"I think Fortnite Ranked Mode is a cool addition": Jaden "Wolfiez" Ashman talks about the addition of the Ranked Mode and Red Bull Contested

Fortnite professional player Jaden "Wolfiez" Ashman, 19 years old, hailing from England currently represents TT9. From his early days of placing eighth in the Cooler Cup 2019 to ranking first alongside k1nzеll and crr in the Champion Trio Cash Cup: Chapter 2 Season 4 Week 3 - Europe, he has gone from stride to stride. Despite not faring

In the recent Red Bull Contested LAN tournament that was held on June 10, 2023, Wolfiez clocked in on the leaderboard at the 88 position. We at Sportskeeda, got a chance to talk to him before the event and talk about his blooming career, the general state of the game, and the brand new Fortnite Ranked Mode.

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Jaden "Wolfiez" Ashman talks about his career, Red Bull Contested, the state Ranked Mode, and Fortnite in general

Q. First and foremost, thanks for taking the time to chat with us, Henrik Mclean. Would you mind introducing yourself to people who might not know who you are and perhaps shed some light as to what got you into Fortnite in the first place?

Wolfiez: I’m Jaden Ashman, also known as Wolfiez. I’m from London, and I got into Fortnite just randomly by playing with my friends on Xbox.

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Q. You've had an incredible career in the world of Fortnite so far. Would you mind sharing with us a few highlights and accolades earned thus far? Furthermore, where do you want to see yourself as an Esports athlete in the next few years?

Wolfiez: I place very high in most tournaments in every single game mode. I was in the World Cup, and I’ve won a few Cash Cups here and there. Placed very high in FNCS. These are the best achievements thus far. As to where I want to see myself as an Esports athlete in the next few years, I’m trying to get back to my prime.

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Q. Coming back to the topic at hand, how do you feel about the upcoming UK's first major Fortnite LAN tournament? Surely playing in front of a live audience will be a different ball game altogether. What’s your take on it? Do you feel that it will be a distraction or add to the overall hype of the event?

Wolfiez: LANS are definitely my strong suit. I’m pretty good at blocking out the crowd and playing around a big group of people. If anything, it will make me play better.

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Q. I understand that solo is a high-risk, high-reward format for any tournament, especially given that there will be eight opening rounds, with eliminations in the final four being worth double points. What’s your take on this unique setup? Do you feel that Duos would have been better suited?

Wolfiez: It doesn’t really matter. I think that Duos has been played a lot, and there haven’t been any big Solo tournaments recently. So, it’s nice to see Solo getting some love again, and I’m excited to see how I play.

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Q. Given the stiff competition from some of the best players in Europe, what’s going on in your mind right now? Walk us through the thought process that helps you concentrate on staying on top of things.

Wolfiez: The most important thing is surviving spawn in every game so that you can keep your consistency. If you haven’t got a good spot to land, then your consistency is just completely messed up. Then you have no shot at actually placing good.

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Q. If possible, share with us the strategy you implement during the early game versus the late game. Given how the addition of certain movement mechanics and the Reality Augment system has spruced up gameplay, will it affect your desired strategy’s outcome?

Wolfiez: Well, obviously, you play different phases of the game differently. So for the early-game, mid-game, and late-game, I’m just going to stick to the game plan that I’ve used for my career. Maybe try to fight one or two people during the mid-game and then play the end-game just how I play it.

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Q. As a professional player in Fortnite, given the competition at hand, what are your predictions about the tournament? Do you have anyone in mind who you would like to go head-to-head with during the course of a match? On that note, is there someone who would want to avoid it at all costs, and if yes, why?

Wolfiez: I don’t really think like that, to be honest. I don’t really want to avoid or go head-to-head with anyone in particular. The game is a game, and whatever has to happen will happen.

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Q. Moving on from the Red Bull Contested Fortnite LAN tournament, what’s your take on the newly added Ranked Mode? Do you feel it has enough gusto to propel Fortnite into the limelight and help professional players be taken more seriously?

Given that the LAN tournament in Copenhagen, Denmark - FNCS Global Championship 2023, is due later this year, do you feel that the Ranked Mode will help shine a brighter light on things?

Wolfiez: I don’t know. I think Ranked Mode is a cool addition, it sounds cool, but I’m not sure if they have executed it perfectly and how it should be played.

There are a few issues in the whole mode, but it’s something different from Arena, so it’s nice. But I think all of it is kind of not enjoyable to me if there’s no siphon. It kind of just negates the whole thing.

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Q. As a professional player, what are your expectations from the Ranked Mode moving forward? Although it’s still in its infancy, what more can Epic Games do to improve the experience and integrate things more seamlessly?

Wolfiez: It’s a hard decision for Epic Games because they can make things very competitive and ruin it for casual players and vice versa. They will have to find a good middle ground.

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Q. Moving on from the Ranked Mode and the competitive side of things, what are your general thoughts about Chapter 4 Season 2 thus far? Are you enjoying the storyline and newly added collaborative items, or do you feel that the current season was a letdown?

Wolfiez: I don’t know. It was a decent season. That’s it. That’s all I can say. I won’t say it’s a letdown. It’s just what’s expected from Epic Games. They just always change it up, so it’s expected.

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Q. Speaking of seasons, what’s your wishlist for Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 3? With leakers/data-miners predicting a full-scale tropical/jungle biome, are you excited to play the role of Ace Ventura?

Wolfiez: I don’t really follow the storyline, to be honest, but the new map will be cool to play in. Something new to spice it up a bit.

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Q. On that note, thank you once again for taking out the time to talk to us, but before you leave, what would be the one piece of advice you’d like to share for up-and-coming players? What’s that one thing that you would want them to know and focus on above everything else?

Wolfiez: Keep playing Fortnite.