FFS3 Heroic Grand Finalists Interview

Grand Finals are here! Over the weekend, we took a moment to chat with our Heroic Grand Finalists before their final showdown. Shoutouts to Utility Monster, Sivolock, JeffGodGamer, Brian Tsang, Dakks, Red, Lyhtz, and Songo for taking the time to do this.

In your own words, how did this team come together?

Utility Monster: Most of the team went to college together 5-8 years ago and met there. Jeff was a friend of a friend we met via Discord years later, but we've been playing with him for a year or two now.

Brian Tsang: Most of team YUBI met at the University of Washington. Later, through some mutual friends, we met Jeff and after some months of clashing and games he became an integral part of team YUBI.

JeffGodGamer: Everyone else met through school in Seattle. Then one day I smashed the friend group with Rakan mid in a inhouse game and we started playing together. The roster has changed a few times but eventually we decided on this final roster and roleswaped me and Sivolock between Mid and ADC to complement our playstyle.

Dakks: Washed up support wanted to win the league.

Lyhtz: Songo asked people from all around the league if they wanted to play and we wanted to play to give Songo a win before he stopped playing.

Songo: I played with All Might last season briefly, and I met Red, Dakks from ATL and Nier through him. I knew Lyhtz through Season 2 so when he told me he wanted to play, everything fell perfectly in place.

If you had the option (or were forced) to go to any team in the League (Heroic or Mythic), which team would you pick?

Utility Monster: I'd want to join team Spear, their org seems fairly well managed and I've had mostly good interactions with all the guys on SPE and SWO, their top laners especially seem like good dudes.

Brian Tsang: FEC! FEC has always been a kind of miracle team where they can win fights down 7k gold. They have a very chaotic style and I think my explosive style would help develop early leads and create those moments of chaos where they would thrive.

JeffGodGamer: It would be fun to join INT because they are always looking to fight and I enjoy fighting all the time and they seem like a fun group of people to play with. However, I think any team with me and Brian on it would easily be top 3.

Red: BBZ

Sivolock: Easily SPE. I need Orphic to give me lifting tips. I don't know how he does it, mad respect.

Lyhtz: No comment.

Songo: I think it'd be cool to play with my brother on ACE, but I don't think it would ever happen. I really wish I got the opportunity to play with BoExplode though, so maybe I would play on INT, but I don't think I would want to replace any of them.

Were there any players throughout the season that really surprised you watching them or playing against them?

Utility Monster: I never thought I'd play against a Masters player in a Plat and under tournament, so credit to Camelbasil for putting in the work and grinding his rank the past few months. I also liked watching BoExplode, his mindset clearly elevated his team and I hope I'm capable of the same.

Brian Tsang: I was very surprised by Sivolock's performance in mid. Before we entered the tournament, we used to have Sivolock as ADC and Jeff as Mid. We felt that this arrangement allowed Josh more freedom because Jeff is a player that traditionally plays for priority. However, we felt our current arrangement would give Jeff and I more freedom to express our skills and grow as players, and that we as a team, would be able to improve more with this configuration going into the future. I think Sivolock has played incredibly consistently and is one of the most improved players in the league.

JeffGodGamer: I was really impressed by a lot of players growths throughout the season. I think players like SWO Cam and Jovie showed up and became one of the best mid/jg duos. SPE Cheeky Pingu was also a very good player, basically solocarrying SPE through the second half of the season. Besides that the most surprising thing to me was FEC constantly role swaping. Even if them playing offrole made them worse it was still fun to play against their different bot lane combinations.

Sivolock: Camelbasil and Lyhtz are definitely huge standouts to me. They are the only players who actually punish mistakes in lane, and I definitely have to be on my best game to create positive map pressure for my team.

Red: Sivolock.

Dakks: Camelbasil.

Lyhtz: Dakks for his steals, Nier for his clutch plays, Songo for his engages, Red for doing damage while playing weakside.

Songo: Brian Tsang, of course. Everyone on FEC impressed me with their growth over time. SWO Cam and Jovie were really cool to watch since they joined about half-way through and were kinda just thrown into everything. I also think TAS was the most enjoyable to watch out of all the teams.

Any advice you would give to new players/teams trying to join the league?

Utility Monster: Come in planning just to have fun pretending to be in LCS, but don't worry about the actual match results. Just come to have the experience of tournament play, draft preparation, team practice and bonding, etc. If you win you'll have a great time, but even if you don't it's a fun experience, just like a rec sports league for anything else.

Brian Tsang: Take care of yourself! I often get very anxious to the point of being sick to my stomach before games. I always make sure to eat before games, stay hydrated, and take naps to be at my best. If you can't get fed in real life, how can you expect to be fed in game? Your mental state has a huge impact on your gameplay so always push to improve youself both in and out of games!

JeffGodGamer: New teams should definitely pace themselves while getting used to the league schedule. Burning out is a real concern and it can make games feel miserable. And even if you lose you should still do your best to have a good time with your teammates.

Sivolock: I am very happy here and love picking Galio every game. It is great here and very fun. My coach is not mind controlling me to say this.

Dakks: Stop picking Vayne blind in draft it's grief.

Lyhtz: Just try and have fun with everyone on the team or you wont do well.

Songo: Go risky early and work out the kinks overtime. As long as you're ready by playoffs.

Good luck Yuumiversal Basic Income and Blue Bayou Zoo!!

Watch the Grand Finals on June 29th at 4:00 PM PST!