Lil Poison: Superkid or Jedi Knight?
Article Written by: James "Fiend" Schneider


Victor Deleon III (Lil Poison) is “Superkid” according to his father, also Victor Deleon (Sic Vic). “He just needs a cape.” What may sound like the pride of a typical father, is in this case well merited. At only six years of age, his son Victor is the youngest professional console gamer in the world.

“I used to play a lot of Dreamcast games after I came home from work,” Sic Vic recalls. “And he would cry a lot so I'd just put the controller in his hands and he'd stop crying.” One particular Star Wars-themed title, Jedi Power Battles, featured a split-screen campaign mode, Vic explains. “All of a sudden I just noticed that he just picked it up. We started playing together and we actually beat the game.”

It was a clear sign that Lil Poison was special and that his native intelligence, problem-solving capabilities, and memory were advanced, to say the least. Vic knows many parents who would start their children on Easy, but not him. Plus, Lil Poison would not be challenged. From Star Wars games to sports games to Halo and now Halo 2, Hard was the only setting suitable.

Vic may have gotten his son interested in games, especially Jedi ones, but it was his own 16-year-old uncle Gabriel (Poison), who took Lil Poison on as his Paduan. Lil Poison exclaims, “My dad stinks.” Poison is a well known gamer himself, gaining recognition in Halo: CE and continuing to be a force in Halo 2. Lil Poison looks up to his uncle Poison and took the gamertag as a sign of respect, and perhaps the relative maturity of someone who would outgrow the tag I’m5YearsOld.

Vic is level-headed when it comes to violence in some video games and the inappropriate language of fellow gamers. He will not let his Lil Poison play excessively violent games like Grand Theft Auto. “I'd rather him play a game like Halo and learn teamwork, learn to be patient, and memorize where things are, than him running around with his friends with a fake gun or a fake knife. I don't go for that.”

As for language, most kids are respectful of his age. He knows the words he should not say and avoids them, as well as people who say them. Vic hopes that teenage gamers erase the “R word” from their vocabularies. His first step is keeping his son from saying it.

The 53-inch TV, which sits in their Smithtown, NY home, absolutely towers over Lil Poison. He is about 3’5” and weighs in at 45 pounds. He may be a little guy, but he is an absolute beast in the gaming world.

When asked who taught him about video games, the six year old eagerly says, “Myself,” and then admits, “Poison. He’s my master.” Poison admits, “He plays just like me.” As such, they make an excellent 2v2 team, which startles a lot of people. Recently they beat out TSK at the Xtournaments (www.halotournaments.com), which Vic runs.

“They're surprised by his age, they're surprised by everything about him,” Sic Vic says. Poison echoes this sentiment: “They're surprised that he uses Team Talk to tell people where the other players are. He can back up people, help them out. They get surprised by all that.”

Lil Poison has tried to play with kids his age, but just destroys them. While he is, himself, a master of tactics and shooting, his friends are running around and shooting into the air. His skill is advanced to the point where he can, and one might argue must, compete with much older players. On this, Lil Poison says simply, it “doesn't matter.”

The recent news of Lil Poison being signed to an MLG contract has brought on many naysayers. Many people who have never met or played with Lil Poison are jealous and try to devalue his skills saying that he is only good for his age. His response is to challenge them 1v1. No one has accepted his challenge yet. “They're scared of me,” he says thoughtfully. “They are afraid to lose!”

StK, Shoot to Kill, has taken Lil Poison under their wings, much like Poison did. In addition to being a member of the Xbox Live clan Team StK, the Poisons spend a fair amount of time scrimming with the current number 1 squad of Ogre 1, Ogre 2, Walshy and Saiyan. Lil Poison also plays as Baby Ogre 4 because “everyone’s afraid of the Ogres, and they are afraid of me.” Eventually he will change his name to StK Ogre 4. Poison says, “He’ll just grow into his next name.”

He has grown up before the eyes of fellow players as he attends MLG, AGP, Xtournaments; you name it. Walshy said that Lil Poison was “definitely a contender” and said he was probably a top-64 player. “I think it's amazing,” Walshy says. “He's six years old and better than most of the people who go to tournaments.” Lil Poison interjects: “And I almost beat you 1v1.” Walshy does an audible shrug: “Wasn't tryin'.”

Lil Poison, in addition to being a contender, is an excellent first grade student, who achieves mostly E’s. He especially excels in subjects that involve memory, which Vic owes to videogames. Lil Poison is an excellent swimmer as well.

Despite being an amazing gamer who competes with pros on a regular basis, in many ways he is still a kid. He loves the sword, loves the glitches in the game, loves the idea of being a Jedi, learning from his “Master.” Superkid or Jedi, he is something special.


10 QUESTIONS WITH LIL POISON


Q. What part of the game do you like?
A. I just like it. It's fun. Glitches.


Q. Do you standby?
A. No. No. I don't like standby.


Q. Do you like Halo 1 or Halo 2 better?
A. Halo 2.


Q. Why?
A. Sword. I’m like a Jedi.


Q. Do you look up to any of the players other than Poison.
A. No, just Poison. And Walshy.


Q. What about the Ogres?
A. A little bit.


Q. Who do you think is the best player?
A. Me.


Q. Is Poison #2 or Walshy?
A. Walshy's #1.


Q. What do you want to do in the future?
A. Make games like Halo.


Q. I heard you played with Bungie staff?
A. One time I played with Frankie. He's bad at Battle Rifle. He said that to me. Then I beat him.