Interview with Frayu1600, flex support for HSL Esports - Contenders, 2019 World Cup and Hero PoolsOn April 27th 2020, HSL Esports promoted their academy roster to become their official contenders team. This included 19-year-old flex support Alex ‘Frayu’ Parri. With a wealth of experience stretching from season one of Overwatch competitive to the international stage of Overwatch World Cup 2019 with Team Italy, Frayu is ready to show his skill in the EU path to pro. Frayu was kind enough to accept an interview and share his views with me concerning his debut in EU contenders, the world cup and hero pools. Reaction: So, having recently joined HSL’s main team, along with the rest of HSL academy, have you noticed any difference in how you prepare for your games? Frayu: Well, I have definitely. We’ve been scrimming much higher-level teams compared to academy of course because we need a higher level of preparation for contenders. We obviously scrim higher level teams and we are expected to have a higher level of performance which we are slowly getting to. We’re not exactly there sometimes. [However] most of the time, we’re there and we’re getting there, slowly. Reaction: You were lucky enough to be a part of Team Italy’s 2019 world cup roster. How did it feel to represent your country against strong contenders and Overwatch League talent? Frayu: I can say it felt really good. You know, when you get picked for [being] one of the best in your nation it makes you feel good, but it’s not really about that so much. It’s about the competition itself and all the preparation that goes into it that leads up to the moment and the event itself was fantastic. I had a lot of fun; it was the best weekend of my life. I met so many people and had so much fun. We played the thing but it wasn’t so much about playing the [competition]. It was a lot about the experience too […] very cool. Reaction: That’s great to hear. You went up against a really strong team as well. You faced off against Overwatch League duo Ellivote and Lullsish! Frayu: That was a great match. We got a map off of them but the experience paid off so they were much more prepared and better at adapting. Reaction: There’s one particular match I’d like to learn more about. In the Monkey Bubble Eurocup, before the world cup, you faced off against Team Germany. Many people believed Team Germany to be a much stronger team than you guys since they had two great players from Clockwork Vendetta and one of the best Mei players on the ladder. Could you talk me through how it was to pull out the win against them and solidify yourself as a threat? Frayu: I’m pretty sure, at that point in time, when we were in the semi-finals, we went against Denmark. Denmark was a super strong team so we weren’t too sad about losing but with Team Germany I don’t remember who they lost to but they were a little bit [mentally] boomed. So, coming into our match, they didn’t perform as well as they wanted since there was no prize pool for 3rd place or 2nd place, just for 1st place. They didn’t bother too much […] our mental was much better. Reaction: I’m trying to remember now. Was it Israel they lost to?
Frayu: I think so. […] Reaction: I’m assuming that the goal here is to make it through contenders and that the ultimate goal is to make it to Overwatch League. That’s the dream goal that everyone in contenders wants to make [real]. Frayu: Well, I’d say that Overwatch League for me isn’t a goal, more like an achievement. I don’t want to get to Overwatch League [just] to get to Overwatch League. My [plan] is to have fun, prove [myself] while having fun and do what I like. I am not playing Overwatch because I want to get rich or famous or anything. I am playing because I have fun playing the game, obviously. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have grinded four years for minimal results. I don’t think I’ve [achieved] insane results, just got some results. Still, I don’t care about the results […] Well, I do care about the results but I also care about having fun and proving [myself]. So, that’s my main goal. My ultimate goal is to be a nice person and give my best and, of course, getting the wins in high tiers always feels good so I obviously play for the win. […] Reaction: […] Obviously [in] contenders, you share the same hero pool as the Overwatch League, correct? Frayu: Yep! Reaction: […] How does it feel transitioning into hero pool meta. Is it more focusing on what you’re good at, hoping It doesn’t get banned? Or, is it about trying to figure out what the meta is each week, instead of going for your comfort picks? Frayu: I think that hero pools is not a bad idea. I think it’s a decent idea; it’s not too bad. But I think the duration of hero pools is way too short. You only have a few days to practice between matches. It changes every week. Contenders is in weeks so less than a week to practise an entirely different comp[osition], which is an entirely different [style of] game play […] We have different play styles but you still need to practise different kinds of styles with your team so you need to be really flexible and need to know a lot of heroes if you want to succeed. Like, if the main brawl heroes are banned you cannot play brawl and, if dive is the most dominant meta in the week, you have to play dive. You cannot play rush and expect the same results; you’re gonna perform really badly in the week. Things like Clockwork [Vendetta] wouldn’t survive today because they need to completely change their team comp in order to work. Reaction: […] What would be your ideal set of heroes to get banned for a week for your ideal meta? Frayu: Mei, Reaper, Moira, Wrecking Ball Reaction: Wrecking Ball? Frayu: Yep, the most annoying tank out there. If you’d like to see more of my work, follow me on Twitter (@ReactionGaming3), where I post all articles and other work. Frayu1600 Twitter: @Frayu1600 Image of Frayu and results from Liquipedia.
0 Comments
Role Transitions (Main Support to Flex Support) - Interview with GetComboed, top 12 player for Team Norway‘GetComboed’ is a content creator on Twitch, who is a top 12 player for Norway’s Overwatch World Cup team. Recently, he shifted from main support to flex support, one of the most mechanically demanding roles in the game. I was fortunate enough to interview GetComboed and ask about his role transition and the trial process for Team Norway. Reaction: Was it particularly difficult transitioning from main support to flex support? GetComboed: Well, mechanic-wise, I personally didn’t feel it was hard as, for the past year, I was ringing on flex support […] The reason I tried to be a main support was to get into Team Norway and I enjoyed main support in GOATs; lucio is probably my favourite hero. Mechanic-wise you obviously need a lot [of aiming skill] but you need a lot of game sense too. After GOATs meta, when trials were starting, you were playing a lot of stuff besides Lucio, like Mercy, which I don’t have a lot of practice on. Mercy is actually a really tough hero because, while you do need mechanics, you also need very high game sense. You need to understand what’s going on around you, for example when you’re going around in the air when you’re pocketing Pharah. You're not always pocketing Pharah, you need to keep an eye around you. So, game sense and mechanics wise I was okay because the hero I have the most time on is Ana and I was supposed to try-hard for main support after I found out I wasn’t going to make the 7-man roster. I tried still, playing Lucio and Baptiste. But now the meta is changing drastically […] this is probably one of the worst metas we’ve ever had in my opinion. It’s very boring to play in my opinion so I decided to change to switch it up from main support to GOATs flex support which has always been one of my dreams […]. Now that Mercy’s getting more meta, pocketing Pharah 24/7 in different compositions. Of course, we play a lot of different comps but as you saw in Euro cup we saw Pharah/Mercy was played a lot and playing Mercy that much is not for me. I feel much more at home playing the Ana, the Zenyatta […] It wasn’t an easy choice I went back and forth a lot but I decided to go flex for now but I may go back in the future. I feel very comfortable in each role but I do feel more at home on flex support due to Mercy being in the meta right now. Reaction: The main turning point for you going to flex support was Mercy coming back into the meta?
GetComboed: Yes. Of course, as you see in Overwatch League, there’s a lot of Doomfist/Reaper but in EU, whenever I ring, we play a lot of Pharah/Mercy and I thought “this isn’t for me, I want to show my mechanical skill” […] that’s why I switched over. I feel the 4 heroes you play on flex support are stronger […] Reaction: You’ve mentioned you’re a top 12 player for Norway so how does the trial process work? GetComboed: Norway had open try-outs for everybody who was masters and above. We had 70-80 players for open try-outs. Everybody who was in last year’s 12-man roster got to spectate and decide who we put through. We had different elimination rounds. I was the only player who had to flex around. I was invited directly to stage 2 due to us missing some players who were meant to be there but weren’t so I had to flex to DPS and flex support. […] After that, 6 players ended up winning the contest by beating out the other teams. 18 players, including some from last year, were invited to take part in some scrims. In those scrims, the 12-man roster was sent a DM and that we weren’t allowed to talk about it. Once we had it, we scrimmed for multiple weeks and there was very hard competition on every role […] the coaches did a very good job explaining why you didn’t make it through. […] I think they were pretty fair and I think there was a good roster selection […] I’m very happy to be on the 12-man roster.
I believe we have the first girl to play in the world cup. […] It’s pretty cool. Reaction: In the world cup, everyone has a country that they support besides their own, kind of as a cheat. What other countries are you excited to watch in the world cup? GetComboed: One country I am rooting for besides Norway, one country I’m hoping makes it very far, actually two countries… The first team is Israel. I’ve got a lot of good buddies and I think they’ll make it very far; they’re big underdogs. […] They roster is so strong in this meta. [Unfortunately, since this interview, Team Israel has pulled out of the world cup] Of course, I’m hoping Denmark reaches far. Henningsen, a good friend of mine, and some of the other players are extremely talented and I’m sure they’ll make it far this year. They got a big upgrade this year […] you’ve got a Contenders champion on main tank! […] I do think Denmark will do much better in world cup than Euro cup. Reaction: I can’t cheat and say everyone world cup team I’ve interviewed right? GetComboed: I am half American so I do have a small place in my heart for USA. […] Reaction: The team I’m really rooting for is the team which has literally called themselves the underdogs, Team Ireland. GetComboed: Team Ireland? Reaction: Yeah, forget the main land. We support Ireland. They’re just a really nice team […] GetComboed: Liam is a very good main tank overall. Maybe they will become underdogs. I don’t expect them to make it super far but it will be fun to see how far they come! […] then again, in world cup everything can happen […] If you’d like to see more of my work, follow me on Twitter (@ReactionGaming3), where I post all articles and other work. GetComboed Social Media: Twitter: @GetComboed Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/getcomboed1001 Header image from GetComboed’s Twitter Toronto Defiant part ways with Gods, Sharyk and AidWith the free agent signing period now in full swing, the Toronto Defiant have released the following three players:
Sharyk had some highlight moments during his time on Reinhardt in the Goats meta of stage 3 before being subbed out for ‘Yakpung’ later on. For future positions, Sharyk could fit in well with the Paris Eternal, a team which will undoubtedly be looking for new main tank players. While he may not end up as a starter next year, substitutes will likely see more playtime in 2020 as the league goes international. Gods was a particular bright spot on the team during the latter half of the season. He replaced Envy in the starting roster, before he was transferred to Shanghai Dragons. Gods consistently nullified enemy ultimates with split-second defence matrix usage, deleting Mei blizzards left and right. Additionally, his Roadhog play was impressive in stage 4. Because of this, it’s surprising that the management decided to not hold onto him for the coming season, even as a substitute. I believe the Houston Outlaws would be a fantastic place for Gods, especially with the Texan team lacking in their off-tank position throughout 2019 The release of Aid was expected but still saddening nonetheless. After having to flex onto the Zenyatta in stage 1 during Neko’s suspension, where he fulfilled the unfamiliar role to a surprisingly high standard, Aid played main support for Toronto. Despite his humorous nature, it’s hard to remember many high-impact plays coming from him Toronto Defiant may continue to drop players over the coming days so keep an eye on their official Twitter page @TorontoDefiant.
As for replacements, the Defiant may turn to their Contenders team for new talent. 'JkAru19', the team’s main tank, is already of age and has been showing rapid improvement; this definitely makes him a consideration. Alongside 'JkAru19' in the tank line is 'Smex', a veteran in competitive Overwatch. If he maintains a high level of performance in the world cup, I see no reason why he shouldn’t move up to the Overwatch League roster. With regards to a replacement for 'Aid', they could promote 'Tensa' from their academy team or choose from the wealth of skilled main supports in the tier 2 scene. In particular, 'FunnyAstro' would be a phenomenal pick-up due to his mastery of Lucio and recent domination with Atlanta Academy in North American Contenders. If you’d like to see more of my work, follow me on Twitter (@ReactionGaming3), where I post all articles and other work. All images courtesy of Toronto Defiant's Twitter. 'Omni Nation Goats Cup - One Last Ride' - Charity Tournament for Buttercup's Sanctuary for GoatsFor over a year, Overwatch competitive was dominated by the triple tank, triple support composition, affectionately referred to as GOATs (invented by the team of the same name). Since the introduction of 2/2/2 role lock, this composition, along with similar compositions such as Floats and Snoats, became illegal.
However, if you’re feeling nostalgic and missing the days of graviton-self destruct combos and perfectly timed shield bashes, you’re in luck. ‘Omni Nation’ are holding the ‘Omni Nation Goats Cup – One Last Ride’. Alongside a prize pool of $75 for the winning team, the organisation is “proud to donate $100 to the goats charity[,] Buttercup’s Goats”. The ‘Buttercup’s Sanctuary for Goats’ is a UK-based charity which takes in neglected goats and either take care of them themselves or find foster homes for them. There are currently 137 rescued goats on the site and another 109 in other locations. The prize pool will increase by $1 for every retweet the announcement receives (the tweet can be found @TheOmniNation), up to 75 retweets Coach 'Jfeel' leaves London Spitfire - Where could he go next?On 2nd October 2019, Kim ‘Jfeel’ Jeong-min announced his departure from the London Spitfire. For the past two years, he’s served as an assistant coach, helping them achieve a grand finals victory in season one and a playoffs appearance in season two. Before his time in the Overwatch League, he worked with GC Busan and various iterations of Kongdoo (Kongdoo Uncia, Kongdoo Panthera and Cloud9 Kongdoo). His tweet reads: His wealth of experience at the top tier of Overwatch makes him a prime candidate for the plethora of teams searching for a new coach. These include Washington Justice and Los Angeles Gladiators, among others. However, joining the Shanghai Dragons is potentially his best option. Shanghai is severely lacking in coaching staff following the removal of ‘Levi’ and ‘BlueHaS’. Jfeel could be a great addition to the team. He would fit in well with the team's majority Korean roster and hopefully improve their ability to adapt to new metagames quickly, a key weakness the Dragons had in season 2. With regards to London Spitfire, they’ll be looking for coaches who are comfortable in a full Korean environment to fill the void in their staff line. As they already dropped head coach 'Coach815' in stage 4, the Cloud9 organisation only have ‘Agape’ left as coach. Expect announcements concerning new staff signings over the coming months. If you'd like to see more my content, follow me on Twitter (@ReactionGaming3), where I post all articles and other work. (Images courtesy of Liquepedia, Jfeel's Twitter and the Overwatch League) Sources: https://liquipedia.net/overwatch/London_Spitfire https://liquipedia.net/overwatch/Jfeel We're in the Endgame now... - Overwatch League 2019 Grand Finals Preview |
Overwatch EsportsArchives
October 2019
Categories |