RussianFury
James: RussianFury, I would like to thank you for being the first player to accept interviews. I know you didn’t partake in this tournament, but I felt an outside POV would be interesting. The first question I would like to ask is, what made you not want to participate in this 6v6 tournament?
RussianFury: It was two things really: 1. I didn’t want to do another draft league right after the last one. That’s primarily due to Cringe Management making it to the finals and having no answers against Jedi Masters. The frustration from it alone I didn’t want to bust my ass (as it felt like to me personally) to get to the finals just to lose again. As winning it all to me matters more in this draft league format than having a good relationship with a team you’re no longer going to be on afterward. Secondly, mainly time and stress reasons. It is nice not having to worry about matches being scheduled and warming up. The second reason was more of the deciding factor as University started when your draft league started.
James: What players you currently see today have styles very similar to you or mimick your style?
RussianFury: I can’t give the greatest point on that. But from the scrims I have played thus far, it seems only people like Yoshie and Waste play similar to me. Maybe you could include Jaax, but he is a little more extreme compared to the other two. Even then, not a lot of players anymore play the style I play. If any at all.
James: When you saw all the draft choices from each captain and their placements currently, do any surprise you or is it what you expected the turn out to be?
RussianFury: In terms of teams, I had stwykefowce, or however you spell it winning all of their matches and pretty much winning it all. At the beginning of the season, outside of their EU pick, they had the overall best team and covered every position and checkmark you could ask for. It is a shame for them to lose as many matches as they have, and they need to get it together as the potential of their team could out-match anybody else in the league. Cult of popes probably has the best picks overall in terms of the player boom they have gotten from Runepykz, 1st pick, and Mikey, their 2nd pick. Rune before mainly was a top 10 player but never had the impact as he should have in matches, but lately, with his new style, he has been working on it and shutting down lots of good players. Mikey has learned some great ranging and holding skills from what I assume from playing EU and working on it over time with people like Horse or Yoshie. Vetro is always a solid player if he does not drop from the league (lol). And the rest of their squad are solid players with a good support cast for those three mentioned before. Tekkadan has the same qualities as Cult of Popes but having a better-coordinated effort in their teamwork and communication skills as most of their players are long experienced vets. Overall, not surprised with their record. Showtime is a complete disaster of a team that came down to the basis of "picking people you know and have been on teams before" without realizing some people are more toxic to each other than others.
The Saints of Feints experiment of playing mostly EU players mostly failed, only having two consistent good players who could frag. Even then, both can boom or bust in matches with their variability. Moreover, the scheduling of their matches has been a nightmare as most of their top players could not be on simultaneously due to conflicts. With Showtime reduced to mostly bench players now playing, it is a surprise that they could win two matches and probably should be the team eliminated for how criminal their performance has been. I never had a high impression on both Vindica and Saints of Feints as players from Vindica day one wanted to be traded as Theodin was and Dio sinking with the ship. Failed. However, they were able to get their first win against the number one team, Cult of Popes, which is good for them possibly not getting eliminated. Justice League should have been a middle-of-the-pack team but couldn't get stuff together with their leadership and the abysmal player performance from each of their veteran playmakers. They had potential but could never put the pieces together. It probably shows how irrelevant they are if I forgot about them, lol.
James: Which player would you personally say within the community, retired or active, is the "best of all time," and why?
RussianFury: I expressed this with you before in ts with others, saying that I believe that RussianFury is the best of all time. Not because of skill, but because accomplishments and longest-lasting standing in the community last longer than most, close to all other players in every era. I've seen pretty much everything, and the wins from regimental leagues, all the way down to tournament performances and individual player performance, I have excelled in all fields. I am not the best at stuff, such as dueling or even group fighting, with players showing off their skills better than mine. However, I can keep up with them, even outperforming them in matches.
Furthermore, most forget about the leadership skills, with most recognizing me as an innovative, sharp leader in both the LG and in draft league teams being the focal point of their success. When people glance at all of what I have done compared to other players deemed "greater" than me, I believe they will begin to understand why I think this way. I would say in the NFL; I would be comparable to Tom Brady. Even if I expressed my negative opinions on him, it is the best comparison I can do.
James: Who do you believe are the most improved players from the last groupfighting league and other past tournaments in the previous three months?
RussianFury: Mikey, Svenypoo during my time on Cringe Management, and Runepykz
James: If you had to pick a six-man dream team, who would you choose and why?
RussianFury: Currently, I would select RussianFury, Yoshie, Jaax, Waste, Yoloswag, and Cwater.
Probably can replace RussianFury with someone else. All-time would have to be RussianFury, Jackie, Yoshie, AsianP, Tammo, and Wastee. It took me some time to think of the 6th person, but I'd just go with old reliable, even if he tk's me half the time.
VetroG
James: VetroG, after coming off a pretty significant hiatus from the game for the last three months, did you feel it a struggle to get back into the game, or was it easy like it was in the past when you played consistently?
VetroG: Yeah, it was a big struggle, at least for me. But since I've drafted a well-put-together team, I didn't have to pull my weight as hard this season.
James: If you had to pick a six-man dream team, who would you pick and why?
VetroG: Emo Celestia, KnightOfSaintJohn, Pinoy, RussianFury, BillTheButcher, Suns
James: After you have drafted your team, did you see them being the #1 seed, and was there any particular match where you all were tested as a group?
VetroG: Yes, I did view my team as a #1 seed from the very beginning. I had a perfect draft spot in the captain’s order, and on top of that, I had Movement. My co-captain helped me out and enlightened me on the current player’s skill and metas since I was out of it. As a group, we were mainly tested in the SoF match. It showed no matter how good your team is, you should never get cocky and always bunker down to win the overall achievement.
James: Who do you believe are the most improved players from the last groupfighting league you participated in now?
VetroG: Mikey 100%
James: Which “top players” would you say are overrated in 2021 and are way past their best?
VetroG: Jaax is past his best, Theodin is past his best, Wastee is past his best (I think that showed this season, sadly), Sleek I haven't seen him, and honestly, I don't know if he got drafted, Fireboy is a bit overrated, but he is solid.
James: Which player would you personally say within the community, retired or active, is the "best of all time," and why?
VetroG: For me, it's between JackieChan and Yoshie. Since Jackie retired/quit, the closest thing we've had to a prime JackieChan is Yoshie. Love or hate the guy he was and is a fantastic player, and I think he deserves the crown next to Jackie as one of the best NA players to touch the scene.
Cwater
James: Do you feel being traded to tekkadan was a better decision at the time than staying on Showtime (not the current one, the OG one we both know the answer to the other)?
Cwater: Definitely; Tekkadan's team - even at that time - was far deeper and more organized than Showtime. The team environment on Tekkadan is also far more conducive to success than the atmosphere developing early on in Showtime. It's not to say that I didn't enjoy some aspects of Showtime, but I think the move was by far the correct one for me personally.
James: How do you feel you have performed in this tournament personally?
Cwater: The stats speak for themselves. Despite having missed arguably one of Tekkadan's easiest matches, I've still managed to maintain a position at the top of the leaderboard in both kills and k/d. Additionally, my team's structure has facilitated my ability to play in a way that is both comfortable and effective.
James:Which “top players” would you say are overrated in 2021 and are way past their best?
Cwater: I believe that the perception of 'invulnerability' which many people seem to hold concerning good players is ill-founded. Jaax is a highly talented player, but much of his lethality is due to people overestimating his capabilities and making poor decisions. The same principle applies to several other players who seem to thrive based upon reputation alone, such as Rune, Rafael, and maybe Anthony.
James: Who do you believe are the most improved players from the last groupfighting league and other past tournaments in the previous three months?
Cwater As mentioned by other interviewees, Mikey has most certainly demonstrated that he could perform at an extremely high level in recent months. With the amount of time he's dedicated to NW - the good one - across both EU and NA over the past several months, he's shown a considerable amount of improvement. Despite his team's lackluster performance, Horse has conducted himself admirably and demonstrated that he has potential far surpassing his recent performances. Other notables players for me are BabyJ, Svenypoo, and Stryker, who has shown himself to not be entirely useless at times.
James: If you had to pick a six-man dream team, who would you pick and why?
Cwater Cwater, Yoshie (For his ability to confuse both friend and foe alike with his accent), Yoloswag (For his sister's money), Jaax (He's a boa), Horse (Because he barks back), and Russian (Just to listen to him scream). I would also select JackieChan as a coach simply so I could gaze at his immaculate frame as he sat on the sidelines. This is all assuming I couldn't just clone myself, of course.
James: Who are the top 3 people in the community, past or present, that you have the most respect for with their skill level, which makes you fearful or careful around them, and why?
Cwater: After considering the question, I came to an answer which may not necessarily be satisfactory; no one. As I don't believe this question pertains to my past skill and abilities, I'll simply apply it to my current skill-set. As I currently play the game-specific contradictory circumstances notwithstanding - I often will actively seek out the opposing team's best players in an attempt to allow my team greater ease of mind and freedom of play. As such, I would deem it inaccurate to state that there are any players whom I necessarily 'fear' or 'respect' to any notable degree, though there are certainly those who are more taxing to face.
Yoloswag
James: Did you feel the trade to showtime at the time was a better or worse move from your POV?
Yoloswag: Lemme tell you a couple of three things. That team was perfect for me as i am dominant with the up stab except against 2 people. I woke up after dropping a bad muthhafuckin ass 40 bomb to hear a ding sound on my phone. Then a massive jolt ran straight thru ma spin. I only saw the 2 notifications, sorry nothing was personal, you were great and fun to be around. I was like bruh dafuq this nyegga talking about. I read the dreadful news. Then i was like this my time to prove im number 3 and to change the minds of the NW community. I went for a scrim and i finally knew. Why the fuck showtime absolutely sucks was because of Hawkince the Touched One. As he berated the us he thought of the wrongdoings his coach did unto him. Oatmeal the Faker helped us til the end and ended our team almost. Goomba the Talker was unparalelled in his debate skills but secretly wields a smaller than average blade. Last but not least bensonthebee the heartless. The heart of our team. He never showed up. They were the true problem. We are stronger then we are before.
James:: Which “top players” would you say are overrated in 2021 and are way past their best?
Yoloswag: Horse is number 5 right now.
Oatmeal isnt as good as baby or sven.
Waste is better than risk
Vetro lower than babyj.
Russian not as good as horse but maybe better than Piktons
The gap between Yoshie and Cwater is closing
Jaax is closest to Yoshie
and I am closer to those 3 than i have ever before
And lemme tell you one thing thats never gonna change.
The gap between me and any number 5 will forever remain huge.
James:: Who do you believe are the most improved players from the last groupfighting league and other past tournaments in the previous three months?
Yoloswag: Mikey and Horse have made leaps in their melee progression. Jerry has gotten better ping but is still not very effective in terms of groupfighting. Glenns almost got the gist of it. Evan is way too duel orientated.
James:: Which player would you personally say within the community, retired or active, is the "best of all time," and why?
Yoloswag: In melee i would guess Yoshie
greatness
is between Russianfury and Godfreid
but I think Russian has the upper hand
James:: If you had to pick a six-man dream team, who would you choose and why?
Yoloswag: Yoloswag and Ghostrider
Yoshie and Jaax middle
Cwater and Russian the right
James:: Who are the top 3 people in the community, past or present, that you have the most respect for with their skill level which makes you fearful or careful around them, and why?
Yoloswag:: the top 3 above me and maybe horse or anthony
in terms of melee
i respect everyone
except dirty cheaters
Anthony
James: Who are the top 3 people in the community, past or present, that you have the most respect for with their skill level, which makes you fearful or careful around them, and why?
Anthony: JackieChan, Godfreid, and Python
I’d say Jackie because he first had a significant impact on me as someone growing up from the age of 14 on warband. He was a tremendous person in the community and dominated the game, and produced the best video guides melee around his era. In his prime time, he was the best groupfighter and duelist.
Godfreid impresses me purely on the innovations he made in dueling. First, he used a unique mechanic in the game I’ve coined “Fastblocking,” which nullifies chambers and stuns and sets up power counter stuns. Also, the way he throws his stabs makes it so if you gamble for a block chamber and hit it, you will be blocked, and if you mess up the block chamber, you die. Seeing where the EU went to the Drake meta mainly based on holding a stab for years, Godfried went a different route and learned not to fear stabbing at blocks but instead learned how to use that to his advantage. His meta was a true innovation in dueling.
Python I respect in serval aspects. First, he is easy to get along with and has high technical knowledge of the game. The depth of his understanding is breathtaking, where most people see two stabs and two blocks he has broken down to an excellent and detailed level. Mechanical skill aside from his group fighting ability, that being his range, updowning, blocking, and decision-making is one of the most well-rounded playstyles I have seen in the game.
James: Which players do you feel currently have styles very similar to you, which you have already seen?
Anthony: I have spent time and trained with many people in the game. I feel I have influenced serval players in their styles. I remember way back teaching piktonss how to block updowns and after a couple of times training with me, he went on a samurai journey and became one of the top 3 blockers in the community. In terms of groupfighing and forcepoking, Kristine and I worked together for many, many hours of training. Also, most recently, I taught Mikey much of my range and groupfighting knowledge. Kristine and I worked together for that he took what I showed him and made it his own, along with his endless hours playing with the 55th on EU and in gfing torunies on EU has made him a rising star in the community. I am impressed with his development and his aggro style. In terms of dueling, however, Id says the only person close to me would be hireaper, an EU player I spend a lot of time training with, and I’ve shown him A-Z of my dueling meta.
James: what advice would you give people trying to take that next step towards becoming a top player and improving?
Anthony: I believe there are three critical things to become a top player and to improve. First, what is your setup? You can have the best technique globally, but if you have 100ping, you will never be a top player. Thus at minimum, a 144hz monitor, 1000hz polling rate, and a 1000hz mechanical keyboard are highly recommended. Also, sub 50 ping helps. Next is groupfighitng. To improve here, I would say in 2021 NW, here is what I recommend. Start gaining as much time in groupfighting as you can. That means if you’re going to get good, join an EU regiment and EU groupfighting team and start grinding hours.
When you play on NA, record everything you do, go over your videos, spot your bad habits and miss opportunities, then either make a mental note or write down what you need to improve. Lastly, find an NW player with a youtube channel with many videos and model them and watch what they do. I recommend Python as it is one of the best in the game with the most content you can manage. However, so many variables in terms of setup are introduced that may work for you may not work for me. Thus at the end of the day, you need to be open-minded and explore on your own. Also, forget dueling. It’s a lot of fun. I enjoy it immensely, but frankly, in terms of application to groupfighting, you should focus on building up other skills. The best groupfighters are not the best duelists. Thus at minimum, a 144hz monitor, 1000hz polling rate mouse, and a 1000hz mechanical keyboard.
James: Who are the most improved players during the last three months, in your opinion?
Anthony: VHA, no other player in my eyes has come close. First of all, this man just diced up Cwater in groupfighting and slayed him in the battle of sophistry which no man has been able to TOUCH the Goat Cwater in. Next, Id say Mikey, the man grinded the game and seemingly, for those not watching, came out of nowhere and now has proved himself to be a top 10 player in the community.
James: What players in the community would you say are overrated?
Anthony: This is a tricky question. I think NA has been so dead in terms of groupfighting and tournaments I really cannot give a good answer. The problem is that you stuck with a single team in the draft league, so your performance on the leaderboards doesn’t tell the whole story. From what I can see, I will tell you the facts that Cwater, in terms of KD, has shown up to be insane consistently. I swear it must be that stupid ball-spinning mouse. On WBMM, he had a 2.0 kd, and in the league, he has a 1.85KD. For me, the fear factor of playing in front of Cwater doesn’t make me go wow or anything. But the fact is. Statistically, he is an anomaly. He should record his pov, along with Yoshie, Jaax, and some other top players, so that I can give you an excellent answer to that question. Until those requirements are met, I can provide my biased feelings to make my ego feel good.
James: If you had to pick a six-man dream team, who would you pick and why?
Anthony: Yoshie, Cwater, Anthony, Jaax, Yoloswag, and Rune
Yoshie
James: How do you feel you have performed in the tournament personally?
Yoshie: decent but still under what I would like it to be.
James: what advice would you give to people trying to take that next step towards becoming a top player and improving?
Yoshie: it’s to have the right mindset, be patient, and reach a higher understanding of the game mechanics.
James: Who is the most improved player during the last three months, in your opinion?
Yoshie: Mikey because he was willing to grind and quick to learn.
James: If you had to pick a six-man dream team, who would you pick and why?
Yoshie: if I had to do rosters, I would pick (Yoshie, Jaax, Yolo, Cwater, Russian, Rune)
but what I would want to play with is probably just a group of friends.
James: Which player would you personally say within the community, retired or active, is the "best of all time,” and why?
Yoshie: I would say that I am the best of all time. I think that the skill in our region in 2017 improved at a high rate. The skill ceiling got higher overall as these little GF draft leagues happened. I learned a lot during those and (in between) quickly became the best player and still am today. I think I did in 2019 mechanically, but my mechanics rn are better than my 2019. For sure,? rn, it’s hard to say that I peaked as everyone gets better; I get better too. I do think there are other all times contenders give them the respect they deserve. I simply think I dominated for much longer.
James: In your opinion, what are the best teams and or players you have ever faced at their peak (in order)?
Yoshie: Matt, Jaax, and Russian when he wasn’t a slapshot addict. Matt uses hacks, so it’s hard. Jaax, when he has mechanics, is good and hard to play against also. He never dies in 1 stab. Russian is like, yo guys; I got 2 hours past two weeks. AM I COOL, OR AM I COOL.