Popular streamer and esports org owner Disguised Toast has brought a lot of attention to the VALORANT scene since he first decided to get a team to compete in VCT. While the success of the team has been spotty, it helped spike attention for VALORANT, and Riot Games has decided to show appreciation with the first reward of a new project.
Riot has awarded Toast a unique, Toast-themed Cypher statue, designed by Moya Garrison Msingwana, as revealed on July 25.
This is the first outcome of the Catalyst project, which aims to take “future inspirations and interpret them into modern pieces of culture.” With this art piece, the project looks to have started in late June and will continue on.
The Cypher itself is styled with the face of the Disguised Toast logo, the piece of bread with sunglasses and a moustache. Sitting on a box, one of the best touches is the platform the Cypher is on just happens to also be a non-active Cyber Cage. Toast himself tweeted twice about the statue, first about its beauty, but the second was an in-depth acceptance of the honor, with a video revealing his work with the artist.
The choice of Cypher was due to Toast’s more strategic nature, known for his intelligence from other games like Hearthstone and Teamfight Tactics. Toast even mentions how the creation of the statue took about a month, with Msingwana making it a reality.
After holding and touching the result of the Catalyst project, he stated what it means to him, as well as for the VALORANT community.
“It’s not just being a player anymore,” Toast said in a Twitter video after the unveiling. “It’s now being a team owner and trying to make an impact that’s bigger than myself. This Catalyst sculpture is a great reflection of that.”
Related: Toast drops Challengers roster amidst VALORANT re-evaluation
With the goal to continue the project, fans might see more creators, team owners, or other big names in the VALORANT community get their own rewards from the Catalyst project in the future, though Riot has yet to mention anything else just yet.