Shakir ‘hikkA’ Razak praises "insane" support from Valorant community [Exclusive]

Fragging in Valorant is one most challenging roles to fulfil as an esports player. Finding the first blood in the rounds and winning those crucial clutch gunfights with the enemies can turn the tides of matches anytime in the game.

In an exclusive conversation with Sportskeeda’s Rijit Banerjee, Shakir ‘hikkA’ Razak talks about his overall mentality, favourite games to play, and his weapons preferences in Valorant.

Exclusive interview with professional Valorant player Shakir 'hikkA' Razak

1. Let us start by asking you to introduce yourself to our readers.

HikkA - Hello, I am Shakir Razak, also known as ‘hikkA’ in the gaming community. I am 24 years old and live in Sri Lanka.

2. How would you define the impact video games have had in your life?

HikkA - Well, video games impacted my life, both positively and negatively. Negatively when I sat on my PC for a countless amount of hours just gaming for fun, which led to a low percentage of attendance at college. Positively because I get to do something I love and get paid for it, basically it is my career now.

3. What are your favourite games to play casually?

HikkA - I barely play other games now, but back in the day, I used to play Dota 2, a little bit of Overwatch, and PUBG.

4. What was your background in esports before you joined Noble Esports to play Valorant professionally?

HikkA - I started playing competitively in 2014. Ever since then I have been a part of the best CS: GO team in the country, dominating the scene until early 2020 and then made a switch to Valorant.

5. Coming from Sri Lanka, was it challenging to adapt to other Indian esports players?

HikkA - It is still quite challenging. The playstyle, comms, team-work, and everything is very different from what I had experienced with my local team. I'm adapting to it, learning new things every day.

6. Walk us through your grind to Radiant. What were the main improvements in your gameplay which impacted the most to achieve this remarkable achievement?

HikkA - Grinding to Radiant was a task. I played with a couple of my teammates which made things more comfortable due to better comms. All you need is good comms and just basic team-work to reach Radiant, also the most important thing being consistent.

7. You have quite a lot of Aces under your belt with the Frenzy. Why do you choose that weapon over the likes of Ghost and Classic in the pistol buy-rounds?

HikkA - Oh, well, I have always been a burst/spray player, and ever since I started valorant I have been using the Frenzy, it just works for me. The Frenzy has been my go-to pistol any day. Believe it or not, I have never used Classic or Ghost in Valorant.

8. What specific role do you play in XTZ Esports’ Valorant line-up?

HikkA - It’s a little bit of both duelist and support. I play duelist on certain maps and support on the rest.

9. When are you coming to India to play Valorant in your competitive matches?

HikkA - You'll see me at the XTZ Bootcamp as soon as I get my visa. I can’t wait to compete at low ping.

10. Who is your favourite agent in Valorant and why?

HikkA - RAZE, she suits my aggression.

11. How do you deal with hatred and toxicity in the Valorant community?

HikkA - You should always see the bigger picture, and there’s only a handful of haters compared to the supporters. The support I've received is insane over the last few months.

12. What is the most critical quality that the aspiring esports players should have in them according to you?

HikkA - Adapting and being able to learn from others is something which will take them forward.

13. What is the next big thing for you in the world of esports?

HikkA - Let’s see where this journey takes me. I'm currently focusing on winning championships and becoming the best player in SA/SEA.