good morning gamers, it's time for that thread I promised last night ✨
general insights and takeaways from the Battle of Brotherly Love press conferences, a thread:
general insights and takeaways from the Battle of Brotherly Love press conferences, a thread:
understandably, Houston was pretty tired by interview time, but Blase and Flame in particular had some positives to take away. Blase views moving to the Outlaws as a fresh start, and enjoys playing with a roster that has more league experience.
he explained that Houston practiced comps that would allow them to take a hard-rush, aggressive approach on attack, and believes that their strategy fell apart primarily because they played too slowly against Florida, who ran a comp designed to play slowly
calling this weekend a 'wake-up call,' Flame is thankful for lessons learned and believes that the team has lots of footage to review before they play in Washington this weekend. he believes they'll be more cautious in their approach this time around
Flame also confirmed that flu-like symptoms have been jumping from player to player over the last week or so, and that the team's generally low energy as a result definitely impacted their focus and playstyle
Washington was in high spirits after both of their matches, regardless of results, and look forward to being on the other side of the home crowd coin next week at their own homestand. on day 2, Bani called the win over his former team 'bittersweet,' but still seemed pleased
PRE explained that Lullsish's visa issues have been ongoing long enough that Roar knew far in advance that he'd need to step up, and he believes that he did just that. Lullsish has also been participating fully in practices despite the distance
JohnGalt says that working with the Gladiators' mixed roster taught him just how important communication is, and that's what he's brought to the Justice the most. his goal is to create a 2020 Justice that is aggressive, energetic, and adaptable
he also says that the meta is malleable right now while teams figure out what they're most comfortable with, both in general and situationally. in that regard, the Justice are in a comfortable place where they know both their strengths and weaknesses
Analynn lauded the coaching staff for going above and beyond to prepare the team, to the point where they sometimes cut into their personal time to do so. she says that her time as GM for Team USA showed her how important it is to build synergy both on and off stage
Stratus complimented Corey's ability to succeed mechanically at nearly any strat, as long as he knows what he wants to do in advance, and says that's a rare skill. JohnGalt echoed this, saying that one of Corey's biggest strengths is his understanding of situational DPS swaps
Corey, for his part, tries to focus on what he wants to do despite his building reputation as a top-tier DPS player, although he mentioned that the reputation does add a bit of pressure to live up to it
AimGod enjoys being on the Justice, remarking that being on a 'PMA-style' team is new to him. Analynn added that the players have made an effort to befriend each other (apparently, they played a lot of Pokemon Go while walking around Philadelphia)
Kuki says that his coaching approach on Florida was developed based largely on what he wanted when he was a player. he provides individualized feedback to each player, regardless of whether they're starting (and made sure the players told us that!)
he's treating this season as 'spring cleaning' for the Mayhem - he understands that most people still have low expectations for them, and wants to change the way the team is viewed overall
when the players were asked how Kuki's coaching has made their lives easier as players, Karayan laughed and asked Kuki if he wanted to cover his ears before he answered, but all three players agreed that his coaching is very in-depth
when asked if they'll have the confidence to take on fellow Runaway alum on Vancouver, Yaki bluntly answered 'yes' and nothing else. Gangnamjin added that he's nervous to face them because they've had extra time to build synergy, but that he believes they can beat them one day
(after this, Karayan looked at Gangnamjin and remarked that his answer was 'kinda dweeby')
Kuki also chimed in, reminding both players and press that Florida only has two former Runaway players on their team, as opposed to Vancouver's nearly full squad of them
Yaki spent most of the post-Houston interviews watching the Justice and Fusion start their game. when asked about this, he mentioned being especially motivated to face off against Carpe
Much like Washington, Florida seemed mostly positive after both games, regardless of results. Kuki explained that for now, the team's mindset is to take things slow and focus on growth over results (although he would like to maintain at least a 50% win rate)
All of the players on the Fusion agreed that being in front of a home crowd was invigorating, and spirits were understandably high by the end of the weekend. Even considering that they've made Grand Finals before, Poko believes this will be the Fusion's strongest season yet
Christfer believes that moving to Philadelphia helps the team view practice more professionally, as they now practice in a facility instead of just going downstairs in their team house
He says that the coaching staff treated 2020 Fusion as a new team altogether, rather than an old team with new elements mixed in. he says that the team's coaching culture has shifted to a more individualized approach
he also believes that expanding the roster adds extra motivation, since nearly every role has players competing for a spot on the starting roster
Christfer provided insight on KDG's coaching philosophy, that every player needs to know exactly why they're there and what their personal objective is. he has a tattoo on his arm that roughly translates into 'make your role'
this philosophy seems to have impacted Carpe, who admits that he became lazy in season 2 due to his dislike of GOATS but that now he's learned that he needs to focus and do what he needs to do, regardless of what his role is at any time
Christfer says that Alarm is a joy to work with - despite how talented he is, he doesn't have an ego at all, and he's willing to constantly learn, branch out, and make friends
He also insists that SADO is just as good now as he was last season, but that the team is more comfortable and adaptable now and as a result can play around him better
When asked about their games this weekend in Washington, FunnyAstro laughed and admitted he hadn't realized they had two matches. Christfer believes that playing against New York and Toronto gives them a chance to show their skill at a broader level
In the Atlantic South cluster of teams, Christfer believes that Atlanta is the strongest of the group despite not having played yet, which speaks to the caliber of the team. In the larger Atlantic conference, he thinks Toronto is also a major contender
and that's about it! lots of good insights all around - can't wait for more next week!
