FNATIC Boaster: “The second place, while good, isn’t enough.”

The story of Boaster and FNATIC is quite well-known within the VALORANT community. The player has now been part of the team for over five years. Within these five years, he has helped the team win multiple trophies in VALORANT. As he and FNATIC prepare to take part in the Red Bull Home Ground, Jaxon had the opportunity to speak with Jake “Boaster” Howlett about his journey with the team, his reflections on the VCT 2025 season, and his goals for 2026.

How has 2025 been for you, both as the IGL of Fnatic and on a personal level?

Boaster: 2025 has been good for me. Whether one might call it successful or not is based on the person. We didn’t win a trophy, but we reached the grand finals this year, which is a big feat. It would have been nice to win a trophy, but that is how the world works. Sometimes it doesn’t go your way, but yes, I feel blessed to compete on the highest level in VALORANT.

Following the 2025 VCT Season, you signed a one-year extension with FNATIC. Could you shed some light on why you decided to stick with this team?

Boaster: It’s because Kaajak and Alfajer have one more year left in the roster. Both of them played really well during the VCT 2025 season. This season, Kaajak played so well when Alfajer had his big moments. There is a lot of potential still left within the team. The second place, while good, isn’t enough for this team to win a trophy next year.

During the VCT 2025 season, Fnatic began the year in less-than-ideal circumstances. They finished in 5th place during VCT EMEA Kickoff 2025, thus failing to qualify for VALORANT Masters Bangkok. Following the break, they went on a dominant run during VCT EMEA Stage One, having lost just one game the entire tournament. They went on to win the tournament after defeating Team Heretics 3-0 in the grand finals.

They continued this run of form during VALORANT Masters Toronto, reaching the grand finals. In the grand finals against Paper Rex, they lost with a 3-1 scoreline. Brushing aside the loss, they took part in the EWC X VALORANT tournament. Once again, they reached the grand finals but lost to Team Heretics. During VALORANT Champions 2025, they reached their 4th grand final of the year. History repeated itself as FNATIC went on to lose to NRG Esports.

In League of Legends, we have seen a player like Faker reach multiple grand finals, having both lost and won them. In your journey in VALORANT Esports, you have played in numerous grand finals. Do you feel that it has had quite a significant impact on the player you are now?

Boaster: It’s definitely a big learning curve when you win trophies when you are younger. You don’t realise the actual stress or mental effect of a grand final as a younger player. As I get older, it’s a different ball game, and these finals have trained me to be better. The only way you can learn is by reflecting on those games and knowing what to do in a final. As a team, we could have done that a bit more after the first grand final that we lost. We didn’t, and played another grand final and lost once again. We didn’t reflect enough on the loss and instead believed that we could win the next game.

Is a tournament like Red Bull Home Ground a really crucial tournament for your team to build a foundation and synergy after the addition of new players?

Boaster: I mean, yes, this year the VALORANT season has been quite stressful and jam-packed for us as a team. This tournament is designed for us to have some fun and see what we can do, firstly without a lot of pressure and secondly with minimal preparation. We also have a new player on our team, so it would be nice for him to get some reps on the stage before he starts playing with the team during VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026. It is beneficial to remove the bad games from our system so that we can begin the following year with a clean slate.

During VALORANT Champions 2025, Riot Games announced the new roadmap for the 2026 season of VALORANT Esports. With VALORANT Ascension not returning in 2026, there are several changes concerning VCT EMEA Stage Two. Following the 2025 season, both Boaster and Crashies signed a one-year extension with FNATIC.

While Chronicle, one of the remaining players from the core that won VALORANT Masters Tokyo in 2023, left the team and joined Team Vitality. At the same time, FNATIC signed the French player Veqaj “Sylvain” Pattyn to their roster for the upcoming season of VCT. It is worth noting that following the completion of the 2026 VCT season, there will be a reorganization of teams participating in VCT EMEA 2027 onwards.

As an esports athlete, players only see you while playing in a tournament or in content by your organization. What are some things that fans should be aware of about the life of an esports athlete and playing in the biggest VALORANT tournaments in the world?

Boaster: Being an esports athlete is all about sacrifice. Many people have to make sacrifices due to their work. To reach the next level as a player, you do need to sacrifice a lot. You are going into a climate where thousands or millions of people will judge you. You are also putting yourself under scrutiny if you have a bad performance.

In a corporate work environment, if you have a bad day at work, people will think about how to fix the issues at hand. In Esports, your bad performances happen in front of the world. People will never forget it or remind you of it, even in the future. There is a significant amount of mental strength that players need to play VALORANT or any esports game at the highest level. To stay on top, you will need to dedicate a significant amount of time during the day.

Thus, you will need to love gaming, and you obviously need to be good and still love the game at that level. At the end of the day, players will need to sacrifice many moments and hours to try their best and become one of the best in the world.

Your journey in FNATIC as a VALORANT player has been quite a long one. What has been your most memorable moment in your career and why?

Boaster: I believe the most crucial moment would be winning VCT LOCK//In Brazil in 2023. I think that winning my first game was a pivotal moment for both me and the team. A lot of hard work, a lot of ups and downs, but it felt really worth it to experience it. After that, it was apparent that I went on to win more events, but yes, the first win was the most memorable for me as a player.

With FNATIC being one of the favourites to win Red Bull Home Ground 2025, there is a high possibility for Fnatic to reach another grand final. Will they be able to finally break the 2nd-place curse? Only time will tell that!

Image credits: Riot Games

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