakakatuwa din kasi ikaw yung one of the first CSGO players na nabayaran sa Pilipinas," he said.
"Habang nagko-compete kami may salary kami, may allowance kami, tapos may boot camp pa kami. So parang super grateful ako na naging part ako ng organization na yun.
“Pero pinaka struggle ko is yung especially sa Pilipinas, hindi pa gaanong kalaki yung esports noon. Yung audience sobrang liit. Even if you stream, parang walang masyadong manonood sayo kasi ang konti lang ng audience e. Kumbaga kung sinabi mong esports puro question mark yung mga sinasabi ng mga tao eh. So yung yung mahirap kasi parang nasa outside the radar kayo nagko-compete; wala kayo sa mismong world stage kumbaga,” he added.
Nevertheless, Jayvee experienced his best days in CSGO with Mineski gaming. Aside from always placing first during the Philippine qualifiers for the two years he was with the organization, competing in CSGO earned him tickets to Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea, and China.
After two years with the famed Philippine esports organization, Paguirigan thought that it would be best for him to explore and grow in a different environment.
That decision, however, would send him on a rollercoaster esports ride.
After two years at Mineski, DubsteP embarked on the tough life of an esports journeyman — switching from local teams such as ArkAngel and Audacity gaming, to spending ten months in Indonesia with the Rex Regum Qeon CSGO team. Overall, Jayvee changed teams seven times in his last two years as a CSGO player.
As a result of not having a certain future, Paguirigan had second thoughts on if his decision to leave his corporate job was worth it.
“Nasa mid-20s na ako nun eh. So parang, eto nga, sa 20s ko, medyo nagkaroon ako ng doubt na mali ata yung desisyon ko. Pero, I’m glad na doubts lang yung nangyari at hindi ako sumuko.”
Looking back at his CSGO career, DubsteP said that despite how it ended, he was still very grateful for the opportunities that the game opened up for him.
“Isa ako sa lucky na people na ginagawa to. So parang super grateful yung feeling ko. Sa dami ng taong gustong maging professional gamer, isa ako dun na nakagawa maging player. Ang humbling ng feeling,” he said.
'You only live once'
The year 2020 was a time of transition for everyone. Due to the pandemic, it seemed that everything was put on hold, but at the same time, changing fast.
It was during the lockdown that DubsteP picked up a new game.
“Nung nag-move ako sa VALORANT, it was like a Hail Mary for me. Five to six years of experience yung dinadala ko from CSGO going into VALORANT. So parang 'YOLO' kumbaga; bahala na kung anong mangyari sa game na to, pero I decided na I will move na talaga,” he said.
He'd never touched the just-released free-to-play shooter before. But with the encouragement of then-coach Gilbert “Gibo” Sales Jr. and teammate Kevin “Dispenser” Te, Jayvee’s decision to switch from CSGO to VALORANT was a relatively smooth one.
Alongside Dispenser, Riley “Witz” Go, Jessie “JessieVash” Cuyco and Jim “Borkum” Timbreza, the Bren VALORANT team was formed.
Funnily enough, Paguirigan’s role in the team now is not what he started with when the team was first built.
“Nung nagpa-practice kasi kami nung una, I was playing the Sentinel role with Cypher and Killjoy," he said. "Tapos nung nakita ng coach ko na I was using the Operator with the Agent, napagdesisyunan niya na if you’re using the operator, why not play Jett na lang. Tapos yun na, doon na nagsimula yung role switch namin."
As a result of the role switch, the team dominated the local scene all throughout 2020 until 2021. Yet, their most successful achievement was winning the 2021 VCT Southeast Asia Stage 3 Challengers Playoffs — ultimately qualifying them for VALORANT Masters in Berlin.
Unfortunately, visa problems hit the team, and Bren VALORANT was unable to fly to Germany.. However, BREN managed to get enough circuit points to qualify them for VALORANT's biggest event: Champions.
Another problem? The roster’s contract with BREN esports was up. Despite this, the core five of the most successful squad in Philippine VALORANT were able to stick together and were signed up by international esports org Team Secret. With contract and visa problems behind them, Paguirigan and the rest of Team Secret were off to Champions 2021.
According to Jayvee, his Champions experience was one of the best he had ever gotten throughout his time as an esports athlete.
“Grabe yung treatment sa amin ng Riot," he recalled. "Feeling namin na superstar na superstar kami. Tapos nandun pa lahat ng mga players na madalas pinapanood lang natin on-stream. So nakaka-overwhelm siya kasi yung experience na maging part ka ng 'one of the best teams in the world,' iba na yun."
With everything coming into fruition, Jayvee thrived under the bright lights. With the amazing support that he got from his teammates, the world was introduced to DubsteP. Playing Jett all throughout the tournament, Jayvee helped his team to a top eight finish — exceeding everyone’s expectations for the Filipino squad.
When asked about how he reached that level of play during Champions, Paguirigan was quick to praise his four teammates.
“I have Witz, Vash, Jim and Dispenser. Kumabaga, sila yung apat yung parang pillars na nag-aangat lagi saakin. Napupunta lang saakin yung glory because of the stats pero dapat hindi ma-ooverlook yung teammates ko kasi sila din yung reason na nakakapag perform ako at my highest level.”
What’s next for DubsteP and Team Secret?
In 2022, seven months into the new VCT season, Team Secret now find themselves competing in the Last Chance Qualifiers this August for a chance of booking the final APAC ticket to this year’s edition of Champions.
From underperforming during Stage 1 Challengers to bouncing back in Stage 2, Paguirigan says that he will do everything in his power to attend Valorant’s biggest event yet again.
“You can expect me and my team to do the best that we can. Please don’t forget to support us and thank you so much for believing in us. Even though we lost Challengers, everyone was still happy with our performance and we think we will do even better in the LCQ,” he said.
Now at 29 years old, Jayvee “DubsteP” Paguirigan has seen both the peaks and the trenches of esports. His advice to the younger generation attempting to enter the scene? Keep going... no matter how hard it gets.
“Whatever you do in life, it’s never too late. Tingnan mo nga ako eh 29, mag-LCQ pa ako. Kaya yun nga, it’s never too late to chase your dreams."
As for him? He's going with the flow. "I am happy where I am right now."
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