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
Leave a Reply. |
Overwatch EsportsArchives
October 2019
Categories |