Foggers: “I want to make sure my time in Counter-Strike wasn't wasted”

Jayden “Foggers” Graham has been an intrinsic figure within the Oceanic Counter-Strike community for what feels like decades.

By Flamboyant

Now playing for Arcade, Foggers became a role player who did the dirty work to make his squad a benchmark for the rest of the scene with enough potential to challenge for the top 4. While not having the best individual stats during the last ESL Challenger League season. His impact inside and outside the server has reached every corner of the OCE landscape—and in some cases, the wider CS community—with official wins, content, and even wearing the green and gold jersey abroad.

The 24-year-old talent has a story like no other; a trailblazer for the scene who has taken every opportunity given to him. We spoke about the move from Vexx to Arcade, the goals for this new arcade roster, his views on the rebuild of Bad News Kangaroos, and what his future entails.

You've recently gone from Vexx to Arcade. How have you found the transition from org to org?

“It's really good. Jason and Arcade have already shown us a lot more support than what Vexx did. He's already provided us with a lot, not only with money but taking the initiative to put his details down. He's provided us with extra support, assistance with coaching... we've even got a sports psychologist. He's already putting in the hard work, he’s just really committed.

Do you think that with the support you’ve gotten from Arcade, the team is in the best position for the deep playoff run?

“Yeah, hopefully. I don't want to blame last season. We didn't have a stable five for longer than a month due to coaching reasons, players going overseas, and people quitting, then ESL rules, which didn't allow us to use Daniel “rekonz” Mort. If he played ECL with us, he wouldn't play DreamHack Melbourne, and we didn't want to do that to him, so we had to part ways with him.

“Hopefully, this season we can get into the finals [or] get into a top 4 sort of setting. That's our goal for this season. We want to establish ourselves as a competing team in the long term, that's always been a goal.”

Hopefully, this season we can get into the finals [or] get into a top 4 sort of setting.

The roster shuffle sees the team pick up Reily “versa” Dundas. Do you think he has been a good fit for the team?

“Versa's really good. We've had a role shuffle with Ronan “triplus” Storay becoming the new IGL  We've only had two weeks of scrims with Triplus' system, but I feel it’s working well for us as a five. Versa brings a different skill set to the team, especially his clutch ability and his communication is top-notch and solid. He’s always finding impact when he needs to, especially on the CT side. It's good to see; we feel like we have been able to adjust to losing Tom “apocdud” Henry.”

Speaking of Apocdud, what are your thoughts on the new BNK roster?

“BNK losing a couple of players is tough, but I feel they've picked up the best players for the roles they need. Ever since the departure of Jordan “PZ” White, they have been lacking an AWPer, and even though Damon “damyo” Portelli was picking up that role, he just needed time. That time meant they lost an EPL spot.

“Apocdud should be a different player entirely now that he doesn't have to call, he can focus on his aim and his rotations so he will be more fluid as the next season progresses, and he will become a lot more comfortable. [It’s] almost a throwback to what he used to do on Chiefs.”

How did you get into the game? How did you grow to love it?

“I bought the game in beta with some of my mates from Year 7, I didn't play much because I was a Call of Duty and League of Legends kid. I was playing matchmaking with my high schoolmates. It was nothing serious, then I graduated in 2017 and got back into [CS] because I wanted to procrastinate at university. So, out of boredom, I downloaded CS again and just started grinding Faceit. Six months later I joined my first team and started grinding Counter-Strike.”

How did you find the jump from casual to competitive play?

“It's a completely different ballgame. I was level 7 and level 8 back then. I wasn't the best. But I remember, versing these players in CGA, CGO, in pugs and running around, being toxic and killing them.

“But then, in an official, it was a whole different game. I saw it as a new path, and you know once you discover a new path, you just want to go explore it. It was just, really exciting.”

It's completely understandable if you don't want to go into it, but the ESIC ban, of course, it's sort of been a hallmark of your career in Counter-Strike. Do you think that that sort of impact on your career has changed you as an individual?

“Yeah. 100%. I was very toxic back then. Even though I might sound very egotistical right now, It was a whole lot worse back then.

“Now, it's more confidence rather than ego. [It was] an experience like that humbled me a lot. It was the humbling I needed; not only for Counter-Strike, but in life as well. As cliche as it sounds. I started enjoying the outside world a little bit. I started actually thinking about what I wanted to do with my life even though I took a year off uni because mentally I was in a really bad place.

Now, it's more confidence rather than ego. An experience like that humbled me a lot.

“That ban ruined me in terms of, my confidence. It took me a while to get my confidence and get my aim back because I didn't play the game too much in the two years I was banned. I'd play a couple of Face of PUGs with Patrick “Falcon” Desousa a week.

“You know, it took me a bit of adjusting to get back into it as well.”

Did you have a willingness to play at the tail end of your ban?

“Yeah. In the last six months, I gained a lot of motivation to come back.

“So, Falcon and I would always play together. The goal was to join a team together. But then, he started living his life, which was good for him. But the last three to six months was when my motivation came back to start grinding and begin working more on my game than the team-based stuff such as demo reviews. 

I was playing a lot more, doing my deathmatch, all that sort of stuff, which is what made me get picked up by E-lemonators back then. Even though I was fresh off a ban, I still could shoot and that's what they, sort of, were looking for.”

Mauisnake called you the 24-year-old prodigy. Do you think you're in a weird place in OCE CS where you're not one of the old guys, like, the Easy Rider boys or the Dinq boys, but you're not, part of the newcomers, like Blitz and Le-lux? Do you think that's a weird place to be at the moment for your career?

“Yes, I'm 24 now. So my goals have shifted:  I still want to compete at the highest level in Counter-Strike and my goals are still to go overseas and do everything I can. I want to make sure my time in Counter-Strike wasn't wasted. Playing at a DreamHack Melbourne would be sick, same with IEM Sydney. Playing at an EPL would be sick.

I still want to compete at the highest level in Counter-Strike and my goals are still to go overseas and do everything I can

 “All of these events are still goals but I‘m getting older. I'm just about to graduate [from uni]. I'll start looking for a full-time job soon, so I will have a lot less time to practice, or even play CS. And then, if I do get a full-time job, I gotta question myself: Is this still a career I need? Or do I have to start focusing on other aspects of my life?

“My priorities are still the same. Counter-Strike, girlfriend, studies. But I'm in this weird stage where I’m not getting younger.”

Speaking of the International stage: What was the experience like representing Australia?

“It was sick. Coming from a sporting background, it was cool because you'd watch the World Cup or the Olympics, and then to have the opportunity to represent Australia is just one of those things where it's just cool.

“Saudi Arabia was very unique, and Romania was very fun. It was one of those opportunities that only really come once in a lifetime, and I'm forever grateful for it.”

Do you think that the experience of going to Saudi Arabia and Romania has made the decision harder for you when you have to go and work a real job?

“Yeah, it makes the decision harder. Playing on an international stage, and experiencing the world over there was sick. Coming back, it was just….. I want to do that all the time.”

Have you got anything you want to add at the end before we wrap it up?

“I want to thank Arcade for supporting us and Focus as well for being their main sponsor. Focus sent me their arm sleeve and mouse pad, which was sick. They're fire. 

“I want to thank Dfrag for reaching out for this interview.

“I want to thank The Industries for allowing me to be myself. 

“Follow my Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok for more daily content.

“And I want to thank my girlfriend (they have matching Discord profile pictures, it's very cute) for always supporting me and being the best girlfriend I could ever ask for. I want to thank everyone for their support.

“Most importantly, I wanted to thank OnlyJoshin for being my biggest supporter and the scene's biggest supporter, whatever he does he is going to be doing god's work.”